Bitcoin Derivatives Reserve Surges Up, More Volatility Soon?

On-chain data shows the Bitcoin derivatives exchange reserve has surged up recently, a sign that the crypto may face more volatility in the near future.

Bitcoin Derivatives Exchange Reserve Observes Uplift Over Last Two Days

As pointed out by an analyst in a CryptoQuant post, conditions seem to be brewing up in the BTC market that could lead to higher volatility in the price.

The “derivatives exchange reserve” is an indicator that measures the total amount of Bitcoin currently sitting in the wallets of all derivatives exchanges.

When the value of this metric goes up, it means investors are depositing their coins into these exchanges right now. Since BTC going up on derivatives generally leads to an increase in leverage, such a trend can result in higher volatility in the price of the crypto.

On the other hand, the value of the indicator registering a decline implies coins are exiting derivatives exchanges as holders are withdrawing them. This kind of trend may precede a more calmer BTC price.

Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the Bitcoin derivatives exchange reserve over the past few weeks:

The value of the metric seems to have climbed up in recent days | Source: CryptoQuant

As you can see in the above graph, the Bitcoin derivatives exchange reserve has seen some upwards momentum during the last couple of days. This shows that leverage in the market is now going up.

The chart also includes data for the mean value of the BTC transaction fees (in USD), and it looks like this metric also saw a spike during the past day, suggesting there have been some big moves in the market.

Below is another graph, this time including the trend for the BTC funding rates:

The funding rates have gone up over the past day | Source: CryptoQuant

As is apparent from the chart, the funding rates have jumped into positive values with this increase in the derivatives reserve.

This means that the investors sending coins to these exchanges have opened up long contracts, thus shifting the market balance into a long-dominant environment.

In the past, the combination of positive funding rates along with high derivatives reserve has usually meant high near term volatility for Bitcoin, with the price generally falling down.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s price floats around $20k, down 8% in the past week.

Looks like the value of the crypto has been moving sideways during the last few days | Source: BTCUSD on TradingView
Featured image from Yiğit Ali Atasoy on Unsplash.com, charts from TradingView.com, CryptoQuant.com

Bitcoin Derivatives Exchange Reserve Surges Up As BTC Continues To Plunge

On-chain data shows the Bitcoin reserve of derivative exchanges has surged up recently as the price of the crypto has continued to crash down.

Bitcoin Derivatives Exchange Reserve Observes Sharp Uptrend

As explained by an analyst in a CryptoQuant post, the crashing BTC price may be forcing whales and long-term holders to open short positions in order to hedge their portfolios.

The “derivative exchange reserve” is an indicator that measures the total amount of Bitcoin currently present on wallets of all derivative exchanges.

When the value of this metric goes up, it means coins are entering into derivative exchanges right now. Such a trend may mean investors are opening leveraged positions at the moment, which can result in higher volatility in the value of the crypto.

On the other hand, a downtrend in the indicator implies investors are withdrawing their coins from these exchanges currently.

Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the Bitcoin derivative exchange reserve over the past year:

The EMA 7 value of the metric seems to have observed some uptrend recently | Source: CryptoQuant

As you can see in the above graph, the Bitcoin derivative exchange reserve had been heading down for quite a while, until recently when the indicator’s value once again started rising up.

Recent data suggests that the crash in the coin’s price has pushed around 50% of the total BTC supply into loss. Based on this, many long-term holders and whales are also bound to be underwater right now.

Related Reading | Bitcoin Breaches $19K Level – Will Selloff Continue? What’s The Next Bottom?

The quant believes that the uplift in the derivative reserve is because of these long-term holders and whales panicking about their portfolios losing value.

These holders are looking to hedge their portfolios and reduce risk by opening short positions on derivative exchanges.

The analyst points out, however, that such aggressive shorting would create even more selling pressure, causing the price to see further drawdown.

Related Reading | Bitcoin Long-Term Holders Now Own Nearly 80% Of Realized Cap

But another possibility also arises from this situation, and that would a huge short squeeze. A lot of demand and a sudden reversal in the price of Bitcoin will need to occur before such an event can take place.

The quant thinks it may take more time and further decline in the value of the crypto for the correct conditions to align for it.

BTC Price

At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s price floats around $19.3k, down 29% in the last seven days. Over the past month, the crypto has lost 33% in value.

Looks like the value of BTC has rebounded back a little after a dip below $18k | Source: BTCUSD on TradingView
Featured image from Unsplash.com, charts from TradingView.com, CryptoQuant.com