Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Crypto Options Unplugged

This week Imran and David get a chance to catch up one-on-one and Imran gives a breakdown of the Microstrategy trade that has been fuelling recent Bitcoin strength as Micheal Saylor announced his recent purchase of more than $5Bn last week. David's macro outlook remains constructive after the appointment of Treasury Secretary Bessent which has led to a pullback in the dollar and US bond yields. The rejection of 100k in BTC has led to a swift repricing in front-end skew which suggests the correction could still have legs according to Imran.

This week Imran and David catch up with Edd Carton, Managing Director at Aurel Partners. Edd has been in the crypto space for 13 years and has had a front-row seat to the evolution towards mainstream institutional adoption. They discuss the evident demand shock going on in Bitcoin and how well recent gains have been holding above the 90k level. Edd also reflects on what a massive year it has been for crypto in terms of regulation and less stigma for real money players to allocate in the space. Imran points out the options flows over the last week including more big-size buying of Mar 2025 call spreads. Finally, they debate whether listing IBIT options on US exchanges will materially change the flow dynamics with US retail investors able to participate.

In this week's episode Imran and David dissect the explosive run-up in crypto assets as inflows come rushing into the space after the election result and more talk of the US accumulating Bitcoin in a strategic reserve. Their special guest this week is Olaf Ammermann, Managing Director at Islington Consultants. Olaf has been in the crypto space since 2015 and helping Tradfi firms come into crypto, he has a unique perspective in that he not only trades options but also gets involved in helping firms navigate the regulatory hurdles involved in entering the industry. All three continue to believe this move is still the early part of the next leg higher in crypto assets.

In this week's episode, Imran and David are joined by Stephane Ouellette CEO and Co-founder of FRNT Financial (FRNT.TO) to discuss the impact of the US election result on crypto markets. Stephane has been building out investment banking services in crypto for the last 5 years and gives us his outlook for what appears to be the start of the next crypto cycle. Imran and David just their latest color on macro and crypto vol, including what the options flows are telling about the market's confidence in an ETH rally. Stephane paints a very bullish picture of why this space still has massive potential and it's certainly not too late to get involved. Enjoy this fantastic episode!

In this week's episode, Imran and David discuss the recent move up towards the highs in Bitcoin as the US Election is due next week and Trump's odds are continuing to rise. Imran points out that call skew is not getting as excited as we would normally see it on a potential breakout. David summarizes the incredible macro setup that has been taking shape nicely over recent months. Imran also got to catch up with Danil Zatalogin, CEO of YieldFort to get his view on the potential outcome next week and how it would impact crypto markets.

In this week's episode David and Imran sit down with Paul Howard, Senior Director at Wincent Investment Management. Paul is an active market maker in Delta One products and is looking to expand into options. He gives his view on the famous crypto basis trade and his outlook into and after the US election. Imran lets viewers know how he is gearing up for a potential BTC rally after the election and how the shape of the volatility surface is providing opportunities for ALT-like returns.

In this week's episode, Imran and David follow up on last week's bullish discussion as BTC tries to break above key resistance at 66k. David sees the recent China moves as reasons to stay bullish, along with Trump's rising victory odds. Imran gives a quick summary on the moves in crypto vol space. David also catches up with Stephane Reverre, President of Sun Zu Labs who is building liquidity metrics for market makers and token issuers. Stephane gives his thoughts on the space as a whole and all the opportunities that exist due to the fragmentation of the market.

In this week’s special episode, Imran and David sit down with Real Vision Founder and CEO Raoul Pal, and Michaël van de Poppe, Founder of EMN Group, also known as Crypto Michaël. Unsurprisingly, there is a bullish consensus, but they also consider what could go wrong and what might be delaying the start of the rally that many are expecting, given recent positive macro developments such as Fed cuts and China’s stimulus. They discuss the upcoming U.S. election and the wave of new money waiting to enter the market if a breakout is confirmed. Raoul points out that the price action is following last year almost perfectly and stresses that his infamous ‘Banana Zone’ is imminent. Imran highlights that call options seem very cheap considering the potential upside the next 6 months could bring.

In this week’s episode, Imran and David host OTC trader Jake Ostrovosis from Wintermute.

