The long wait for a Bitcoin futures exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States came to an end this week with the debut of the first Bitcoin-linked futures ETF on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). With greater engagement from Wall Street investors, the ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (NYSE: BITO) began trading on the exchange.
The ETF began trading on October 19 at a price of $40 per share and rose 4.85 percent before finishing at $41.94 per share, up 2.59 percent on the first day. The ETF achieved $1 billion in volume by the end of Day 1 of trading, making it the second most traded ETF on its maiden day. The BlackRock U.S. Carbon Transition Readiness ETF is in first place, with $1.16 billion in trading activity on its debut day.
Bitcoins and Bitcoin futures are not the same thing. In a futures contract, such as BITO, an investor agrees to buy or sell an asset at a defined price in the future (similar to other stock futures contracts). Futures contracts in this case are derivatives of Bitcoins that are not backed by physical Bitcoins. Investors do not buy and sell the underlying asset directly (Bitcoin in this case).
The BITO ETF, which trades under the ticker code BITO, allows investors to invest in bitcoins through a futures contract (F&O sector) rather than purchasing them on a cryptocurrency exchange. Rather than buying bitcoin directly, investors will now be able to invest in a fund that tracks bitcoin futures. By participating in this new ETF fund, investors are essentially betting on the ETF’s shares increasing in value in the future. Bitcoins are the underlying driver of the value of this fund’s shares. This works in a similar way to other futures contracts, such as commodities ETFs or gold futures ETFs, in which investors do not buy physical gold or gold bars.
On the announcement, bitcoin price soared to a new high of over $60,000, touching $66,974 on Wednesday, surpassing the previous high of $64,889 established in April. The price of the ProShares ETF will not be the same as the price of Bitcoin because it is a futures-based ETF that tracks futures contracts rather than the current price of the asset. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) was chosen as the benchmark because ProShares needed to connect the future price to a stated exchange price. This could lead to a situation where the ProShares fund trades at a premium in a bull market and at a discount in a bear market, making the ETF a better short-term investment than a long-term one for an investor.
The expense ratio for BITO is 0.95 percent, which appears to be fairly high at the moment. To put it another way, if an investor invests $10,000 in this fund, $95 will go toward operational expenditures. The recommended expense ratio for low-cost index funds is roughly 0.30 percent. Because this is a new asset class, there may be a lot of intermediaries, thus the futures ETF’s price will likely be high until greater competition drives down the fees and expenditures. It also appears that additional firms may follow in ProShares’ footsteps and create their own futures-based crypto ETFs in the coming months. Valkyrie Investments, VanEck, and Invesco are among the fund houses waiting for the SEC’s approval.
BITO will trade like any other stock during regular market hours, unlike Bitcoin, which can be purchased, sold, or traded at any time. Investors can place orders for BITO during off-market hours, but unlike Bitcoins, the orders will only be fulfilled during market hours.
The Bitcoin-linked ETF has the same level of protection as other traditional investments. While only the cash amount in a traditional brokerage account is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), brokerage accounts are insured by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) (SIPC). If a brokerage is liquidated due to bankruptcy or other financial issues, and customers’ assets are missing from accounts, this insurance protects up to $500,000 in securities.
Bitcoin is still a relatively new investment when compared to traditional stock market investing, thus it lacks the historical track record that investors may use to forecast future success. While there may be a price differential between Bitcoin and BITO, Bitcoin is extremely volatile, and the ETF is expected to experience comparable volatility. Bitcoin prices reached an all-time high of over $60,000 in April before plummeting to under $30,000 and then returning over $60,000 in May.
levels once more Buying cryptos or investing in crypto-linked ETFs like BITO can expose 5-10% of an investor’s assets. Also, because these are high-risk, high-return assets in portfolios, investors should remember that speculative investments should never be made at the expense of other financial goals such as paying off high-interest debt or saving for retirement.
What is the total number of bitcoin futures ETFs?
Three Bitcoin futures ETFs are now available for purchase. Even as the price of the world’s largest cryptocurrency continues to fall, another exchange-traded fund that holds Bitcoin futures has entered the market.
What is the name of the bitcoin ETF?
The first Bitcoin-linked exchange-traded fund has debuted in the United States, marking a significant step forward in cryptocurrency’s quest to become a mainstream financial asset.
The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday under the ticker BITO, according to ProShares, an investment management organization. Though it provides individual investors with a novel way to gain exposure to cryptocurrencies one that may appear to be less hazardous than other options
Is there a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF)?
The ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) is the first Bitcoin ETF that has been approved for trading in the United States. BITO became one of the most heavily traded ETFs in market history when it debuted in October 2021, garnering about $1 billion in assets in only a few days.
BITO is an actively managed fund that invests in BTC futures contracts in order to monitor the price of Bitcoin as closely as possible. It may also hold cash and Treasury securities.
Which cryptocurrency ETF is the best?
The VanEck Bitcoin Strategy ETF (XBTF) underperformed the Bitcoin USD price benchmark by a substantial margin. This is because bitcoin futures ETFs track contracts that speculate on the digital currency’s future price rather than the asset’s current or “spot” price.
Over the last month, XBTF, like other cryptocurrency ETFs that contain Bitcoin futures contracts, has lagged the S&P 500 index.
Global X Blockchain and Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITS)
The Global X Blockchain and Bitcoin Strategy ETF is an actively-managed exchange-traded fund that invests in a mix of blockchain firms and bitcoin futures contracts to pursue financial appreciation.
What is the purpose of a futures ETF?
- ETF options function similarly to ordinary stock options. Standard put and call options are traded in 100-share blocks of the underlying asset.
- ETF futures are similar to traditional futures contracts. Investors never own the asset; instead, they keep their money moving from one futures basket to the next.
- ETF futures and options, like regular futures and options trading, are dangerous for inexperienced investors.
What is the best way to trade Bitcoin futures?
The first thing to understand about trading bitcoin futures is that there are no bitcoins involved. In other words, because futures are financial transactions that settle in cash, no bitcoin is really exchanged.
You speculate on the price of bitcoin rather than buying or selling the underlying cryptocurrency asset, as with traditional futures contracts.
There is no need for a cryptocurrency trading platform or wallet. This is because futures contracts either settle monetarily on the delivery date or are offset as the delivery date approaches by traders reversing out of their positions.
The difference between the purchase price and the settlement price is paid out to the holder of the futures contract if the buyer or seller of a bitcoin futures contract holds the position and demonstrates a profit on the delivery date.
According to the CME Crypto Facilities Ltd. (CF) Bitcoin Reference Rate, the CME bitcoin futures contract (BTC) parameters are for 5 bitcoin (BRR). Between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. GMT, this aggregates Bitcoin trading activity across major bitcoin spot exchanges.
A futures contract’s minimum volatility is $25 per contract, while calendar spreads’ minimum fluctuation is $5.
Trading hours for bitcoin futures on the CME, CME Globex, and CME ClearPort trading platforms are from 5 p.m. to 4 p.m. CST on Sundays through Fridays. Unlike bitcoin, which trades 24 hours a day, an hour of idleness between 4 and 5 p.m. provides a distinct starting and closing quote for the contracts.
The bitcoin futures contract’s listing cycle is the March quarterly cycle, which includes March, June, September, and December, as well as the next two serial months not included in the March quarterly cycle.
Serial months are months that are not part of the quarterly cycle and can be used to trade futures. The last trading day of the contract month is the last Friday. Trading in futures that are slated to expire ends at 4 p.m. GMT on the last trading day.
It’s just as vital to know how to trade bitcoin futures as it is to know where to trade, so choose wisely. A respectable futures broker will normally be a member of the National Futures Association (NFA) and will be subject to CFTC regulation.
To begin trading futures, you must first open an account with a registered futures broker, who will maintain your account and guarantee your trades. Futures commission merchants (FCMs) and introducing brokers are two terms used to describe futures brokers (IBs).
What is the price of a Bitcoin futures contract?
Consider the following scenario for a bitcoin futures contract from the CME Group. Let’s say an investor buys two bitcoin futures contracts for a total of ten bitcoin. When the futures contract was purchased, the price of a single bitcoin was $5,000, therefore the total price for both futures contracts was $50,000. CME’s margin requirements for bitcoin futures trading are 50%, which means an investor must deposit $25,000 in order to trade. They can use leverage to fund the remainder of the contract acquisition.
Is the Bitcoin ETF identical to Bitcoin?
- An exchange-traded fund (ETF) for bitcoin tracks the price of the digital currency, allowing investors to invest in the ETF without having to trade bitcoin.
- Investing in a bitcoin ETF eliminates the need for cryptocurrency investors to deal with complicated storage and security processes.
- On Oct. 19, 2021, ProShares, a provider of specialist exchange traded products, started trading the Bitcoin Strategy Fund, making it the first Bitcoin ETF to trade in the United States.