DeFi News Today TheBitTimes.com

With dropping volatility and looming end-of-quarter options contracts expiration s, crypto markets are poised for an interesting week. Analysts say the recent rally has investors rethinking their positions.  Exchange Deribit has around 150,000 bitcoin options contracts worth about $4.5 billion set to expire on Friday. The exchange also has about $2.3 billion worth of ether (ETH) options contracts expiring on the same date. Bitcoin (BTC) and ether were trading at $30,701 and $1,896, respectively, at time of publication.  “BTC Max Pain at a significantly reduced level of $26,000 might alleviate the prevailing downward pressure on prices following the expiration,” Shaun Fernando, chief risk officer at Deribit, said. “With an impressive open interest of over $350 million at the $30,000 strike, the approaching quarterly expiration promises an exhilarating conclusion, carrying the potential for price turbulence amidst diverse gamma hedging strategies.” Analysts agree, open interest i...

The total crypto market cap has been ranging sideways, but Bitcoin derivatives markets indicate pro traders don't expect any major price corrections. For the past 14 days, cryptocurrency markets have been trading within an unusually tight 7.1% range. In other words, investors are unwilling to place new bets until there’s additional regulatory clarity, especially in the United States. The total crypto market capitalization fell by 1% to $1.2 trillion over the seven days ending May 4, primarily as a result of Bitcoin's (BTC) 1.1% price decline, Ether's (BTC) 0.2% loss, and BNB trading down 1.4%. Total crypto market cap in USD, 12-hour. Source: TradingView Notice that the exact same $1.16 trillion to $1.22 trillion total market cap range previously stood for twelve days between March 29 and April 10. The conflicting forces: regulatory uncertainty weighing it down and the banking crisis pushing prices upward are likely the reason for the lack of risk-appetite on both sides. SE...