Analysis: Bitcoin Options with a Nominal Value of Approximately $23.8 Billion Set to Expire on December 26th, End of Year May See "Concentrated Liquidation and Repricing of Risk Exposure"

**Dec 14 – On-chain analyst Murphy noted that some $23.8 billion in Bitcoin options are set to expire Dec 26, including quarterly, annual, and large-scale structured products. This signals the BTC derivatives market will see concentrated risk exposure clearing and repricing by year-end: prices will face structural constraints ahead of expiration, with heightened uncertainty after.** **Data shows heavy Open Interest (OI) clustering near current BTC spot levels at two key points: 14,674 BTC in $85,000 puts and 18,116 BTC in $100,000 calls. These positions aren’t retail-driven—they’re from high-net-worth long-term funds, likely including ETF hedging desks, Bitcoin treasury firms, and major family offices holding large spot BTC.** **$85k puts are buyer-side active positions, reflecting strong demand for downside risk hedging. The heavy $100k call OI, meanwhile, isn’t a bullish signal—it’s long-term funds giving up upside at $100k to lock in current cash flow certainty and risk control. Buying puts below and selling calls above compresses BTC returns into a manageable range.** **With OI already deeply established, this $85k-$100k option corridor will structurally impact BTC prices ahead of Dec 26: implicit upward pressure, passive downside buffering, and range-bound volatility in between.**