Bitcoin price made another unsuccessful attempt at reclaiming $45,000 on Tuesday. Will the rising BTC Open Interest generate momentum for another leg-up?
Bitcoin’s (BTC) price hit a peak of $43,230 within the daily timeframe on Tuesday, Dec 19. Despite suffering an instant pull-back toward the $41,900 range, on-chain data shows that BTC derivatives traders continue to pile on additional capital.
Is the uptick in Bitcoin Open Interest this week, a precursor to a major price breakout before the end of 2023?
Bitcoin price retraced below $42,000 after soaring to a daily timeframe peak of $43,200 on Tuesday, the highest since Dec 11. But despite the volatile price action, BTC derivative traders have continued to bring in fresh capital.
According to CryptoQuant, an on-chain data tracking tool, BTC Open Interest stood at $10.16 billion at the start of the week on Dec 17. But that figure has increased noticeably by a whopping $367 million, to hit $10.53 billion as of Dec 19.
Typically, it is a bullish signal when Open Interest increases amid a price momentary downswing.
Firstly, rising Open Interest indicates that more investors are piling in fresh capital into the derivatives markets than those closing out their positions.
But most importantly, when Open Interest grows during a price downtrend, as observed above, it is often an strong indication that the current Bitcoin spot prices maybe undervalued.
In effect, the $367 million increase in Bitcoin derivative market th derivatives traders are positioning their trades in anticipation of an imminent bullish price reversal. These bullish factors could combine to drive Bitcoin price upwards.
Having broken above the $43,400 territory earlier today, the $367 million increase in capital inflows recorded this week could generate momentum for another significant leg-up.
Ibrahim Ajibade Ademolawa is a seasoned research analyst with a background in Commercial Banking and Web3 startups, specializing in DeFi and TradFi analysis. He holds a B.A. in Economics and is pursuing an MSc in Blockchain.