Bitcoin futures open interest has soared to a staggering $21 billion, marking the highest level since November 2021. Despite this notable increase, the market’s overall leverage remains relatively low, suggesting minimal risk of sudden price swings due to mass liquidations.
The latest data from CoinGlass reveals that the notional open interest—or the total dollar value of active bitcoin futures contracts—has achieved a significant milestone, echoing the vibrant market activity reminiscent of bitcoin’s previous highs above $65,000. This surge to over $21 billion in open interest comes as bitcoin trades around $49,570 in the spot market, indicating a 22% increase this year alone.
The rise in futures open interest, while indicative of a bullish sentiment and new money influx, typically raises concerns about potential price volatility. However, the current low leverage levels in the market imply a reduced likelihood of abrupt price corrections due to forced liquidations. Liquidations, or the compulsory closure of positions due to insufficient margin, often trigger sharp price movements but seem less of a threat under the current circumstances.
Bitcoin’s estimated leverage ratio has seen a minor uptick from 0.18 to 0.20, according to CryptoQuant data, yet remains significantly below the peaks observed in the past year. Additionally, the futures open interest measured in BTC terms underscores a cautious build-up of leverage, staying well below the record highs of October 2022.
This development signals a cautious but optimistic outlook among traders, buoyed by robust inflows into recently launched spot ETFs in the U.S. Noelle Acheson, in her Crypto is Macro Now newsletter, remarks on the measured leverage build-up, suggesting that while interest is growing, it has not reached excessive levels.
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