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Bitcoin holds below $77K as $6.6B options expiry approaches

The pin sits between a $75K put wall and an $80K call wall ahead of the May 29 Deribit expiry, with 15% of BTC supply already crowded into the $74K–$83K range.

Bitcoin holds below $77K as $6.6B options expiry approaches
Bitcoin holds below $77K as $6.6B options expiry approaches
Bitcoin holds below $77K as $6.6B options expiry approaches
Bitcoin holds below $77K as $6.6B options expiry approaches

Bitcoin is trading just below a cluster of onchain resistance levels around $77,000 — the true market mean and the short-term holder cost basis — after rebounding from its 128-day moving average near $74,500 over the weekend. The setup matters because two converging forces are now shaping the tape: heavy supply concentration and a large options expiry on Deribit on May 29 carrying roughly $6.6 billion in open interest.

Why it matters

The expiry's largest call strike sits at $80,000 with about $600 million in open interest, while the heaviest put positioning is clustered at $75,000 with around $377 million. That asymmetry gives market makers a clear incentive to keep spot pinned between the two strikes into settlement — a dynamic that compresses realized volatility and flattens directional flow. Glassnode data underscores how crowded the range has become: more than 15% of circulating BTC supply was acquired between $74,000 and $83,000, meaning the average cost basis of a large slice of holders now sits inside the same band where derivatives positioning is concentrated.

Market impact

The 128-day moving average has functioned as a near-term floor, mirroring the role the 2023 realized price played during the February flush to nearly $60,000. Until price reclaims the $77,000 cluster, the bias is for rangebound chop rather than a directional break. A clean push through $77,000 — and especially the $80,000 call wall — would force market makers to chase delta into expiry, while a slip below $75,000 risks a faster unwind through the put strike and a test of deeper onchain support.

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Frequently asked questions

  1. What is the May 29 Deribit options expiry and why does it matter?

    Roughly $6.6 billion in BTC options open interest is set to expire on Deribit on May 29. The largest call strike ($80K) and put strike ($75K) give market makers a clear incentive to pin spot between them into settlement, compressing volatility.

  2. What onchain resistance levels is Bitcoin trading below?

    Bitcoin is trading below the true market mean and the short-term holder cost basis, both clustered near $77,000. These cohort cost-basis levels are widely watched as broader market-structure indicators.

  3. Where did Bitcoin find its recent support?

    Bitcoin rebounded from its 128-day moving average near $74,500 over the weekend, a technical floor that has held so far.

  4. How much BTC supply is concentrated in the current range?

    According to Glassnode, more than 15% of circulating BTC supply was acquired between $74,000 and $83,000, highlighting how compressed the trading range has become.

  5. What would break the current rangebound setup?

    A clean push through $77,000 — and especially the $80,000 call wall — would force market makers to chase delta into expiry. A slip below $75,000 risks a faster unwind through the put strike and a test of deeper onchain support.

Source attribution
Aggregated from CoinDesk · Verified · Last refreshed 45d ago
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