$300B in Bitcoin volume, but U.S. traders bet against BTC – Here’s why

Key Takeaways

What does the surge in Bitcoin trading volume above $300 billion indicate? 

It suggests increased market activity, likely driven by liquidations, with sellers dominating the spot market.

How are U.S. investors influencing Bitcoin’s short-term outlook? 

Rising outflows and bearish bets from U.S. investors point to growing downside pressure on BTC.

Bitcoin [BTC] continues to fluctuate, trading at $110,000 at press time, marking a 2.84% decline in the past 24 hours.

U.S. investor activity suggests growing weakness, as outflows and bearish bets from this group intensify.

High volume against Bitcoin

Bitcoin trading volume has reached its second-highest peak of the year, exceeding $300 billion, a move driven largely by the liquidation cascade earlier in October.

A situation where the spot market sees higher trading volume is indicative of a healthier market, as it suggests participation from less-leveraged investors.

CryptoQuant data shows that while Binance led global trading with $174.9 billion in volume, U.S. investors accounted for $38.5 billion across Coinbase and Kraken.

Source: CryptoQuant

Trading volume reflects both buy and sell activity. Analysis suggests that sellers likely dominated the market during this period.

Interestingly, data from the spot market shows that U.S. whales are leading the sell-side activity.

According to Lookonchain, one whale sold approximately 2,587.6 BTC (around $290 million) over the past ten days into Kraken, one of the largest U.S.-based crypto exchanges.

U.S. investors bet against Bitcoin

U.S. derivatives investors have continued to bet on Bitcoin’s downside potential in the market.

Data from top derivatives exchanges, Kraken and Coinbase, shows that selling volumes have dominated the market over the past 24 hours, each exceeding 50% of total trades.

A negative Taker Buy-Sell Ratio could tilt prices further bearish, affecting Bitcoin, particularly if positions are over-leveraged.

Source: CryptoQuant

The Coinbase Premium Index showed a mildly bullish reading of 0.009%, as of writing, indicating slight upward pressure in the spot market.

While some U.S. investors remain optimistic, market sentiment could still shift quickly.

Neutral remains an edge

The bearish sentiment among U.S. investors comes as the Bitcoin market broadly remains neutral.

A Glassnode report confirms that the Funding Rate, which tracks whether the buy or sell side dominates the derivatives market based on funding fees, indicates a neutral state.

Source: Glassnode

A neutral market state suggests a balance between buying and selling pressure. Likewise, Open Interest, per Glassnode, has fluctuated between negative and positive 30% off recent highs, as of the latest data.

If bearish momentum from U.S. investors continues, Bitcoin could experience further short-term losses for holders.