Will Markets Fall Further When $4.8B Crypto Options Expire Today?

Round 33,700 Bitcoin choices contracts will expire on Friday, August 22, they usually have a notional worth of roughly $3.8 billion.

This expiry occasion is smaller than last week’s and unlikely to affect spot markets, which have began to maneuver larger after a mid-week correction.

All eyes are on the Federal Reserve Chair speaking at Jackson Hole at the moment, as a hawkish stance may induce extra volatility, and markets are already beginning to react.

Bitcoin Choices Expiry

This week’s batch of Bitcoin choices contracts has a put/name ratio of 1.32, which means that there are fairly just a few extra quick contracts expiring than longs, as quick sellers improve following the correction. There’s a max ache level of $118,000 the place most losses shall be made on expiry.

Open curiosity (OI), or the worth or variety of BTC choices contracts but to run out, is highest at $140,000, which has surged to nearly $3 billion at this strike worth on Deribit. There may be additionally round $2 billion OI at $120,000 and $130,000 strike costs because the bull speculators load up on contracts, however $110,000 continues to be a preferred strike worth for shorts with $1.7 billion in OI.

Moreover, whole Bitcoin futures OI at the moment stands at $81 billion, which has fallen from current file highs, according to CoinGlass.

Choices Expiry Alert
At 08:00 UTC tomorrow, over $4.8B in crypto choices are set to run out on Deribit.$BTC: $3.83B notional | Put/Name: 1.31 | Max Ache: $118K$ETH: $948M notional | Put/Name: 0.82 | Max Ache: $4,250

BTC expiry tilts put-heavy, whereas ETH name curiosity… pic.twitter.com/AGuHa2Txxs

— Deribit (@DeribitOfficial) August 21, 2025

Crypto derivatives supplier Greeks Stay said on Thursday, “With the Fed’s Jackson Gap assembly approaching, opinions within the choices market are divided.”

“Quick-term implied volatility declined, indicating that institutional buyers aren’t very optimistic that this assembly will result in important volatility.”

Along with at the moment’s tranche of Bitcoin choices, there are round 220,000 Ethereum contracts which are additionally expiring, with a notional worth of $947 million, a max ache of $4,250, and a put/name ratio of 0.82. This brings Friday’s mixed crypto choices expiry notional worth to round $4.8 billion.

Crypto Market Outlook

The market restoration was very short-lived, and the sell-off has resumed this Friday morning in Asia. Whole capitalization is down 2% to $3.89 trillion, and the altcoins are main losses.

Bitcoin has fallen again to help at $112,000, however once more didn’t break beneath this key degree and recovered again to $113,000 on the time of writing. Nevertheless, sentiment has waned, and additional losses look extra seemingly than an enormous pump.

Ethereum has mirrored its large brother, dropping 1.7% in a fall again to the $4,200 degree, which is holding as help, for now.

The altcoins have been in worse form with heavier losses for Binance Coin, Solana, Chainlink, and Hyperliquid.