CryptoQuant Founder: Bitcoin futures leverage remains elevated, with ETFs and DAT serving as the primary structural buying forces.

CryptoQuant founder Ki Young Ju stated in a post that Bitcoin OG traders have just experienced the most profitable cycle in history. Unlike previous cycles, crypto exchange traders were not the main exit liquidity this time—ETFs and digital asset reserve firms (DAT) served as the primary buyers. This structural buying pushed Binance traders’ unrealized profits to nearly three times the level seen at the 2021 cycle peak. He noted that Bitcoin’s current price range is similar to that two years ago, and the market is in a deleveraging phase. A large amount of unrealized profits accumulated in this cycle flowed into futures leverage; as traders took profits, BTC’s price is now stable near Binance traders’ average cost basis. Ki Young Ju also pointed out that on-chain market leverage (BTC/USDT futures open interest divided by USDT reserves) once exceeded 0.5, and is now around 0.3—still higher than the level before the ETF launch. If ETF inflows continue, futures leverage is expected to rise again. He further recalled that in 2023, OG whales bought heavily when BTC was near $16,000. The buyer/seller ratio shows that a large number of market long positions were built right around the cycle bottom.