Data from the crypto analytical firm Skew.com shows that bitcoin options are maturing much faster than the futures markets launched in December 2017. Skew’s data shows that the open interest in bitcoin options has risen significantly in the last few months.
Bitcoin options “are starting to play catch up with the more mature futures market,” according to Skew.com stats. “Options open interest [is] growing fast this quarter,” the researchers noted on June 5, 2020.
Bitcoin futures have been around for quite some time and futures products joined heavily regulated exchange platforms like Cboe and CME Group back in 2017. Not only are BTC options doing well, but it is a “similar story for ether options” to says Skew.
The difference between options and futures products are fairly simple to understand. A bitcoin futures contract from CME group represents an obligation to buy or sell the virtually represented bitcoins for a “predetermined price and deliverable at a predetermined time.”
Options, on the other hand, are a right to play without the obligation to purchase or sell the underlying asset.
Bitcoin options markets really gained some solid footing in 2019 and the growth is much faster than futures which have been around for over two years. News.Cryptox.trade recently reported on a Cryptocompare analysis that has shown digital asset derivatives volumes soaring by 32% in May.
Skew’s data shared on Twitter shows that besides regulated exchanges like CME Group, the top options and futures platforms are Huobi, Okex, Deribit, and Bitmex.
Since the market rout on March 12, otherwise known as ‘Black Thursday,’ bitcoin futures and options contracts have seen significant demand. On Tuesday, Skew explained that “June is starting on a softer note from a trading activity perspective as bitcoin remains just shy of $10K.”
Moreover, the Skew researchers added that tether (USDT) growth has also been exponential. “USDT market cap is marching towards $10 billion,” the analysts added on Tuesday.
Regulated futures and options products from CME Group also continue to show the total number of outstanding derivatives contracts (open interest) is growing. At press time the overall market valuation of all 5,000+ crypto coins is around $276 billion.
The two coins with a lot of options and futures interest, bitcoin (BTC) and ethereum (ETH), are up in value on Tuesday by a few percentages. Additionally, Skew’s analysis shows that bitcoin options worth over $800 million are set to expire.
What do you think about bitcoin options surpassing futures in growth? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons, Skew.com
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