BTC plunged below USD 91.5k on Monday, wiping out all its gains for the year, writes Bloomberg. Options traders are bracing for more losses, loading up on downside bets that suggest they think the slide is far from over.

Traders are paying up to protect against a deeper drop: Demand for put options has surged at the USD 90k, 85k, and 80k price marks, particularly in contracts expiring later this month. More than USD 740 mn of options betting on further declines into late November have changed hands in just a few weeks, far outpacing demand for bullish calls.

Balance-sheet “BTC plays” are under pressure: The sell-off has been especially painful for listed companies that piled into BTC earlier this year to market themselves as “crypto-treasury” stocks.

Fear is now the dominant emotion: A sentiment gauge compiled by CoinMarketCap — tracking price momentum, volatility, derivatives, and other indicators — now shows crypto investors stuck in “extreme fear.” The mood is being dragged down not just by BTC’s slide, but by a broader risk-off turn across global markets. “I think the Fed and AI bubble talk are two major headwinds for crypto and risk assets heading into the end of the year,” said Kaiko research analyst Adam McCarthy. “The AI risk is likely compounding and affecting risk sentiment in crypto, adding that to the chatter from FOMC officials, you’re looking at a sustained downtrend for BTC.”

Macro jitters, not a structural crack: Despite the brutal drawdown, some in the industry argue this is more about global risk sentiment than a new existential crisis for crypto. “That riskoff tone spills into crypto markets, where sentiment remains fragile — the latest drawdown reflects broader macro jitters rather than structural flaws,” said Kraken global economist Thomas Perfumo.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Asian markets are in the red in early trading this morning, with Japan’s Nikkei inching down 1.9%, the Kospi down 1.8%, and the Hang Seng down 1.1%.

ADX

9,911

-0.1% (YTD: +5.2%)

DFM

5,958

+0.1% (YTD: +15.5%)

Nasdaq Dubai UAE20

4,744

-0.5% (YTD: +13.9%)

USD : AED CBUAE

Buy 3.67

Sell 3.67

EIBOR

3.9% o/n

3.9% 1 yr

Tadawul

11,051

0.0% (YTD: -8.2%)

EGX30

41,066

-0.4% (YTD: +38.1%)

S&P 500

6,672

-0.9% (YTD: +13.4%)

FTSE 100

9,675

-0.2% (YTD: +18.4%)

Euro Stoxx 50

5,641

-0.9% (YTD: +15.2%)

Brent crude

USD 63.98

-0.3%

Natural gas (Nymex)

USD 4.34

-0.6%

Gold

USD 4,039

-0.9%

BTC

USD 91,376

-4.0% (YTD: -1.8%)

Chimera JP Morgan UAE Bond UCITS ETF

AED 3.79

0.0% (YTD: +8.8%)

S&P MENA Bond & Sukuk

151.92

0.0% (YTD: +8.6%)

VIX (Volatility Index)

22.38

+12.9% (YTD: +29.0%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The DFM rose 0.1% yesterday on turnover of AED 668.5 mn. The index is up 15.5% YTD.

In the green: Ekttitab Holding Company (+14.9%), Al Firdous Holdings (+14.8%) and Ithmaar Holding (+11.2%).

In the red: Agility The Public Warehousing Company (-5.3%), Chimera S&P UAE UCITS ETF - Share Class A - Accumulating (-5.1%) and Dubai Refreshment Company (-5.0%).

Over on the ADX, the index fell 0.1% on turnover of AED 1.8 bn. Meanwhile, Nasdaq Dubai was down 0.5%.

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