CME Bitcoin futures activity has dropped to a 14-month low, possibly due to the failure of basis trading triggering institutional capital withdrawal
By: rootdata|2026/04/09 18:24:33
0
Share
The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Bitcoin futures market continues to weaken. Data shows that the average daily open interest (OI) in March 2026 has fallen below $8 billion, further dropping to about $7.2 billion in early April, marking a new low since February 2024, and it has declined for the fifth consecutive month. Meanwhile, the monthly trading volume in March fell to $163 billion, nearly halving from the peak of January 2025.
Market analysis indicates that this round of decline is primarily due to large-scale liquidations of "basis trades." Previously, institutions profited from price differences by buying spot ETFs and shorting CME futures, which was the core driving force behind the growth of CME positions. However, as Bitcoin prices have retreated from a high of $120,000 to below $70,000, the annualized basis yield has significantly compressed. Currently, the basis yield of about 5% is close to the risk-free interest rate level of about 4.5%. When factoring in funding costs and counterparty risks, the arbitrage space has essentially disappeared, prompting leveraged funds to withdraw.
You may also like
How to choose between buying discounted ETH, Bitmine, and SharpLink?
The answer may not lie in whose story is told better, but in specific dimensions such as cost of holding, financing ability, liquidity, and whether the narrative can be realized.
Do you want to buy CRCL?
A detailed breakdown of Circle's business fundamentals and valuation logic: The panic over OUSD and the market correction have triggered a short-term mispricing, presenting an opportunity for left-side positioning and legislative speculation below $60.
Wosh: Inflation has cooled in recent weeks, AI is reshaping the economy, and forward guidance has lost its necessity
Federal Reserve Chairman Waller clearly stated at the ECB forum that the Fed will abandon forward guidance on interest rates, with future decisions relying entirely on real-time economic data. He noted that inflation risks in the U.S. have decreased over the past four weeks, but the ultimate impact ...
The most secretive AI winner
A century-old company that sells toilets and produces MSG has seen its stock price soar by "positioning" core materials for AI chips. This article clarifies the explosive opportunities for domestic substitution of semiconductor materials in the A-share market.
Looking at Stripe's ambitions and the future of stablecoins from OUSD
Stripe enters the stablecoin network battle with OUSD, a comprehensive look at the third paradigm evolution of digital dollars and the new infrastructure for global payments in the AI era.
From Pump.fun to Collector Crypt: Has Solana's income throne changed hands?
The revenue from consumer applications on Solana is no longer solely reliant on meme coin issuance, but is gradually spreading to more consumption scenarios.
Dan Bin's latest speech: Don't miss out on a great era
Don't let hesitation trap your steps, and don't let shortsightedness waste the passing years—make sure not to miss this magnificent era that belongs to us.
Robinhood launches its own blockchain, no longer wanting to be a tenant on others' chains
While laying off employees and issuing bonds, it is the predictive market business that temporarily supports the income.
Why Tokenized Stocks Are Booming in 2026 While Crypto Is Still Struggling
Why are tokenized stocks booming while the crypto market struggles? Explore the latest 2026 data, institutional adoption, and what it means for traders.
Former ByteDance employee's account: How I started with two Pinduoduo hard drives and made six times the profit with Seagate to achieve financial freedom?
A programmer from a big tech company bought hard drives on Pinduoduo and, following clues, managed to accurately capture the sixfold rising stock Seagate using the "finding daily anomalies + 13F institutional verification" framework, making a wild profit of $400,000 and achieving financial freedom.
MiCA reshuffle begins, Binance temporarily bids farewell to the EU
What Binance leaves behind is not scattered retail investors, but a whole batch of high-value users who are forced to liquidate and have almost nowhere to go.
How does Gate redo "buying and selling stocks" from the cryptocurrency world to the stock market?
The competition logic of exchanges has changed.
Visa and Mastercard join 140 giants to launch a new stablecoin, but the impact on the market landscape may still be limited
As an important milestone event in the stablecoin landscape, OUSD is likely to change the existing stablecoin landscape and significantly increase the adoption rate of stablecoins in the global financial system.
Circle CEO responds to OUSD's challenge: Stablecoins are a winner-takes-all business, and we will not slow down
OUSD was jointly launched by more than 140 giants, causing Circle's stock price to plummet in a single day. Circle's CEO personally wrote a response, clarifying USDC's moat from three aspects: network effects, liquidity, and regulation, and dismantling OUSD's three selling points of "free redemption...
Argentina vs Cape Verde: When a Record-Breaking Legend Meets an Unbreakable Underdog
WEEX exclusive pre-match analysis of Argentina vs Cape Verde, exploring Messi-led Argentina’s dominance and Cape Verde’s historic defensive breakout, with a breakdown of volatility, structure, and match dynamics.
WEEX Launches Depth Chart for Spot Trading
WEEX Spot now supports Depth Chart, helping users visualize buy and sell orders, spot liquidity walls, and understand market depth more clearly before placing trades.
Raising interest rates to protect STRC and selling coins to maintain credit, this time the strategy has chosen the two most expensive paths
The rebound in BTC prices can make all problems simple.
Morning Report | Samsung announces a 265.5 trillion won investment plan, focusing on semiconductor and AI computing power data centers; Vitalik publishes an article detailing the entire technology tree behind the confusion protocol (iO) mainline
Overview of Important Market Events on June 29
How to choose between buying discounted ETH, Bitmine, and SharpLink?
The answer may not lie in whose story is told better, but in specific dimensions such as cost of holding, financing ability, liquidity, and whether the narrative can be realized.
Do you want to buy CRCL?
A detailed breakdown of Circle's business fundamentals and valuation logic: The panic over OUSD and the market correction have triggered a short-term mispricing, presenting an opportunity for left-side positioning and legislative speculation below $60.
Wosh: Inflation has cooled in recent weeks, AI is reshaping the economy, and forward guidance has lost its necessity
Federal Reserve Chairman Waller clearly stated at the ECB forum that the Fed will abandon forward guidance on interest rates, with future decisions relying entirely on real-time economic data. He noted that inflation risks in the U.S. have decreased over the past four weeks, but the ultimate impact ...
The most secretive AI winner
A century-old company that sells toilets and produces MSG has seen its stock price soar by "positioning" core materials for AI chips. This article clarifies the explosive opportunities for domestic substitution of semiconductor materials in the A-share market.
Looking at Stripe's ambitions and the future of stablecoins from OUSD
Stripe enters the stablecoin network battle with OUSD, a comprehensive look at the third paradigm evolution of digital dollars and the new infrastructure for global payments in the AI era.
From Pump.fun to Collector Crypt: Has Solana's income throne changed hands?
The revenue from consumer applications on Solana is no longer solely reliant on meme coin issuance, but is gradually spreading to more consumption scenarios.
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com
