Spot Bitcoin ETF Options Hit Market as Price Surges
11/21/2024 05:08
Options trading for Bitcoin ETFs widens as multiple issuers join BlackRock’s IBIT.
Several spot bitcoin ETF issuers are set to join BlackRock in offering options trading, marking another milestone for crypto investment vehicles.
The launch of options trading for spot bitcoin ETFs continues to expand, with multiple issuers set to begin trading Wednesday, following BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) successful options debut on Tuesday, according to data provided by the Options Clearing Corporations, the sole issuer and regulator of all U.S. exchange-listed securities options.
The options rollout comes as bitcoin reached new highs above $94,900 on Wednesday. While it's retreated to $94,320, it's still about 2% higher over the past 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.
Several bitcoin ETF options will begin trading Wednesday, including the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC), Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB), Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF (GBTC), and Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC), OCC data showed.
Grayscale investments confirmed the Wednesday launch of options trading for both GBTC and BTC in a Tuesday statement. David LaValle, senior managing director and global head of ETFs at Grayscale Investments, noted that the development further expands the ecosystem around U.S.-listed bitcoin ETFs.
Options trading expands investors' tools to participate in the spot bitcoin ETF market and follows January’s historic approval of the 11 funds by the Securities and Exchange Commission. They come on the heels of the incoming Trump administration's advocacy for crypto and growing investor interest, with IBIT accumulating nearly $30 billion in assets, according to data from Farside Investors.
IBIT’s first day of options trading showed strong demand, with Bloomberg Intelligence ETF Research Analyst James Seyffart noting on X that trading volume reached just shy of $1.9 billion in so-called notional exposure through 354,000 contracts. Notional value represents the total worth of all of the derivatives contracts, as opposed to the spot price of the contract.
“$1.9b is unheard of for day one. For context, $BITO did $363m and that's been around for four years,” Eric Balchunas, senior ETF analyst for Bloomberg, posted on X.
As of Tuesday's market close, the trading heavily favored call options over puts, with 289,000 calls versus 65,000 puts traded, according to Seyffart.
“$IBIT options trading was strong but guessing it was largely retail phenomenon based on the heavy skew to out-of-the-money calls,” Seyffart posted on X.
Some market participants are showing particularly bullish sentiment through their options activity. Seyffart noted that the Dec. 20 $100 call options for IBIT were among the most actively traded contracts, representing “essentially a lottery ticket” betting that bitcoin’s price would nearly double within the next month.
In related developments, Grayscale Investments updated two fillings for bitcoin and Ethereum covered call ETFs, suggesting the firm is positioning itself to further expand its crypto investment offerings.
According to the Monday SEC filings, the proposed covered call ETFs would aim to generate income by selling call options on bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs while maintaining exposure to the underlying crypto funds, offering investors potential yield in addition to cryptocurrency price appreciation.