Coindesk

Surging volumes in put options linked to BlackRock's Nasdaq-listed spot bitcoin ETF (IBIT) could be interpreted as bearish sentiment. That's not necessarily the case.On Friday, more than 13,000 contracts of the $30 out-of-the-money (OTM) put option expiring May 16 changed hands as the ETF rose 1.7% to $57.91, according to data from Amberdata. Volume in the $35 put option expiring Jan. 16, 2026, topped 10,000 contracts.Most of the activity probably stems from market participants looking to generate passive income through "cash-secured put selling" rather than outright purchase of the options as bearish bets, according to Greg Magadini, Amberdata's director of derivatives.A put seller, offering insurance against price drops in return for a premium, is obligated to purchase the underlying asset...

Bitcoin (BTC) set a fresh record above $106,000 earlier Monday, with traders now targeting the $120,000 level as the asset moves into the second half of a seasonally bullish December.Recent catalysts that have supported growth in BTC include increased speculation of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump creating a federal bitcoin reserve, and crypto companies such as Riot Platforms and MicroStrategy purchasing billions worth of the asset in past weeks.Optimism in U.S. policies are driving bitcoin ETFs inflows higher, contributing to increased prices, some point out.“TradFi inflows now dominate all sentiment and price action in BTC unlike any other prior crypto cycle before,” shared Augustine Fan, head of insights at SOFA, in a Telegram message to CoinDesk. “This influence will only grow...

Bitcoin (BTC) surged to over $106,000 in early Asian hours, setting new all-time highs before quickly retreating to $104,500 amid concerns about the upcoming U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cut.The U.S. central bank is expected to reduce the benchmark borrowing cost by 25 basis points to the 4.25% to 4.5% range, marking a total easing of 100 basis points since September. However, there are concerns that the accompanying Fed commentary will seek to temper expectations for further easing, potentially diminishing the bullish impact of the rate cut.The Fed will announce its rate decision, the dot plot, comprising interest rate projections, and economic forecasts on Dec. 18 at 14:00 ET. A press conference by the Fed Chair Jerome Powell will occur...

MicroStrategy (MSTR) is set to soon be included in of the world's largest exchange-traded funds after becoming the first bitcoin-centric company to win entry into the Nasdaq-100 Index.The Nasdaq-100 Index tracks the 100 largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange and is filled with dominant market names like Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Tesla and Costco.On Nov. 29, the day when the Nasdaq took a market snapshot in preparation for the index's annual rebalancing, MicroStrategy had a market cap of roughly $92 billion. That would rank the Michael Saylor-led company as the 40th largest in the Nasdaq 100 and a likely weighting in the index of 0.47%, according to Bloomberg Intelligence senior ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.As comparison, Apple —...

Michael Novogratz's Galaxy Digital (GLXY) has hired former Point72 chief financial officer Anthony Paquette to serve in the same role at the crypto financial services firm. He will replace Alex Ioffe, who will transition into a senior adviser role, the company said in a statement on Friday.Paquette previously spent four years as the CFO at Steve Cohen’s hedge fund Point72, leading the firm’s global finance, treasury, and broker relations, among other things. Before that, he worked at SoFi, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America.“I am thrilled to join Galaxy, whose reputation as a world-class operator and investor in digital assets, digital infrastructure and other emerging technologies precedes it,” Paquette said in a press release. “I look forward to expanding...