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SEC Approves Options Trading on BlackRock’s Spot Bitcoin ETF IBIT

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has just granted approval for the listing and trading of options on BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT).

The approved options on the iShares Bitcoin Trust will be physically settled, meaning that when the option is exercised, Bitcoin will be delivered to fulfill the contract. These American-style options can be exercised at any time before the expiration date, providing flexibility for traders. According to the SEC, the listing will follow the same rules as options on other exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including position limits and margin requirements.

“I’m assuming others will be approved in short order,” said Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas. “Huge win for the the bitcoin ETFs (as it will attract more liquidity which will in turn attract more big fish). This is nice surprise re timing but not a shocker as James Seyffart and I gave 70% odds of approval by end of May.”

The SEC highlighted that this approval would allow investors to hedge their positions on Bitcoin, using the options market to mitigate the inherent volatility of BTC. The iShares Bitcoin Trust has been the most liquid spot Bitcoin ETF, which helped meet the requirements for trading options. The SEC also emphasized that extensive surveillance mechanisms would be in place to monitor potential market manipulation and ensure orderly trading.

“IBIT is the most liquid spot Bitcoin ETF and the 11th most liquid ETF in the U.S. by average volume (34,825,921 shares) and 18th largest by average notional ($1,246,060,738),” stated the SEC. “As of May 22, 2023, IBIT had approximately 193,956 shareholders.”

This approval by the SEC continues the trend of expanding regulated financial products based on Bitcoin, pushing it closer to full integration within the global financial system. The ability to trade options on a spot Bitcoin ETF provides new opportunities for institutional investors who wish to engage with the Bitcoin market while maintaining a higher level of risk management.

“Important note: This is just one stage of approval, the OCC and CFTC has to approve as well before they officially list,” Balchunas continued. “The other two don’t have a ‘clock’ so not sure when they’ll be approved. A big step tho nonetheless that the SEC came around.”





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BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Triggers Major FOMO With New 6-Month High Milestone

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The US spot ETF market for Bitcoin seems to be unstoppable at this point and thanks to BlackRock Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) that has triggered a major FOMO among investors. On Tuesday, the BlackRock IBIT registered a massive $3.3 billion in trading volumes, hitting its six-month high levels. Over the past two weeks, IBIT has been single-handedly leading the inflows showing that institutional FOMO has kicked in ahead of the US election results, less than a week from now.

BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Leads $870 Million Inflows

On Tuesday, October 29, the US BTC ETFs saw inflows of nearly $870 million with BlackRock’s IBIT having a lion’s share of $640 million inflows. This marks one of the largest inflows since launch, with the record set on March 12, 2024, at $1.045 billion. Given the recent excitement, a new record could be within reach.

With this, IBIT’s net inflows since inception have reached closer to $25 billion, which is more than double that of its immediate rival Fidelity’s FBTC. These massive inflows have continued amid the broader crypto market rally with the Bitcoin price approaching its all-time high levels.

Bloomberg’s ETF strategist, Eric Balchunas, highlighted the $3.3 billion in trading volumes recorded by the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF yesterday. He believes that such a volume spike is unusual as ETF activity typically surges during market downturns.

However, Balchunas suggested that the recent spike could be driven by “FOMO” (fear of missing out) due to the Bitcoin price rally, which has continued over the past few days.

The Bloomberg strategist further stated that IBIT wasn’t alone as other Bitcoin ETFs also saw a strong surge in trading volumes yesterday. Thus, he believes that this is possibly a FOMO-driven buying wave. Balchunas also added that if this is indeed a FOMO frenzy, the impact should reflect in substantial inflows in the coming days.

Bitcoin All-Time High Soon?

Amid the 8% gains over the past week, the Bitcoin price has reached within 5% of its all-time high levels. As of press time, the BTC price is trading 1.75% up at $72,267 with a market cap of $1.429 trillion.  However, the retail FOMO in BTC hasn’t kicked yet so far despite strong inflows into Bitcoin ETFs, noted crypto analyst Miles Deutscher.

During the past two Bitcoin bull run cycles, retail buying interest played a crucial role in taking Bitcoin to all-time high levels. This shows that large investors and Bitcoin whales are currently driving the price action. Thus, once retail FOMO kicks in, we can actually see a rally to the levels of $100,000 and above.

Another major bullish indicator is the Bitcoin MVRV ratio which has surged past its 365-SMA signaling major bull rallies along with a golden cross.

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Bhushan Akolkar

Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast with a keen understanding of financial markets. His interest in economics and finance has led him to focus on emerging Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency markets. He is committed to continuous learning and stays motivated by sharing the knowledge he acquires. In his free time, Bhushan enjoys reading thriller fiction novels and occasionally explores his culinary skills.

Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.





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BlackRock’s IBIT Bitcoin ETF is the Most Successful New ETF in 4 Years

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Follow Nikolaus On X Here

Ever since BlackRock filed for its spot Bitcoin ETF last year, Bloomberg ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart have been providing valuable insights and data regarding everything Bitcoin ETFs. If you’re not already following either of them on X, I highly recommend you do.

Today, Balchunas shared a new mind blowing statistic about BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF IBIT specifically. Over the last four years, there were over 1,800 ETFs launched in the United States. Out of all of those, IBIT has taken in the most inflows at over $26 billion dollars.

BlackRock had another giant inflow of $323 million yesterday, massively outperforming all its competitors. I’m not sure if it’s just their brand name alone that’s able to out compete the other ETFs, or if they’re marketing IBIT to their customers behind the scenes that is making their ETF a standout success. Probably a bit of both and then some.

These numbers once again highlight that spot Bitcoin ETFs have been a smashing success in America. Since launch, these ETFs have together seen inflows in 9 out of the last 10 months, and I feel like these inflows are not going to stop anytime soon, especially as we head further into the bull market.

While I would much rather see investors who hold their own keys, I understand that might not be suitable for large corporations and small retail investors who don’t want the responsibilities that come with self custody.

Whether you like it or not, the institutions are here and they are driving up the price of Bitcoin (for now). I’m super interested to see how these ETFs will hold up in a bear market, and if they will HODL or if we will see record outflows. Only time will tell.

This article is a Take. Opinions expressed are entirely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.





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London-Based Pension Giant Legal & General Looks to Enter Crypto’s Tokenization Space

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“We are evaluating ways to make the Legal & General Investment Management Liquidity funds available in tokenized format,” said Ed Wicks, global head of trading at Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), when asked about the firm’s plans via email.



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