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Are Bitcoin option traders speculative or informed?

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  • Wei, Wang Chun
  • Koutmos, Dimitrios
  • Zhu, Min

Abstract

Are Bitcoin option traders speculative or do they have an informational advantage over the market? We explore this question using tick data from Deribit, one of the largest cryptocurrency option exchange platforms. Compared to other option platforms, Deribit is largely unregulated and makes for an ideal testing ground for this question. This is because if there are traders who possess privileged information, this platform would be an ideal venue for them to exploit their informational advantage. Our analytical framework allows for checking whether option traders trade ahead of changes in investor attention, or whether such trading lags abnormal spikes in investor attention. The former would suggest information-driven trading while the latter would suggest that such trading is speculative or noise-driven in nature.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei, Wang Chun & Koutmos, Dimitrios & Zhu, Min, 2024. "Are Bitcoin option traders speculative or informed?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 67(PA).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:67:y:2024:i:pa:s1544612324007694
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2024.105739
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bitcoin; Cryptocurrency; Informational trading; Investor attention; Option trading;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C5 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling
    • G1 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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