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Last Updated:

April 23, 2024

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8 min read

Crypto Derivatives 23rd April 24

Following a bounce in spot price at range lows, BTC and ETH currently trade at $66K and $3.2K respectively. Funding rates remain close to zero for both majors, and future-implied yields are near their lowest levels in more than a month as BTC trades in the middle of its sideways trending range. In the past week, volatility at short-dated tenor options has fallen, correcting the front-end of BTC and ETH’s previously inverted term structures. The fall in volatility was matched by a recovery in skew from OTM puts to more neutral levels at all tenors less than 3-months, indicating that investors are less concerned with buying OTM puts for downside protection.

Futures Implied Yield, 1-Month Tenor

ATM Implied Volatility, 1-Month Tenor

Futures

BTC Annualised Yields

Yields trade near their lowest levels in over a month as spot continues to trade within the $60-70K range.

ETH Annualised Yields

A similar conclusion can be drawn for ETH futures, although yields remain compressed at short-dated tenors.

Perpetual Swap Funding Rates

BTC Funding Rate

Has continued to trade intermittently negative over the last week as spot reaches the middle of its monthly range at $66K.

ETH Funding Rate

Dipped strongly negative during the selloff on the evening of the 13th, but has remained close to zero in the days since, occasionally becoming negative.

BTC Options

BTC SVI ATM Implied Volatility

Short-tenor volatility has fallen in the past week, correcting the previously inverted term structure.

BTC 25-Delta Risk Reversal

The fall in short-tenor volatility corresponds with a reduction in skew towards OTM puts at tenors less than 3M.

ETH Options

ETH SVI ATM Implied Volatility

As with BTC, implied vol has fallen at the front end, correcting the inverted term structure seen last week.

ETH 25-Delta Risk Reversal

Skew has recovered at tenors less than 3M, indicating that investors are less concerned with buying downside put protection following a fall in implied vol.

Volatility by Exchange

BTC, 1-Month Tenor, SVI Calibration

ETH, 1-Month Tenor, SVI Calibration

Put-Call Skew by Exchange

BTC, 1-Month Tenor, 25-Delta SVI Calibration

ETH, 1-Month Tenor, 25-Delta SVI Calibration

Market Composite Volatility Surface

Listed Expiry Volatility Smiles

Cross-Exchange Volatility Smiles

Constant Maturity Volatility Smiles

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Andrew Melville

Research Analyst

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DeFi Analytics 16th May 24

This week's edition of our DeFi Analytics report.

Crypto Derivatives 14th May 24

Volatility has gradually risen across the term structure as BTC trades near its range lows of $60K, but has still not deviated from its longer term downward trend. ETH continues to trade 5-7 vols higher than BTC. Despite a strong start to the month where skew recovered following the spot sell-off which saw investors purchase OTM puts for downside protection, the skew at short-dated tenors has traded with some uncertainty recently. ETH’s skew continues to trade lower than BTC’s, indicating more bearish positioning. Leverage - indicated by perpetual swap funding rates and futures-implied yields - has increased, particularly at short-dated tenors which have risen beyond longer-dated tenors, indicating demand for leveraged long exposure as both majors sit at precarious levels.

DeFi Analytics 8th May 24

This week's edition of our DeFi Analytics report.

Crypto Derivatives 7th May 24

Volatility has fallen following the recent spot sell-off, during which implied vol at short-dated tenors had spiked above longer-dated tenors and inverted the term structure. ETH continues to trade between 5-10 vols higher than BTC. In addition, the sell-off in spot saw a strong skew towards puts in both majors as investors became concerned with buying OTM puts for downside protection. This has since recovered - due to the selling of OTM puts - although ETH’s skew trades slightly lower than BTC at short-dated tenors, indicating more bearish positioning. Leverage as indicated by perpetual swap funding rates and futures-implied yields has increased slightly, but still remains far below the extremes observed in March.

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Crypto Derivatives 30th April 24

Leverage as indicated by perpetual swap funding rates and futures-implied yields remains much lower than the extremes we saw ahead of the flush-out at the end of March. Implied volatility levels have crashed lower for both tokens and across their term structures, led by a significant under-performance in shorter-dated tenors. Vol smiles remain intermittently skewed towards OTM puts at short tenors as the market appears to brace for further downside in the short term. ETH vols trade some 5 vols higher than BTC’s across the term structure, with both future-implied yields and vol smile skews indicating more bearish positioning than in BTCs markets, particularly in the short term.

DeFi Analytics 25th Apr 24

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Crypto Derivatives 23rd April 24

Following a bounce in spot price at range lows, BTC and ETH currently trade at $66K and $3.2K respectively. Funding rates remain close to zero for both majors, and future-implied yields are near their lowest levels in more than a month as BTC trades in the middle of its sideways trending range. In the past week, volatility at short-dated tenor options has fallen, correcting the front-end of BTC and ETH’s previously inverted term structures. The fall in volatility was matched by a recovery in skew from OTM puts to more neutral levels at all tenors less than 3-months, indicating that investors are less concerned with buying OTM puts for downside protection.

DeFi Analytics 17th Apr 24

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Crypto Derivatives 16th April 24

Funding rates and future-implied yields are near their lowest levels in more than a month after the weekend’s spot selloff took prices back to the bottom end of the sideways trending range. Volatility at short tenor options rallied, causing an inversion in both BTC and ETH’s term structures at the front end, without lifting volatility levels at longer-dated expiries. The rise in volatility was matched by a strong skew towards OTM puts of volatility smiles at all tenors less than 3-months, indicating a strong switch in sentiment towards a demand for downside protection.

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Crypto Derivatives 9th April 24

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DeFi Analytics 4th Apr 24

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Crypto Derivatives 2nd April 24

After reaching locals highs of $71k and $3.7k earlier in the week, both BTC and ETH spot prices have fallen. This pullback has resulted in a slight decrease in demand for leveraged long exposure, reinforced by the increased skew towards puts in the smiles of both majors. However, excess demand for downside protection is less extreme when compared to earlier in the month where the 25-delta risk reversal skew for BTC and ETH reached lows of -9% and -17% respectively. Rather, the bearish turn in derivatives appears to be a repeat of the leverage flush out that we have seen several times during this rally. Implied volatility has risen for both majors, and particularly in short-dated tenors which has resulted in a flattening of the volatility term structure from its previously steep shape.

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Crypto Derivatives 26th March 24

After a pullback earlier in the week, both BTC and ETH have bounced to $70k and $3.7k respectively. Future-implied yields have risen, whilst implied volatility for both majors remains within a tight range. Perpetual swap funding rates remain positive, but low. The term structure for BTC and ETH - which was previously inverted - has corrected, with implied volatility at short-dated tenors falling below the volatility at long-dated tenors, suggesting reduced demand for long volatility exposure at shorter tenors. Furthermore, the 25-delta put/call skew has increased for both majors, indicating that traders are less worried about buying protective puts to hedge possible impending downside.

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Crypto Derivatives 19th March 24

We previously observed increased demand for downside protection, indicating that the market may be positioning itself against any potential retrace. Following a rally to all-time high levels, the market has pulled back. Short-dated tenors show a significant decrease in spot yields for BTC and ETH, signalling a shift in near-term market sentiment. Funding rates, although positive, have cooled from their monthly highs, indicating reduced demand for leveraged long exposure. Fluctuations in BTC and ETH's ATM vols suggest ongoing market uncertainty. Additionally, the 25-Delta Risk Reversal has shifted towards puts at short-dated tenors, indicating a bearish sentiment that is more pronounced in ETH than BTC.

Crypto Derivatives 12th March 24

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