Bitcoin traders pile $550m into bets that the price will go even lower

Bitcoin’s rocky week is astir to get adjacent worse.

Or that’s what traders are signalling with their positioning successful the options market.

Traders person sunk $550 cardinal into bets that the terms could autumn arsenic debased arsenic $70,000 this month.

Data from crypto analytics level Amberdata shows, via an indicator known arsenic the 25-delta skew, that traders are expecting an extended Bitcoin terms slide.

They’re piling into bearish, oregon “put,” options to support against the plunging price.

On Monday, arsenic markets cratered connected fears astir tariffs and the US economy, astir 43% of contracts traded implicit those 24 hours were purchases of puts, Sean Dawson, caput of probe astatine options trading protocol Derive, wrote successful a Tuesday report.

The moves travel arsenic analysts foretell much symptom up for Bitcoin amid monolithic ETF outflows and concerns implicit US President Donald Trump’s tariff zig-zag, the US economy, and geopolitical tensions.

Arthur Hayes, main concern serviceman astatine Maelstrom, said successful a blog station that Bitcoin could descent arsenic debased arsenic $75,000.

This week, helium indicated the marketplace was flashing reddish based connected the unfastened interests for options contracts astatine the $75,000 terms mark.

“If we get to that range, it volition beryllium violent,” Hayes said.

Mintology CEO Zach Burks besides said helium expects Bitcoin to driblet arsenic debased arsenic $72,000 arsenic the allure of the plus arsenic a alleged Trump commercialized has faded.

2025 Rally

Still, traders expect Bitcoin volition yet rally this year.

Data from crypto derivatives level Deribit shows a monolithic build-up of bullish Bitcoin contracts that wage disconnected successful the $100,000 to $120,000 range.

The bulk of these bullish bets are for contracts expiring aft May, different denotation that traders expect Bitcoin’s terms to retrieve successful the 2nd half.

Hayes predicted Bitcoin volition leap to $250,000 this year, a determination driven by dollar devaluation owed to Trump’s policies.

Osato Avan-Nomayo is our Nigeria-based DeFi correspondent. He covers DeFi and tech. Got a tip? Please interaction him astatine [email protected].