Bitcoin Surges Above $119K as U.S. Government Shutdown Takes Effect; BTC Options Look Cheap

3 hours ago

Bitcoin (BTC) jumped to its highest successful implicit 2 months arsenic the U.S. authorities unopen down operations, apt mounting the signifier for a affirmative fiat liquidity impulse.

The starring cryptocurrency has risen astir 4% successful the past 24 hours, with prices concisely rising to $119,455 for the archetypal clip since mid-August, CoinDesk data show. Other large tokens specified arsenic ether (ETH), XRP (XRP), solana (SOL) and dogecoin (DOGE) person risen 4% to 7%. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) has jumped 5% to 4,217 points.

The rally follows a U.S. authorities shutdown connected Wednesday aft a profoundly divided Congress prevented officials from reaching a backing deal.

The shutdown could hold Friday's nonfarm payrolls report, the authoritative monthly jobs figure, which would yet acceptable the signifier for a affirmative liquidity impulse oregon enlargement of liquidity successful the fiscal system. This often results successful easier entree to funding, reduces outgo of borrowing and encourages economical maturation and risk-taking successful fiscal markets.

"If ADP is simply a starring awesome and the BLS people is delayed, the Fed is apt to present a 25 bp chopped successful October and brace it with guidance that keeps a 2nd chopped connected the array by December, alongside an aboriginal motion toward tapering quantitative tightening (QT). That premix should propulsion existent yields little and soften the dollar into Q4, with a mild bear-steepening successful the curve and golden staying bid. Net effect: a affirmative liquidity impulse that historically supports BTC," Matt Mena, Crypto Research Strategist astatine 21Shares said successful an email.

Wednesday's ADP backstage payrolls study painted a bleak representation of the labour market, strengthening the lawsuit for continued complaint cuts by the Fed. The cardinal slope chopped rates by 25 ground points past month, portion hinting astatine further easing successful the coming months.

Mena added that BTC's terms summation successful the aftermath of the authorities shutdown could beryllium a hint of an impending explosive rally.

"The connection is clear: with accepted information releases successful flux and macro uncertainty moving high, Bitcoin remains 1 of the fewer assets that thrives erstwhile the aged playbook breaks down. Investors should beryllium watching this infinitesimal intimately - it could people the adjacent explosive limb higher successful crypto markets," helium noted.

Options look cheap

One mode to play the impending large move, portion being hedged, could beryllium done Deribit-listed options, which look inexpensive astatine the front-end, according to Amberdata's Director of Derivatives Greg Magadini.

"After a agelong 'dry spell' for BTC volatility, the U.S. authorities shutdown could yet beryllium the catalyst to marque BTC determination a lot," Magadini told CoinDesk. "This, coupled with the steep contango successful implied volatility word structure, makes options look cheap."

The steep contango successful the implied volatility (IV) word structure, represented by an upward-sloping IV curve from near-term to longer-term maturities, indicates that the marketplace expects aboriginal volatility to beryllium importantly higher than the near-term volatility.

This makes near-term options comparatively cheap. Option prices are influenced by implied volatility.

Magadini cited agelong straddle arsenic 1 of the preferred strategies to play the impending volatility boom. It involves the simultaneous acquisition of some telephone and enactment options astatine the aforesaid onslaught terms and with the aforesaid expiry. The telephone enactment gains worth erstwhile the underlying asset’s terms rises, portion the enactment enactment provides extortion against terms declines. Together, this means the straddle purchaser profits from important terms movements successful either direction.

"The USD is apt to spot flows connected the backmost of the Shutdown and this week's payroll number... which volition usher the Fed. These catalysts could either origin BTC to rally (as a dollar hedge) oregon clang (if hazard assets panic)," helium said, explaining the bias for straddle.

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