Today, at 8am UTC on Deribit more than $2.4billion in crypto options will expire. This could bring new volatility to the market.
The following is a summary of the information that you will find on this page.
- Deribit is set to release around $2.0B worth of Bitcoin contracts and $404M worth of Ethereum contracts, which could lead to a short-term increase in volatility.
- Bitcoin’s and Ethereum’s respective put/call rates of 0.59 (BTC) and 0.75 (ETH) reflect a constructive sentiment. The maximum pain is set at $70,00 for BTC, and $2.050 for Ethereum.
- BTC faces resistance near $69,500β$70,000 and support at $65,000, while ETH must clear $2,000β$2,050 to confirm upside momentum.
Deribit dataBitcoin (zwei Milliarden Dollar)BTCOptional Ethereum and $404 million (ETHOptions will no longer be available.
π¨ Options Expiry Alert π¨
At 08:00 UTC tomorrow, over $2.4B in crypto options are set to expire on Deribit.$BTC: ~$2.0B notional | Put/Call: 0.59 | Max Pain: $70K$ETH: ~$404M notional | Put/Call: 0.75 | Max Pain: $2,050
Positioning skews call heavy across both assets, with⦠pic.twitter.com/pgl2z4ZGJ6
— Deribit (@DeribitOfficial) February 19, 2026
The following are some of the ways to improve your own ability. BitcoinThe ratio of put to call is currently 0.59. This indicates that the market has shifted more towards calls and there’s a greater upside bias. The pain threshold is set at $70,000 which is about two dollars above the current levels of spot, suggesting that prices could move towards that level until expiry.
Ethereum’s ratio of put-to-call is at 0.75. It reflects more balanced and still constructive positions, while the maximum loss at $2.050.
With a position skewered towards calls, large options expirations may cause volatility in the short term. Bitcoin has over 400 million dollars and $2 billion. Ethereum Dealer hedging, especially around $70,000 BTC and $2.050 ETH could push prices to those levels.
A decisive step beyond these may increase momentum via gamma flows and the chances of a sudden breakout.
Bitcoin (BTC), the crypto-market prediction
Bitcoin trades On the daily chart the BTC price is hovering around $68,850, trying to stabilize itself after the sharp sell-off in early February that brought the market from the high-90,000s down to the local low of $60,000. BTC’s price has been consolidating around $65,000 to $70,000 since that initial surge.
Price remains technically below the DEMA of 50 days, near $69,000, and is now acting as an immediate barrier. A sustained break above $69,500β$70,000 would open the door toward $72,000 and potentially the mid-$70,000 region.
On the downside, support sits around $65,000, followed by the psychological $60,000 level β the zone that previously attracted strong dip buying.
The momentum indicators indicate that the bearish trend is easing, but it has not been reversed. While the Balance of power histogram still shows a negative balance, it is showing a decreasing red bar, which indicates waning sales intensity. An aggressive push towards the $70,000 pain threshold could boost short-term flow tied to option hedging.
Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction
EthereumAfter falling from above $3,000 to around $1,900 in recent times, currently trades at about $1,958. The daily chart shows ETH attempting a base right below the psychological $2,000 level.

The RSI is nearing 34. It has recovered from the oversold area but remains below neutral 50, indicating that momentum continues to be fragile.
At the moment, immediate resistance lies between $2,000-$2,050. It is also very close to maximum pain. If the price breaks above this zone, it could lead to a downward pressure towards $2200. Near $1,900 is the support, and a more substantial floor can be found around $1,800.
Trading positions are skewed towards calls in Bitcoin. Traders will watch to see if the price moves toward maximum pain or breaks out decisively when contracts expire. This could set the direction for the following move.
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Source: crypto.news

