CME Group U.S. Treasury Open Interest Surges to Record High of 36.3 Million Contracts [Accessibility Statement] Skip Navigation- Additional OI records in 2-, 5-, 10-, and 30-year productsCHICAGO, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced that open interest (OI) in its deeply liquid U.S. Treasury futures and options set a new record of 36,328,151 contracts on February 19. The company's previous OI record hit in November 2025 with 35,120,066 contract ...

Core Insights - Bitcoin (BTC) is experiencing significant volatility in January, with prices fluctuating and analysts suggesting a potential short squeeze due to market conditions [1][2][3] Group 1: Price Movements - Bitcoin reached a nearly four-week high earlier in January, surging over $95,000 before briefly dropping below $90,000 [1][2] - As of the latest update, Bitcoin was trading at $91,078, reflecting a 0.157% increase over the previous day [2] Group 2: Market Signals for Short Squeeze - Three key signals indicate the potential for a short squeeze in Bitcoin's price, which occurs when prices rise against bearish positions, leading to forced liquidations and further price increases [3] - The first signal is the negative funding rate on Binance, which has turned negative for the first time since November 23, 2025, indicating a dominance of short positions [5][6] - The current funding rate is -0.002, significantly lower than the previous negative rate of -0.0002, suggesting stronger bearish sentiment among traders [6][7] Group 3: Open Interest Trends - The second signal is the rising Open Interest in Bitcoin despite a declining price, which analysts interpret as a sign of an impending short squeeze [8][9]

Market Overview - The crypto market is experiencing a positive sentiment with Bitcoin (BTC) reaching $93,350, its highest level since December 11, before retracting some gains [1] - The significant price movement occurred at midnight UTC coinciding with the opening of Bitcoin futures trading on the CME exchange, creating a price gap between $90,500 and $91,550, which is expected to be filled in the coming days [1] Trading Focus - Traders are primarily concentrating on Bitcoin, which has increased by 1.33% since midnight, while altcoins such as CoinDesk Meme (CDMEME) and Metaverse (MTVS) indexes have declined by 6.4% and 2.3% respectively [2] - The rise in equities and precious metals indicates a risk-on sentiment following recent U.S. actions in Venezuela [2] Derivatives Positioning - In the last 24 hours, exchanges have liquidated leveraged crypto futures bets worth $260 million, predominantly from short positions, indicating a bearish leverage that was caught off guard by the price increase [5] - Open interest (OI) in Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), XRP, and BNB has risen between 2% to 5%, while OI for ETH, SOL, DOGE, and ZEC has remained flat to negative, suggesting improved risk appetite for select coins [5] - BTC's annualized perpetual funding rates have exceeded 10%, reflecting growing demand for bullish exposure, while rates for several altcoins remain below zero [5] Token Performance - Despite the focus on Bitcoin, some tokens have outperformed the broader market, including LIT, which has risen by 3.9%, and FET, which has increased by 7.4% since midnight [5] - However, some tokens like Zcash (ZEC) have declined by 2.5%, and memecoins such as DOGE and PEPE have lost 1.4% and 4.5% respectively, indicating a fractured performance across the altcoin market [5] - The average crypto relative strength index (RSI) is at 58/100, entering "overbought" territory, suggesting a potential short-term price drop as profit-taking may occur [5]

Key Milestones - Boros reached $200 million in Open Interest, marking a new all-time high [1] - Boros crossed $6.3 billion in notional trading volume [1] Growth Trajectory - The $6.3 billion notional trading volume was achieved in approximately 4.5 months since launching in August [1]

Market Trends - Perpetual open interest for Bitcoin increased from 304 thousand BTC to 310 thousand BTC [1] - Funding rates for Bitcoin rose from 004% to 009% [1] Investment Activity - The increase in funding rates suggests a new accumulation of leveraged long positions in the Bitcoin market [1]

Market Analysis - Industry should monitor capital inflows and outflows [1] - Industry should observe changes in open interest [1]

Market Prediction - Industry analysts predict a potential Bitcoin (BTC) price surge to $96,000 within 5 days [1] - This prediction is based on the upcoming BTC options expiry on December 26, with a significant $938 billion open interest on Deribit [2] Options Market Dynamics - The majority of open interest is concentrated around the $96,000 level [3] - At this price point, a large number of options are expected to expire worthless, benefiting option sellers such as market makers and large desks [4][5] - Option sellers' hedging and positioning strategies may influence the price to move towards the $96,000 level as the expiry date approaches [6]

Market Analysis & Bitcoin Performance - Market experiences downturn, impacting Bitcoin's price, potentially linked to open interest [1] Investment & Trading Risks - Crypto investing and trading involves risk of loss, emphasizing the importance of individual research and caution [1] - The content is not financial, legal, or tax advice, serving entertainment purposes only [1] Educational Resources & Strategies - Highlights a series of crypto-related videos covering topics like avoiding scams, storage diversification, and profit-taking strategies [1] - Offers simplified crypto education through a website (danteachescryptocom) [1] - Introduces various crypto strategies, including "5% DEGEN PLAYS," crypto exits, and Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) examples [1] Product & Service Recommendations - Promotes iTrust CRYPTO IRA with a $100 sign-up bonus and no monthly fees [1] - Recommends Kraken for crypto trading, offering $25 in the app [1] - Suggests TANGEM COLD STORAGE WALLET for secure crypto storage, offering a 10% discount [1] - Advocates for using STONEBOOK to safeguard seeds and passwords, providing a 20% discount [1] - Mentions CoinLedger for crypto tax software and portfolio tracking, offering a 20% discount [1] Security & Scam Awareness - Warns against A-I scams and emphasizes the importance of sourcing information [1] - Provides a link to a post addressing scam messages, DMs, or emails [1] Charitable Initiatives - Supports ProTechos, an organization helping the poor rebuild roofs and training the next generation in carpentry [1] - Promotes a GoFundMe campaign to support an animal shelter director in Puerto Rico [1]

Market Trends - Open interest is at an all-time high (ATH) [1] - Open interest is up 170% year-over-year (YoY) [1] US Elections - Mentions the 2024 US elections in relation to Polymarket [1]

Market Position & Trading Volume - LBank Derivatives highlights its leading position among centralized exchanges (CEX) [1] - The platform reports over $72 billion traded in 24 hours [1] - Open interest exceeds $28 billion [1] Top-1 Holdings Dominance - BSV exhibits a dominance of 7868% [1] - PEOPLE shows a dominance of 5705% [1] - TON demonstrates a dominance of 4412% [1] - ATOM reveals a dominance of 4116% [1] - BCH indicates a dominance of 3291% [1]