Onchain Highlights
DEFINITION: The share of futures contracts open curiosity that’s margined within the native coin (e.g., BTC) and never in USD or a USD-pegged stablecoin.
Bitcoin’s futures market is present process a notable shift, as mirrored within the declining proportion of crypto-margined futures open curiosity throughout all exchanges. Information from Glassnode highlights a major drop in the usage of Bitcoin as collateral for futures contracts, falling from 70% in early 2021 to lower than 20% by mid-2024.
This development suggests a rising choice for extra steady types of collateral, reminiscent of USD or stablecoins, over Bitcoin itself. The rationale behind this shift is to mitigate the compounded dangers related to the volatility of Bitcoin costs, which may result in elevated liquidations throughout market swings. This transfer in the direction of stability and threat mitigation alerts a maturation of the market, the place merchants are adopting methods to handle volatility extra successfully.
Moreover, the futures market’s response to Bitcoin’s worth stabilization round $70,000 signifies an evolving panorama the place open curiosity is starting to recuperate. This restoration in open curiosity, coupled with the continuing shift in the direction of steady collateral, highlights altering dealer behaviors and market forces.
