These 2 Bitcoin Derivatives Signals Could Trigger a Long Squeeze: Analyst

Bitcoin’s derivatives market is showing a curious split, with open interest falling nearly 4% since August 21, while funding costs for long positions have risen quickly.

Analyst Axel Adler Jr. says that combination could leave BTC exposed to a long squeeze if traders start rebuilding leverage while maintaining an increasingly bullish bias.

Falling OI Meets Rising Funding

In Adler’s latest brief, he put the focus on what is happening beneath Bitcoin’s price, with BTC-denominated open interest falling from 331,100 BTC on August 21 to 318,600 BTC on August 31, a decline of 3.8%. Over the past 24 hours, another 2,850 BTC has left open positions.

That means the derivatives market is still in a deleveraging phase following the short squeeze. But traders have not rushed to rebuild the amount of leverage that was cleared out during the earlier move.

Meanwhile, funding tells a different story, with the current funding rate at 0.00906%, while the eight-hour average sits at 0.00821% and the 24-hour average at 0.00725%. The shorter-term average is already 13% above the 24-hour figure, pointing to a stronger preference for long positions among active traders.

“The shorts have already been burned. Now the longs are in the crosshairs,” noted the market watcher.