Crypto derivatives see long-short divergence: Bitcoin (BTC) open interest climbs as traders eye adding short positions, while Ethereum (ETH) open interest stabilizes with no panic selling observed.

Over the past 24 hours, the crypto derivatives market has seen massive liquidations, with total liquidation volume hitting around $1 billion, and Ethereum’s liquidations exceeding Bitcoin’s. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s futures open interest rose for the second consecutive day to 778,000 BTC; the sharp increase in open interest late Thursday indicates Bitcoin traders are adding short positions amid the downtrend. In contrast, Ethereum’s futures open interest has stabilized around 14 million ETH since June 15, with Ethereum traders not actively adding short positions during the decline. The open-interest-adjusted 24-hour cumulative trading volume differential shows that short positions continue to dominate among the top 25 crypto tokens, with only BNB, SOL, and TON as exceptions. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s 30-day annualized implied volatility index jumped to 53%, its highest level since June 7; Ethereum’s volatility index rose to 66%. In the crypto options market, Bitcoin option skew neared 30% last week, with a notable put premium; large trades have seen put options with a $53,000 strike price expiring on July 10, reflecting strong demand for downside hedging.