Bitcoin and Ethereum remain stuck in a range with no clear direction during today’s trading session. The crypto market’s uncertainty has been smashing on long and short positions, but one sector is blooming under current conditions.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin trades at $19,360 with sideways movement across the board. Ethereum is displaying similar price action in this choppy environment, with most cryptocurrencies in the top 10 at a loss or lateral movement.
2022 Crushes Bitcoin And Global Markets
According to a report from the trading desk QCP Capital, this year has been the worst performing for investors with a cross-asset portfolio. If an investor-owned Bitcoin, stocks, and gold as part of their strategy, their capital would be in the red.
As seen in the chart below, the only assets recording gains are those in the energy sector, with crude oil and natural gas taking the lead. The former recorded the best performance in 2022 with a positive 34%, followed by a 4% in crude oil (WTI).
The crypto market has been the biggest loser under current macroeconomic conditions. Bitcoin and Ethereum recorded 66% and 72% losses, respectively. In traditional markets, only the Nasdaq 100 records a similar drawdown of 40%. QCP Capital wrote:
Outside of energy, the breadth and correlation of underperformance is stunning – every single macro financial benchmark is underwater in real terms (…). Today, with every category of fixed income returning negative real returns – there was essentially nowhere you could have hidden out this year and beaten inflation.
In this environment, Bitcoin investors and traditional investors suffered the most negligible losses by preserving their capital in U.S. dollars. The currency reached its highest level in 20 years, as measured by the DXY Index (DXY), wreaking havoc amongst other assets and national currencies.
The Only Safe Haven For BTC And ETH Investors
Despite the bear market, the options sector is booming, with its high adoption levels. Institutional investors acknowledge BTC and ETH have perpetual speculative markets leading key options metrics to new highs. QCP Capital added:
(…) crypto options trading volumes and open interest (OI) have held up so well this year, amidst a crypto winter that has seen other crypto asset class volumes decline between 70-90%. In Q3, ETH options OI actually broke its all-time highs! While BTC OI has held up comparatively well as well.
In this choppy and unclear market, smart money is betting on volatility spikes and collecting premiums in the options sector. The trading firm claims that even “vanilla” strategies managed to score a profit under these conditions.
The status quo in global markets is poised to persist, allowing option traders to preserve their edge amid upcoming volatility from macroeconomic events.