They discuss the recent China stimulus, which is set to add more liquidity to global markets and drive the next leg higher in crypto assets.

Jake sees potential for inflows coming after the U.S. election uncertainty has passed, which may delay the start of the Q4 rally.

However, the launch of the IBIT ETF options makes him very bullish on the future of the crypto options market, which should attract new players for both speculation and hedging purposes.

In this week's episode, Imran and David are joined in the studio by Stefan Rust, Founder and CEO of Truflation. They discussed the recent FED rate cut and new stimulus measures from China which have helped to restart the crypto rally in the last week. Stefan explains what inspired him to kickstart Truflation over 3 years ago and how the markets are embracing his new and innovative way of producing real-time macro data on the blockchain. They touch on the inflation and/or currency debasement hedging properties of Bitcoin and the need to protect against asset price inflation in a world of perpetual money printing. Stefan and his team are producing data that even some governments around the world are embracing as the most accurate alternative to help them calibrate monetary policy most efficiently. This is a conversation not to be missed!

In this week's episode, Imran & David discuss the recent price action in the crypto market in the wake of a dramatic repricing in rate cut odds. With a 50bp cut now the most likely outcome, they discuss why BTC is not moving up in line with US stock markets. Imran catches up with special guest Marty, CIO of Mymo Group and prominent crypto Twitter influencer to get his perspective on the current setup in crypto vol and how the election is being priced. David continues to like the macro fundamentals but Imran has started to increase hedges as weak seasonality takes hold before the election.

In this week’s episode, Imran and David host special guest Neelabh Dixit, Head of Product Strategy at Talos. They discuss the recent choppy moves we’ve seen in crypto markets as rate volatility has been hitting risk assets due to concerns around growth. David gives his macro picture and Imran highlights what he’s seeing in crypto volatility. Neelabh shares his thoughts about the market, the US election impact, and how the crypto client base is evolving.

Neither Talos Global, Inc. nor any of its affiliates is an investment advisor or broker/dealer. This does not constitute an offer to buy or sell, or a promotion or recommendation of, any digital asset, security, derivative, commodity, financial instrument or product or trading strategy. This is not intended to constitute investment advice or a recommendation to make (or refrain from making) any kind of investment decision and may not be relied on as such.

In this week's episode, Imran and David discuss the recent weakness in crypto markets as last week's gains were quickly given back as volatility increased. David flags that month-end typically leads to less liquidity and can be a reason for pullbacks. Imran highlights what the key option flows including the 13Sep expiry finding a relative bid due to the presidential debate scheduled for 10Sep. This week's special guest is Ash Ashmawy, Founder and CEO of Kemet Trading. Imran finds out what led Ash to jump out the world of TradFi hedge funds and into crypto back in 2021, and where he sees the space going.

In this week's episode, Imran and David discuss the recent spike in BTC prices, as the Jackson Hole speech from last week had some stronger language and signalled the start of a cutting cycle. The recent developments in US politics have seen Trump take back the lead in the polls, and they discuss how BTC is likely to trade in and around the run-up to the election. Imran caught up with traders Bob Wallden and Bohan Jiang from Abra Prime Services to see how they were seeing the current market and what trading styles they were employing to navigate crypto, having both come from FX vol backgrounds. Bohan pointed out that the election debate scheduled for September 10th is probably the next big mover for crypto markets.

In this week's episode, we give you something a little different as price action has been somewhat muted in Cryptoland. Imran and David gives their quick takes on macro and volatility but the bulk of the episode covers David's interview with Meltem Demirors, Founder and General Partner at Crucible Capital. Meltem has a wealth of experience in the industry and has some great insights into where the future may be headed and how she is positioning her firm for the opportunities that lie ahead.

In this week's episode, Imran and David sit down with James Van Straten from Cryptoslate, a viewer favorite returning to the show. They discuss the sharp rebound in crypto markets after last week's turbulence and whether the bull run is back on. David still likes everything he sees from a macro standpoint but James thinks the real upside comes in Q4. Imran gives his rundown on crypto vol this week and reveals a couple of his favorite trade ideas right now to position for more Bitcoin dominance.

