Crypto Market Movers

Story: Massive Options Expiry Hits Bitcoin and Ethereum Today as Traders Eye Volatility

By Julie Binoche

1 / 15

What Is Options Expiry and Why It Matters. Options are financial contracts that give traders the right—but not the obligation—to buy or sell…

2 / 15

Bitcoin: $9.79 Billion Set to Expire. According to Deribit, the leading crypto options exchange, a total of 92,459 Bitcoin options…

3 / 15

Ethereum: $1.63 Billion in Expiring Contracts. Ethereum isn’t far behind. A total of 623,949 Ethereum options contracts will expire today, a…

4 / 15

Market Reaction and Current Prices. While traders are showing bullish sentiment in the options market, actual prices are currently in…

5 / 15

Analyst Views and Trader Sentiment. Analysts from Deribit noted that call options still dominate open interest at higher strike…

6 / 15

What Comes Next?. Crypto markets are often volatile around major options expirations.

7 / 15

Final Thoughts. Today’s $11.4 billion options expiry could serve as a key moment for Bitcoin and Ethereum.

8 / 15

Over $11.4 billion worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum options are set to expire today, May 30, marking one of the largest monthly expirations in recent months.

9 / 15

The timing comes as both Bitcoin and Ethereum have recently experienced minor pullbacks, making today's options expiry particularly critical for short-term price direction.

10 / 15

With more than $11 billion in contracts expiring, crypto markets could see heightened price swings throughout the day.

11 / 15

According to Deribit, the leading crypto options exchange, a total of 92,459 Bitcoin options contracts are expiring today, up significantly from the 25,000 contracts that expired…

12 / 15

The "max pain" price—where most losses occur for option buyers and least for sellers—is currently set at $100,000.

13 / 15

Furthermore, calls dominate the total open interest:

14 / 15

This means most traders are expecting the price to go up or are hedging for upward moves.

15 / 15

Ethereum isn’t far behind. A total of 623,949 Ethereum options contracts will expire today, a massive increase from the previous week.

The Currency Analytics

Want the full story?