Deribit Exchange Options Expiry Passes Quietly as Bitcoin Holds Near $88K, Signaling Market Maturation
Deribit's $3.18 billion options expiry passed quietly on Friday, with Bitcoin hovering near the $88,000 max pain level. Unlike previous expiry events, traders are not actively pushing the price toward this threshold—a sign of shifting market dynamics.
Positioning reveals defensive strategies: put options dominate below $91,000 while calls cluster above. The 0.8 put/call ratio suggests modest bullish sentiment, but liquidity concentrations at $85,000 puts reveal underlying anxiety about potential drops to $80,000.
This expiry serves as a prelude to next week's larger monthly and quarterly event. Market makers are now treating options as insurance rather than speculative tools—a maturation that echoes traditional derivatives markets.