In this week's episode Imran and David go over the recent meltdown in markets and what has triggered the unwind of the famous Yen carry trade. David explains the macro implications and whilst there has been damage done to short-term positions, the consequence of recent turmoil is that it likely brings us closer to the FED turning on the liquidity taps again. Imran also catches up with John Kim and Beimnet Abebe from Galaxy Digital to find out what they've been seeing through the recent market madness.

In this week's episode David and Imran speak to Conrad Carvalho, Head of Trading at Oaktree and Lion, a proprietary trading and research firm specializing in crypto options. David gives his update on the latest macro developments over the last few weeks as we head into a week of key data from FOMC, Non-farm payrolls, and Mega-cap tech earnings. Imran and Conrad discuss the latest vol crush in crypto options and Conrad explains some of the approaches he uses to extract value from mis-pricings in the vol surface while running a market-neutral strategy. This is another great example of an equity derivatives professional with decades of experience finding the allure of crypto vol an opportunity to good to miss.

In this week's episode Imran host Shaun Fernando, Chief Risk Officer at Deribit, and Antonio Vulcano, Senior Trader at Laser Digital. This discusses the topics of the moment in crypto like the rally triggered by the weekend's assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the impending launch of ETH ETFs next week. Imran gives his quick macro summary and discusses the current volatility conditions in crypto options markets with Antonio. Shaun gives some color on Deribit's tight risk framework and how they can navigate the storms in crypto markets better than most.

In this week's episode, Imran and David host Katia Babbar and William McGhee the co-founders of Immersive Finance. They discuss how they are meeting the needs of institutional players in the crypto space in terms of rich, granular data sets and detailed risk management capabilities after many decades in traditional finance on the FX side. Katia also explains that they want to cater for the growing crypto-structured products market where banks will ultimately be the front runners and need top-tier systems to be able to manage more complex and dynamic risks. David gives his macro rundown and Imran discusses how hedges paid off last week and why he was monetizing some, especially on ETH.

In this week’s episode Imran and David host Johnny Fry, Head of Digital Asset Strategy at Clearbank. They discuss how blockchain technology is changing the infrastructure across financial markets and improving efficiency and transparency. The strong use cases behind stable coins and tokenization are not going away. And Johnny explains how it is a matter of when and not if the entire financial system adopts this technology. On the macro front, David breaks down the recent wobble in markets in the context of quarter-end liquidity drain and Imran summarises what the option flows are indicating for the next few weeks.

In this week’s episode, Imran and David discuss the recent drop in crypto prices and whether or not the short-term bottom is in yet. David cautions against the impact China maybe having in crypto markets but overall feels that the Mnt. Gox distribution is priced in. Imran catches up with Andrew from Thinking Greeks to get his thoughts on crypto vol and the best opportunities to play in options right now.

In this week's episode David and Imran welcome Dennis Ehlert, a derivatives trader from Amina Bank. They discuss the broader trends in crypto markets in terms of institutional adoption and how we are still very early on in building out infrastructure for real money flows. David gives his 30k ft view on the latest macro developments. Imran and Dennis highlight the main flows they are seeing in options this week as spot prices look weak. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment on YouTube with #deribitgiveaway to enter our draw to win a Deribit sweater.

In this week's episode, David and Imran discuss the recent developments in the US labor market that have created headwinds for crypto prices in the near term and ahead of key inflation data this week. Imran also has an in-depth chat with Sean McNulty from Arbelos Capital and Douglas Comin from XBTO about crypto vol markets and how they differ from other more traditional asset classes such as FX and Equities. Imran also gives his run down on the latest flows he's seeing this week in crypto options.

In this week's episode, apart from the usual macro, crypto, and volatility round-up, Imran catches up with Arbelos Capital Co-founder Shiliang Tang and trader Sean McNulty to discuss what trends they are seeing in the institutional crypto vol space. It was an enlightening discussion with some very seasoned players in the market who have become one of the dominant market makers in crypto options.

In this week's episode David And Imran discuss the swift policy shifts we have been seeing around crypto regulation in the US fuelled by Donald Trump embracing crypto in his campaign. The Biden administration has likely realised that they have no choice but to lighten up regulation to appeal to the 50 million or so US voters who use cryptocurrencies. Overall the landscape looks ripe for the start of a new ALT season, with ETH leading the way as we await the start of spot ETF trading in the months ahead. Imran explains what the moves in crypto vol and skew are saying about the options market's take on the recent price action with a flippening in longer dated call skew towards ETH. David is as bullish as ever given recent regulatory moves and struggles to see a material downside scenario in the near term.

