Deribit Exchange Braces for Crypto Volatility as $11.7B Options Expiry Looms
The cryptocurrency market is preparing for potential turbulence as $11.7 billion in monthly options approach expiration on Deribit, coinciding with the release of US PCE inflation data. Bitcoin and Ethereum have already shown signs of decline, with BTC dropping 2% to $106,615 and ETH facing a max pain point of $2,300 in its options expiry.
Deribit data shows 92K BTC options ($7.7B notional) expiring with a put-call ratio of 0.88, while 565K ETH options ($1.7B) show a put-call ratio of 0.83. The higher put volumes indicate growing bearish sentiment among traders expecting further downside.
Market participants are closely monitoring the $100,000 max pain point for Bitcoin and $2,300 for ethereum as key psychological levels that could accelerate selling pressure if breached. Trading volumes have increased 7% in the past 24 hours, reflecting heightened speculative activity ahead of these macroeconomic and derivatives events.