TLDR:

Ethereum open interest in ETH terms fell from 7.79M to 5.8M across all major derivatives exchanges.

Binance notional open interest dropped from $12.6B to $4.1B, yet still holds nearly 35% of total market share.

Core PPI rose 0.8% month-over-month, reducing Federal Reserve rate cut expectations and pressuring risk assets.

Bybit and Gate.io both recorded steep open interest declines, confirming a broad market-wide deleveraging phase.

The Ethereum derivatives market is experiencing a sharp contraction as macroeconomic pressures weigh on crypto assets.

Core PPI data rose 0.8% month-over-month, confirming that inflation remains persistent. This reading has reduced expectations for a near-term Federal Reserve rate cut.

Meanwhile, rising U.S.-Iran tensions over the weekend added further uncertainty. Together, these factors pushed traders toward risk aversion, triggering a broad deleveraging across Ethereum’s futures and derivatives segment.

Open Interest Drops Sharply Across Major Exchanges

The Ethereum derivatives market saw open interest in ETH terms fall from 7.79 million to 5.8 million across all exchanges. That represents a reduction of nearly 2 million contracts across the board.

Binance alone concentrated roughly 2 million of the affected positions. The contraction reflects a clear pullback from leveraged exposure across the market.

Binance remains the dominant player despite the notable decline, holding close to 35% of total open interest. Its notional open interest, however, dropped sharply from $12.6 billion to $4.1 billion.

This decline factors in both reduced contract volumes and falling ETH prices. Even after the drop, Binance’s share remains well ahead of all competitors.

Bybit, which holds roughly 15% of total open interest, saw its figures fall to $1.9 billion. That marks approximately a threefold reduction from its prior recorded levels.

Gate.io also declined, dropping from $5.2 billion to $2.75 billion. Gate.io now accounts for approximately 23% of the overall Ethereum derivatives market.

Analyst Darkfost noted the wide scope of this deleveraging phase across platforms. The data reflects active leverage unwinding rather than a routine price correction.

Traders across exchanges are steadily reducing exposure amid unfavorable macro conditions. The speed of this contraction points to deliberate risk management decisions by market participants.

Macro Pressures Drive Risk Aversion Across Crypto Markets

The Federal Reserve’s rate cut prospects have dimmed following the latest inflation data. Core PPI rising 0.8% month-over-month confirmed that price pressures have not eased.

Markets are now pricing in a prolonged period of restrictive monetary policy. This environment tends to reduce appetite for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.

Altcoins have been among the first to absorb the pressure as risk sentiment shifted. Ethereum led the decline among major digital assets during this period.

The derivatives market responded accordingly, with leveraged positions being quickly reduced. Reduced leverage typically reflects a move by traders toward greater caution.

Geopolitical developments added further pressure on already fragile market conditions. Growing tensions between the United States and Iran surfaced over the weekend.

These events increased uncertainty at a time when investors already lacked clear direction. Risk assets, including crypto, tend to react quickly to such external geopolitical shocks.

The Ethereum derivatives market is now in a clear contraction phase across all major platforms. Traders have broadly pulled back from leveraged positions as conditions tightened.

The combination of macro headwinds and geopolitical risks has created a structurally unfavorable environment. Until conditions stabilize, the derivatives market may continue facing continued downward pressure.

 

The post Ethereum Derivatives Market Contracts Sharply as Macro Pressures and Geopolitical Risks Drain Risk Appetite appeared first on Blockonomi.

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Filed under: Bitcoin - @ February 28, 2026 10:05 pm