Ether's Rally to 25-Month High on DeFi Boom Drives Record Demand for Derivatives

Record open interest in ether derivatives suggests the recent price rally has legs.

AccessTimeIconAug 15, 2020 at 6:34 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 1:48 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Investor interest in the ether (ETH) futures and options market hit a new peak on Friday as the cryptocurrency’s price rose to 25-month highs. 

  • Open interest in futures or total value of outstanding contracts rose to a record high of $1.73 billion on Friday, according to data source Skew.
  • The previous record high of $1.45 billion was reached on Aug. 5.
  • The value of open positions in the options market also reached a record high of $454 million.
  • ETH’s price jumped to a two-year high of $445 on Friday and is trading near $435 at press time, according to CoinDesk’s ether price index.
Ether futures open interest
Ether futures open interest
  • Futures open interest has increased by nearly 300% this year.
  • On July 22, ETH’s price broke out of a two-month price range of $210 to $250.
  • Since then, ETH has rallied by 65% and the number of open positions in the futures market and options market has increased by 50% and 53%, respectively. 
  • Increasing open interest is viewed as indicating money flowing into the marketplace.
  • That rise in open interest combined with a price rally is usually taken to indicate there is solid support for the upward trend.
  • ETH has established a foothold above the June 2019 high of $365, while bitcoin has yet to clear the high of $13,880 seen 13 months ago.
  • The second-largest cryptocurrency by market value, ETH has gained nearly 240% this year, powered by the exploding popularity in decentralized finance (DeFi), which runs on the Ethereum blockchain.
  • “The DeFi boom looks to be powering gains in ether,” said John Ng Pangilinan, managing partner at Singapore-based Signum Capital.
  • Right now, the options market is currently skewed bullish on ETH with calls (bullish bets) claiming higher prices than puts (bearish bets) on the one, three, and six-month time frames. In short, most of those placing bets on the future direction of ether think the cryptocurrency still has room to rise.
  • In another sign of this belief, the futures market is in contango – a condition where futures price trades higher than the spot price. 
  • Denis Vinokourov, head of research at the London-based digital asset firm Bequant, noted that the continued rise in ETH’s price is notable considering how the costs of executing transactions on Ethereum’s blockchain have recently gone nuclear.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.