Bitcoin Futures Pressure Eases: Is This the Calm Before the Next Bull Run?
The relentless selling pressure from futures markets is finally letting up. Data shows a sharp decline in futures-driven sell-side activity, giving Bitcoin its first real breathing room in weeks. This isn't just a minor blip—it's a potential regime shift in market structure.
From Leveraged Liquidation to Organic Support
For months, the market was dominated by high-leverage futures positions. Every dip triggered cascading liquidations, creating a vicious cycle of forced selling. Now, that engine of downward momentum is sputtering. Open interest is dropping, and the perpetual funding rate is normalizing, signaling that speculative excess is being wrung out of the system.
The Spot Market Steps Up
With futures noise fading, the underlying spot market is coming back into focus. On-chain metrics point to accumulation by long-term holders, while exchange reserves continue to drain. This classic supply squeeze setup is what fueled previous major rallies. The big question: will traditional finance, always late to the party, finally show up with real money instead of just leveraged bets?
The path ahead looks clearer without the futures fog. If this trend holds, Bitcoin's next move could be driven by fundamentals, not margin calls. Get ready—the real volatility might just be starting.
Futures Market Sellers Are Stepping Back
The cryptocurrency market is showing upward strength with Bitcoin reclaiming resistance levels that previously halted its upside attempts. While the price of BTC is trending upwards once again, selling pressure on the flagship asset from the futures market is declining sharply.
Following weeks of aggressive short positioning and high funding rates that exacerbated downward movements, indicators currently reflect a substantial cooling of sell-side activity. As outlined by Darkfost, a market expert and author at CryptoQuant, the selling pressure has now divided by 10 after reaching a monthly average peak of $489 million in the BTC Net Taker Volume metric.
This shift in sentiment is a sign that open interest is returning to normal, liquidations have slowed, and traders are reducing rather than increasing their negative wagers. Although this does not guarantee an immediate rise in BTC’s price, it alleviates one of the biggest headwinds that has affected prices in recent sessions.
The bitcoin Net Taker Volume metric provides a net volume, which aids in determining who is controlling the futures order books. Furthermore, it is simpler to identify changes in trend and trading activity when the data is smoothed using a monthly average. Currently, Darkfost highlighted that sellers are still slightly dominating the orders, with over $51 million worth of trades.
While the metric has not yet flipped into positive territory, the data shows that it is gradually approaching it. According to the expert, it is quite encouraging when traders begin to change their approach, especially considering the significant impact futures volumes have on price action.
It is worth noting that the BTC price action has experienced a stable trend since the decline in selling pressure kicked off. Thus, if Net Taker Volume were to turn positive once more, it would undoubtedly set off a bullish reversal for Bitcoin.
Is Bitcoin Volatility Heading For Rock Bottom?
As the bullish sentiment returns to the market, the ongoing volatility is starting to fade, leading to a period of low risk. Axel Adler Jr., another author at CryptoQuant, has shared an update revealing that BTC’s realized volatility has compressed significantly, reaching approximately 23%, a level that statistically rarely persists for long.
In the past, these compression regimens have resulted in a dramatic range expansion. With realized volatility now sitting at 23.6%, compression has reached a critical threshold, bringing BTC to a crucial stage that could play a role in its next move.
At the time of writing, the price of BTC was trading at $94,890, indicating a more than 3% increase in the last 24 hours. Its trading volume has also increased significantly, rising by nearly 61% over the past day.
