Stars align for Bitcoin rally to $100K, but futures traders exercise caution — Here’s why

4 days ago

Key takeaways:

  • BTC deed $97,900 owed to soaring organization capitalist demand, but futures pricing shows traders aren't assured successful a sustained rally.

  • Macroeconomic risks and planetary commercialized tensions headdress bullish sentiment contempt $3.6 cardinal successful spot BTC ETF inflows.

  • BTC options thin bullish, suggesting large players expect upside, but their caution keeps leverage usage low.

Bitcoin (BTC) broke retired of a choky trading scope betwixt $93,000 and $95,600 connected May 1, pursuing six days of constricted movement. Despite reaching its highest terms successful 10 weeks astatine $97,930, sentiment remains neutral according to BTC derivatives indicators. This terms enactment has occurred alongside important nett inflows into US spot exchange-traded Bitcoin funds (ETFs).

Some of the disappointment among traders tin beryllium attributed to the ongoing global tariff dispute, which is opening to impact macroeconomic data. Bitcoin traders are acrophobic that, contempt increasing involvement from organization investors, fears of an economical recession could bounds terms performance. This interest reduces the likelihood of BTC reaching $110,000 oregon higher successful 2025.

Bitcoin 2-month futures annualized premium. Source: Laevitas.ch

The annualized premium for Bitcoin’s two-month futures has remained betwixt 6% and 7% implicit the past week, staying wrong the neutral scope of 5% to 10%. Compared to January, erstwhile Bitcoin was trading adjacent $95,000 and the futures premium was supra 10%, traders’ sentiment has weakened. This information suggests determination is little optimism, oregon astatine slightest little conviction, successful further terms gains toward $100,000 and above.

Gold’s show outshone Bitcoin’s humble gains

Some marketplace participants constituent to gold’s 20% rally, from $2,680 to $3,220, arsenic a root of concern. Although Bitcoin precocious surpassed silver’s $1.8 trillion marketplace capitalization to go the seventh largest planetary tradable asset, gold’s surge to a monolithic $21.7 trillion valuation has overshadowed this achievement. Investors interest that Bitcoin’s strong correlation with the banal marketplace has diminished the entreaty of its “digital gold” narrative.

Bitcoin spot US-listed ETFs regular nett flows, USD. Source: CoinGlass

There is besides a anticipation that the $3.6 cardinal successful nett inflows to US spot ETFs implicit the past 2 weeks are being driven by delta-neutral strategies. In this scenario, the flows bespeak Bitcoin holders moving to listed products oregon utilizing derivatives for hedging. If so, the nonstop interaction connected terms would beryllium limited, which is accordant with Bitcoin’s humble 5% summation during this period.

To find whether nonrecreational traders are comfy with Bitcoin astir $97,500, it is adjuvant to analyse the BTC options market.

Bitcoin 1-month options 25% delta skew (put-call) astatine Deribit. Source: Laevitas.ch

The BTC options 25% delta skew metric is presently adjacent its lowest level since Feb. 15, indicating that whales and marketplace makers are assigning higher likelihood to further upside from here. This marks a crisp reversal from 3 weeks ago, erstwhile enactment (sell) options traded astatine a premium.

Related: Bitcoin unsure arsenic recession looms, US-China tariff talks footwear off

Bitcoin derivatives’ resilience favors further BTC terms gains

Overall, Bitcoin derivatives bespeak mean optimism. Traders mostly expect further terms gains, but bulls are refraining from utilizing leverage. Some mightiness reason that this creates the perfect conditions for a astonishment rally, particularly since the retest of $74,500 connected April 9 did not importantly impact BTC derivatives.

The astir important origin influencing Bitcoin’s show remains the commercialized narration betwixt the US and China. As agelong arsenic the commercialized warfare continues, Bitcoin is apt to proceed tracking the S&P 500 movements. While this situation whitethorn forestall Bitcoin from reaching a caller all-time precocious successful the adjacent term, BTC derivatives are presently leaning somewhat successful favour of the bulls.

This nonfiction is for wide accusation purposes and is not intended to beryllium and should not beryllium taken arsenic ineligible oregon concern advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed present are the author’s unsocial and bash not needfully bespeak oregon correspond the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

View source