In this week's episode, Imran and David welcome James Van Straten from Cryptoslate as they take a look into the world of on-chain analytics. James writes reports analyzing these important metrics to help traders forecast trends in crypto assets. This unique approach and the granularity of the flow data that is unavailable in TradFi markets has become somewhat of a must-have tool for serious crypto investors over the years. They also dive into the latest macro and crypto headlines including the ETH ETF that has suddenly come back on everyone's radar. Imran explains how much the event risk has distorted the ETH vol surface and what flows they have been seeing.

In this week's episode, Imran and David welcome Andrew Melville, volatility research analyst at Block Scholes. They take a deep dive into what Andrew has been seeing in crypto volatility trends and how institutions are trading volatility in this rapidly growing asset class. Imran breaks down why options traders use butterflies to buy or sell convexity and discusses the reason why the volatility smile may be trading so flat. David summarises the macro news that is moving markets such as China unleashing more stimulus and key US CPI data due this week.---

In this week’s episode Imran and David discuss the game changing macro developments that triggered a sharp bounce in crypto and risk assets. The FOMC was more dovish than investors had feared as rate hikes were taken off the table and a larger taper of QT means more liquidity to drive risk assets higher.  Imran runs through his usual crypto vol insights which showed a reduction in BTC skew as put hedges were monetised and implied vols falls despite heightened realised moves. The trade idea they both like is long call calendars on ETH as ETF rulings get punted into July, making May likely to be a non-event

In this weeks episode David and Imran discuss the recent gyrations in FX markets and what implications they may have for crypto prices going forward. David remains convinced that weakness in Asian currencies will keep pressure on the Fed to be more dovish than interest rate markets are pricing. Imran catches up with Jeff Anderson from STS Digital to get his thoughts on crypto vol markets and where the biggest opportunities exist.

In this week's episode, Imran and David discuss the recent risk rally that has kicked off this week as geopolitical tensions abate with Iran not looking to counterattack Israel. Cross-asset volatility spiked last week but is reverting quickly as Gold and Oil give back some of their gains. Interest rate vol also means reverting after a large spike and the path and speed of yields from here will be key in determining the next move in crypto. David sees the dollar as ripe for a dip and this should propel crypto back towards highs. Imran breaks down the key crypto option flows and explains why crypto skew is signaling a BTC led rally in the near term.

In this episode, Imran and David give an update on the latest crypto action as geopolitics and inflation fears have put investors on edge. With the conflict in the Middle East likely to drag on for at least a few more weeks, it may be difficult for crypto markets to recover even though the bitcoin halving was touted as a positive catalyst. Imran catches up with JJ (the JLabs Janitor) who analyses crypto derivatives and gives his take on what’s happening in crypto options markets. Overall, they see the correction as a buying opportunity for medium investors but caution against using leverage as there could easily be one final flush lower.

In this week's episode, Imran and David analyze recent trends in crypto markets, including Ethereum's recovery and the impending Bitcoin halving. They discuss the impact of macroeconomic factors such as rising gold prices and international desires for lower US dollar values and interest rates. Additionally, they speculate on potential outcomes from Yellen's meeting with Chinese officials and explore strategies for capitalizing on high, yet possibly declining, option volatilities.

In this weeks episode Imran and David discuss the pause in the crypto rally which has led to some key supports being breached and what macro forces may be driving it. The stronger dollar and China needing BTC to look less appealing to stop capital flight are factors that David dissects in more detail. Imran catches up with Greg Magadini from Amberdata to find out what he has his eye on in crypto vol space. They discuss the steep ETH skew term structure and whether the BTC halving “event” risk is overpriced in options. Overall, the macro picture is unchanged from David’s perspective and dips remain opportunities to buy although some caution in the near term may be warranted.

