The Cboe said on Thursday it doesn’t intend to list any additional bitcoin futures contracts going forward ending cash-settled trading of the best-known cryptocurrency on its exchange. CBOE futures will not see new contracts reissued, with the current futures expiring in June.
In a statement, the Cboe Futures Exchange, or CFE, said no additional contract would be listed past June but did not fully close the door on digital asset-related trading, saying it was “reassessing its approach.”
The release read:
“CFE is not adding a Cboe Bitcoin (USD) (“XBT”) futures contract for trading in March 2019,” the Cboe said in a press release. “CFE does not currently intend to list additional XBT futures contracts for trading. Currently listed XBT futures contracts remain available for trading,”
Despite the industry euphoria, bitcoin futures have seen tepid interest, especially on the Cboe exchange, which has significantly lagged its rival CME Group in volume.
The @CBOE move makes sense because CBOE lost the Bitcoin futures race to @CMEGroup in both volume and open interest. Too much dependence on Gemini in their contracts. And traders chose with their trading and their wallets. #XBT #BTC #Bitcoin #Crypto pic.twitter.com/BYLoZFFvEf
— James Seyffart, CFA (@JSeyff) March 15, 2019
CBOE bitcoin futures began in December 2017 at the height of the last bull-run and it may be no coincidence they are ending at what many perceive to to be the bottom of the bear market. It is interesting to note that CBOE futures have not created additional demand for Bitcoin, as they are cash-settled and do not involve any form of transfer or delivery of coins.
There are also expectations that the Bakkt-proposed futures may be approved after the latest review period, creating the first physical-delivery Bitcoin product for traditional investors.
In closing it would appear that CBOE discontinuing bitcoin futures is a positive move for price as institutions will generally tend to suppress volatility. BTC is more likely to resume it’s ‘natural’ growth cycle without the interference of Wall Street.
