30s Summary
Nasdaq may allow options trading on the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) as soon as tomorrow, according to Alison Hennessy, Nasdaq’s boss of ETP listings. The U.S. SEC approved the option trading on several spot bitcoin ETFs back in September. Of all U.S.-based spot bitcoin ETFs, only IBIT from BlackRock is listed on Nasdaq. Options enable dealers to make leveraged bets and hedge other positions, offering the potential to attract more institutional investment into crypto markets. However, the impact of options on price movements remains uncertain.
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There’s exciting news for investors! As early as tomorrow, you could be able to trade options on the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) on Nasdaq, according to the stock exchange’s boss of ETP listings. They got the green light from the U.S. SEC for options on the spot bitcoin ETFs across several exchanges back in September.
Other spot products could also hit the market in the next few days. Everyone’s been waiting for options trading on spot bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) that could attract more big institutions into crypto. And now it’s almost here, thanks to Nasdaq.
Alison Hennessy, at Nasdaq, told Bloomberg TV, “Our intent at Nasdaq is to list and trade these options as early as tomorrow,” saying that getting these options listed on IBIT would be very exciting for investors.
Out of the eleven U.S.-based spot bitcoin ETFs on the market, only iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) from BlackRock is on Nasdaq and could have options available. Options give investors the chance to buy or sell the underlying asset- in this case, IBIT – at a set price within a specified period. They’re super attractive to dealers for making leveraged directional bets, and for hedging other positions.
The SEC gave the thumbs-up for the listing of options for IBIT in September. They also gave their blessing to rule changes put forward by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Cboe Global Markets, which list some of the other spot bitcoin ETFs.
As for other bitcoin ETFs, options on these might start trading within the next few days too, says James Seyffart, an ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. He explained, “It’s likely that these things start trading this week, potentially within the next day or two.” He continued that, as far as he can see, all regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles have been cleared. “It’s just a matter of crossing t’s and dotting i’s,” he added.
Experts generally think that options trading could help attract even more institutions to the crypto market. Still, it’s anyone’s guess how applying leverage and hedge connected with options will affect price movement.