Bitcoin Perpetual Futures Hit $48K on Binance

The gap over the spot market price widened to more than $8,000.

AccessTimeIconJul 26, 2021 at 9:06 a.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 1:30 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

Binance-based bitcoin perpetual futures denominated in dollar-backed stablecoin tether (USDT) spiked early Monday, widening the spread over the spot market price to more than $8,000.

The BTC/USDT perpetual contract hit a high of $48,168 at around 01:00 UTC, Binance data show. Around the same time, bitcoin jumped almost $3,000 in the spot market, reaching a 1 1/2-month high of $39,544, according to CoinDesk 20 data. The cryptocurrency looked poised for a rally, having toppled the widely-tracked 50-day moving average (MA) resistance at $35,000 during overnight trading.

The exaggerated bullish move in the perpetual contract probably resulted from a big trade.

"A user placed a large number of [buy] orders for BTC/USDT perpetual futures during the market upswing, resulting in a candlewick of 48,168 USDT," Binance's spokesperson told CoinDesk in a Telegram chat. "We reviewed and did not detect any system issues. No other users were affected as we utilize mark price for liquidation," the spokesperson said.

BTCUSDT perpetual
BTCUSDT perpetual

Binance is the world's largest bitcoin futures exchange, contributing $3.5 billion or nearly 10% of the global open interest of $13.9 billion, according to data provided by Skew. Open interest refers to the number of futures contracts traded but not matched by an offsetting position.

Aside from large buy orders, short liquidations or forced closure of sell positions due to margin shortage may have added upward pressure on prices.

Bitcoin: Green bars represent short liquidations and red bars shows long liquidations
Bitcoin: Green bars represent short liquidations and red bars shows long liquidations

According to data source Coinalyze, major exchanges including Binance have liquidated futures positions worth more than $650 million today. Of that, short liquidations account for almost 85%, or $550 million. The data show that futures market positioning was skewed bearish. The number of open futures contracts rose steadily since late May to hit a two-month high last week as traders took short positions.

The crypto derivatives market has seen explosive growth since the March 2020 crash. One effect of that is price volatility caused by long-short liquidations. "We would like to take this opportunity to remind the community that the crypto market can be volatile and all trading carries risks. We advise all users to trade responsibly and only trade within their means," Binance's spokesperson said.

The situation may improve going forward as Binance and FTX, two of the biggest exchanges, have imposed limits on leverage. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, announced early today that it had imposed a 20x leverage limit for new users starting from July 19, down from the original 100x leverage. Zhao said the new limit would be applied to existing users progressively over the next few weeks.

At press time, bitcoin was changing hands near $38,200, representing a 10% gain on the day. Meanwhile, the Binance-based BTC/USDT perpetual contract was trading at a slight discount of $38,100.

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.