Thursday, February 26, 2026

$10.5B Bitcoin Options Expiry May Reset Market Expectations

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Key takeaways:

  • Bitcoin bulls want a 9% rally from present ranges to take the benefit in Friday’s $10.5 billion choices expiry.

  • The 90% correlation between Bitcoin and the Nasdaq 100 Index reveals that tech investor sentiment drives market confidence.

Bitcoin (BTC) value surged to an eight-day excessive on Wednesday, efficiently forming a double backside close to the $62,500 degree. Regardless of these current positive factors, Bitcoin value stays 21% decrease than it was one month in the past, suggesting bulls are unlikely to come back out forward throughout Friday’s $10.5 billion month-to-month BTC choices expiry. Whether or not bulls can flip the tables on the final minute and shift momentum again of their favor stays up within the air.

Deribit stays the dominant chief with a 76% market share, totaling $4.5 billion in name (purchase) choices and $3.4 billion in put (promote) devices. OKX follows in second place with $610 million in calls and $385 million in places, representing 10% of the mixture whole. CME rounded out the highest three with $255 million in calls and $287 million in places, accounting for a 5% market share.

Put choices are higher positioned regardless of having much less open curiosity

At first look, the mixture put choices open curiosity seems 25% decrease than equal name choices. Nonetheless, a extra granular view reveals that neutral-to-bullish methods have been caught off guard by Bitcoin’s sharp decline under $75,000 in early February. 88% of name choices on Deribit will expire nugatory if the Bitcoin value stays under $70,000 on Friday.

BTC Friday name (purchase) choices at Deribit. Supply: Deribit

Even when discarding calls concentrating on $105,000 and better, that are sometimes a part of complex multi-leg strategies with decrease acquisition prices, solely 37% of the remaining bets sit under $75,000. Realistically, this places the efficient name choices open curiosity on Deribit at about $780 million. Given these present circumstances, it’s price analyzing whether or not bearish merchants have now overplayed their hand.

BTC Friday put (promote) choices at Deribit. Supply: Deribit

$1.44 billion in put choices open curiosity on Deribit targets Bitcoin costs under $60,000, though it’s unlikely that bets at $40,000 and $45,000 successfully aimed for these particular ranges. Calendar methods and ratio spreads are sometimes related to excessive value targets, as they don’t require a value crash to attain profitability.

Put choices at $72,000 and above whole $1.15 billion in open curiosity on Deribit, which is greater than sufficient to offset present name choices. Though Bitcoin’s decline towards $60,000 was possible not tied to macroeconomic trends, the relevance of Nvidia’s (NVDA US) earnings final result after the US market shut on Wednesday shouldn’t be understated.

The success of the substitute intelligence sector, significantly the sustainable operational margins of the world’s largest corporations, stays decisive for each danger market. Historical past means that Bitcoin’s correlation with the inventory market seldom lasts lengthy, however the destiny of Friday’s $10.5 billion choices expiry could possibly be determined by inventory market efficiency.

Associated: Bitcoin tops $69.5K after stock market rebound, strong earnings data boost risk appetite

Bitcoin 30-day correlation vs. Nasdaq 100 Index. Supply: TradingView

The present 90% correlation between Bitcoin and the Nasdaq 100 Index is evident proof that the tech play is the main driver of dealer confidence, however so long as Bitcoin value stays under $75,000, the benefit continues to favor put choices.

Beneath are three possible outcomes for Friday’s BTC choices expiry at Deribit based mostly on present value tendencies:

  • From $65,000 to $69,000: The online end result favors the put (promote) devices by $1.15 billion.

  • From $69,001 to $71,000: The online end result favors the put (promote) devices by $845 million.

  • From $71,001 to $74,000: The online end result favors the put (promote) devices by $470 million.

In the end, Bitcoin bulls want a 9% rally from the current $68,800 degree to flip the tables on the February choices expiry.