In this week's episode Imran and David discuss the aftermath of a big macro week that saw huge swings in crypto prices. The BoJ was a damp squib as David had been expecting but the FOMC implicitly signalled their tolerance for above target inflation. We saw the first rate cut out of the SNB and expect synchronised easing by the summer across major central banks. ETF inflows slowed down and Greyscale liquidations weighed on the market but now that has cleared we may see inflows reaccelerate into quarter end. The options market preempted the weakness with put skew catching a bid two weeks ago, something Imran highlighted was making him cautious. After trading near key supports, put protection was monetised and call buyers came back, leading to a dramatic reversal back into call skew. Game on for new highs!

In this week's episode Imran and David cover the recent crypto correction and explore if the macro backdrop has changed. David is of the opinion that this dip is healthy and real money buyers are still to come in, given the smaller clip sizes seen in ETFs flows. Imran gives his usual update on crypto volatility, skew and options positioning where last week’s skew moves were a timely signal to get hedged.

In this episode, Imran and David host Chantal Bradford from Deribit's institutional sales. They delve into Deribit's new altcoin options for XRP, SOL, and MATIC, and discuss recent platform improvements that appeal to institutional clients. Chantal shares her enthusiasm for the growing crypto options market and the promising future of ETF options in the U.S. David highlights encouraging macro trends, while Imran points out significant changes in ETH call skew, advising cautious optimism as certain key targets are achieved.h

In this week’s episode, Imran and David host special guest Manvir Nijhar, ex-head of UK equity derivatives at SocGen. Manvir is an active trader of crypto options on Deribit and gives some insight into the type of strategies he employs to profit from crypto volatility. As always, David gives his rundown on the macro forces that are supporting the latest move and Imran breaks down the key options flows that are moving the vol surface. David’s conclusion is to not fight the flows as the supply vs demand imbalance in Bitcoin is getting even worse as MicroStrategy raise more debt for BTC purchases. Imran remains well hedged for a correction but questions at what point hedges need to be reduced.

In this week's podcast, Imran and David talk about the surging crypto prices ahead of the April Bitcoin halving. Despite profit-taking concerns, David remains bullish. Imran speculates on ETH's continued outperformance, citing a potential spot ETF approval in the Summer, and mentions bullish options flows. The discussion concludes with Imran sharing preferred hedging structures for a prudent approach in the current overbought market.

In this week’s episode: Imran and David explore the Bitcoin price surge driven by increased ETF inflows and anticipation of the upcoming "Bitcoin halving." They discuss macro factors affecting crypto, including hotter-than-expected inflation data. Imran analyzes option flows, emphasizing their impact on crypto volatility and ETH gamma positioning changes.

In this podcast episode, Imran and David discuss the recent blowout non-farm payrolls data that has led to a shift in US rate cut expectations. David explains how the regional banking crisis may be re-emerging due to the refinancing needs on commercial real estate loans and how it is likely to impact FED policy. Imran analyses the recent collapse in crypto volatility and identifies some trading opportunities to either play a Lunar New Year Bitcoin rally or ETH medium term upside.

In this podcast episode, Imran and David discuss the continuation of Bitcoin ETF inflows that has helped catalyse the 10% bounce in the last week. David explains recent macro developments and why he holds the view that the Federal Reserve will cut rates in March , a move that will support crypto markets for the rest of the year. Imran questions whether ETH option dealer positioning will prove to be a resistance to strong gains in the near-term, as BTC once again leads the optimism in the space. They both still agree that ETH has the potential to vastly outperform Bitcoin this year, but short term option dynamics could be a headwind despite some analyst calling for an ETF approval by 23 May.

In this podcast episode, Imran and David delve into the recent decline in cryptocurrency prices, exploring the factors influencing this market move and how investors are hedging against it. They also analyze recent developments in interest rates markets and examine the broader macroeconomic landscape's impact on the short and long-term prospects of cryptocurrencies. Imran breaks down the dynamics of cryptocurrency volatility, highlighting the resurgence of ETH call overwriters and their significant impact on ETH volatility pricing. The episode concludes with key insights and strategic considerations for positioning oneself for potential future outperformance of Ethereum later in the year when ETH ETFs become a reality.

Episode 1: Get ready for an explosive 2024 as Imran and David discuss the current crypto setting in this debut episode. Explore the trends shaping the market and gain insights into potential opportunities and risks.