Bitcoin: Checking the demand for BTC as price remains stuck near $43k

Bitcoin’s dominance grew as its market depth surged.
Traders continued to have a bullish outlook towards BTC indicated by the falling put-to-call ratio.

Bitcoin [BTC] has been moving between the $40,000 to $43,000 range for quite some time, which has led to massive speculation about the future of the king coin. Despite the volatile changes in the price, BTC was still able to assert its dominance in the market.

Some more depth

Based on Kaiko’s data, there was a marginal increase in BTC’s 2% market depth since the conclusion of December.

For context, market depth refers to the volume of buy and sell orders for Bitcoin within a 2% range of its current market price. It provides insight into the levels of supply and demand at different price points.

Despite the market depth growing, it was yet to reach its pre-FTX levels. This suggested that despite the uptick, there may still be some caution or hesitation among market participants in fully engaging with BTC at its previous intensity.

A surge in market depth for Bitcoin can be positive, indicating increased liquidity and a more attractive environment for investors. This liquidity facilitates smoother trading and attracts a broader range of participants, potentially instilling confidence in the market.

However, if the surge is driven by speculation or market manipulation, it may lead to higher and sudden price fluctuations.

👀#BTC's 2% market depth has seen a slight uptick since the end of December.

📏However, it still falls short of its pre-FTX levels, suggesting that market makers have not returned in full force. pic.twitter.com/YGBEHs5uej

— Kaiko (@KaikoData) January 30, 2024

How are traders doing?

Traders were relatively optimistic about the future of Bitcoin. This was indicated by the put-to-call ratio for Bitcoin which declined materially over the last few weeks.

It fell from 0.52 to 0.46. One of the reasons for the same could be the declined Implied Volatility for Bitcoin.

A declining Implied Volatility could impact trader behavior by signaling reduced uncertainty and risk in the market.

Traders may interpret lower IV as an indication that the cryptocurrency is likely to experience less dramatic price fluctuations in the near term.

This could influence their decision-making towards strategies that capitalize on more predictable market conditions, such as directional trading or leveraging less risky options strategies.