CryptoCurrency
Bitcoin Set For Big Boxing Day Volatility Amid Options Expiry
Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee and watch closely: while gold surges to new highs, signaling capital rotation toward safety, Bitcoin remains trapped below $90,000. A $300 million options structure suppressed volatility, but after the major expiry, this calm could quickly give way to dramatic price action.
Crypto News of the Day: Bitcoin’s Gamma Cage In Focus After Today’s Options Expiry
Gold has surged to fresh highs, breaking above a multi-year ceiling and reinforcing its reputation as the market’s early warning signal when capital rotates toward safety.
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Bitcoin, however, has failed to respond in kind. Instead, the world’s largest cryptocurrency remains pinned below $90,000.
New insights suggest it may not be due to fading demand, but rather to a massive derivatives structure that mechanically suppresses price movement.
“Gold made the first move. Bitcoin is still loading,” said analyst Crypto Tice.
The analyst explained that gold’s breakout often marks the point where liquidity begins to reposition, while Bitcoin typically reacts later, once risk appetite returns.
“Gold tends to move first when liquidity seeks safety. Bitcoin follows when risk appetite turns back on,” CryptoTice said, adding that such compressed phases “don’t fade out slowly” but instead resolve with expansion that can reset an entire market cycle.
It aligns with a recent BeInCrypto analysis, which highlighted how gold’s rally often sets the tone for Bitcoin to climb.
In Bitcoin’s case, that compression is being driven by what derivatives analysts have dubbed a $300 million “gamma trap.”
According to David, a market structure analyst, Bitcoin is currently “mechanically trapped in a tight range” defined by heavy options positioning.
The downside is anchored by an $85,000 put wall holding nearly $98.8 million in put gamma, while the upside is capped by a $90,000 call wall containing about $36.2 million in call gamma. This positioning has created a negative gamma feedback loop.
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The analyst notes that when Bitcoin rises toward the upper range, dealers who are long calls are compelled to sell spot Bitcoin to hedge their exposure. When the price falls toward the lower range, those same dealers must buy to hedge puts.
“The result: Price is effectively locked in a cage,” he said, emphasizing that the market is not being driven by sentiment or headlines, but by “the mathematical necessity of dealer hedging.”
Could Today’s Gamma Expiry Trigger Bitcoin’s Next Big Move?
This stability is temporary. Roughly $300 million worth of gamma, about 58% of the total gamma complex, expired in a single options event earlier today. David described this as a “pin release,” warning that once the expiry hits, the incentives that have kept Bitcoin locked between $85,000 and $90,000 vanish almost instantly.
Historically, such releases have often led to sharp and sudden volatility as the market seeks a new equilibrium.
One level has become especially important. The so-called gamma flip sits at $88,925. This is slightly above $88,724, Bitcoin’s price as of this writing.
A sustained move above that threshold could flip dealer flows from dampening price action to amplifying it. Such a move could force dealers to buy into strength rather than sell rallies.
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The divergence between gold and Bitcoin is also happening against a tense macroeconomic backdrop. Economist Mohamed El-Erian recently highlighted that gold has risen by more than 40% this year, its strongest performance since 1979. Manwhile, Bitcoin is down roughly 20% year-to-date after peaking earlier in the cycle.
At the same time, multiple analysts have warned that a synchronized rally across gold, silver, copper, and energy markets historically signals rising systemic stress. It aligns with a recent report suggesting the metals rally may signal stress.
Still, many crypto observers see Bitcoin’s stagnation as structural rather than bearish.
With the gamma trap nearing expiration and gold already signaling stress in the system, Bitcoin’s prolonged compression may be setting the stage for its next major move.
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Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:
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| Strategy (MSTR) | $158.71 | $159.72 (+0.64%) |
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| MARA Holdings (MARA) | $9.94 | $9.99 (+0.50%) |
| Riot Platforms (RIOT) | $13.92 | $14.02 (+0.72%) |
| Core Scientific (CORZ) | $15.57 | $15.63 (+0.39%) |
