Ethereum (ETH) is approaching a pivotal derivatives deadline as billions of 
dollars in options contracts near expiration, placing the $3,000 price level 
firmly in focus for traders. While traders are betting on a move higher, 
Ethereum’s near-term price action remains uncertain. The outcome of this 
options expiry could help shape ETH’s next big move, either to the upside or 
down to lower levels—particularly as investors reassess their expectations 
following November’s volatility and choppy conditions. The price of Ethereum 
is currently sitting above $2,900 as a massive options expiration worth 
roughly $6 billion approaches. This event is expected to play a major role in 
shaping short-term price action and could influence investor sentiment heading 
into 2026. Ethereum Options Set To Expire This Friday Data from the 
derivatives platform Laevitas show that $6 billion in ETH options will expire 
on Friday, 26 December, with call positions outnumbering puts by more than 2.2 
times. Despite this imbalance, bears still hold the edge unless Ethereum&#8217;s 
price moves decisively above $3,100. Related Reading: Ethereum Exchange Supply 
Just Crashed To New Lows, Why This Is Bullish For Price Earlier this year, 
many traders had positioned for Ethereum to surge significantly by year-end. 
However, those bullish expectations were undermined by a massive November 
decline, leaving ETH’s current options expiry vulnerable to further downside 
pressure. While call options still dominate Open Interest (OI), many of these 
positions would expire worthless if the Ethereum price fails to recover and 
push higher. This creates a fragile setup and leaves the market in a delicate 
position, where overly optimistic bets could quickly unwind if key price 
levels do not hold. Notably, the $3,100 price level has emerged as a critical 
pivot ahead of the options expiration set for this Friday. Traders have called 
this level “max pain,” as it represents the price at which the most options 
contracts would expire worthless. A close below this zone could give bears 
control and potentially open the door to further price declines. On the other 
hand, a clean break above $3,100 could flip momentum rapidly. Presently, 
around $3.8 billion in ETH options are expected to expire on Deribit, the 
world’s largest Bitcoin and Ethereum options exchange. In addition, more than 
$23.6 billion in Bitcoin options are scheduled to expire on Friday, 
potentially adding significant volatility to the already fragile market. 
Analyst Expect Further Volatility For Ethereum With the massive $6 billion 
Ethereum options expiry on the horizon, traders appear to be bracing for 
significant market volatility, as the event could trigger a sharp, decisive 
move in ETH’s price. Separately, crypto analyst Ted Pillows anticipates 
further volatility for ETH if its price moves in either of two key directions. 
Related Reading: Major Ethereum Metric Just Hit A New All-Time High – Can 
Price Reclaim $3,000? He says that Ethereum is currently in a no-trading zone; 
however, volatility could occur if the price reclaims the $3,000 level or 
retests the $2,700-$2,800 zone. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from 
Tradingview.com

$6 Billion In Ethereum Options: What This Means For Price

Crypto derivatives trading surged to $86 trillion in 2025, averaging $265 
billion per day, as Binance captured almost 30% of global volume, CoinGlass 
reported.

Crypto derivatives volume explode to $86T in 2025, averaging $265B per day

Zhao urged the blockchain industry to adopt new security measures, including 
scam address blacklist, after an investor lost $50 million to an address 
poisoning scheme.

CZ proposes fix to address poisoning after investor loses $50M

The legendary economist and best-selling author states that the elements 
driving up the whole metals market, with gold at its front, will continue next 
year. In a recent interview, Rickards explained that he would not be surprised 
if gold reaches prices of $10,000 and silver follows with $200 in 2026. Jim 
Rickards Bets on a […]

Jim Rickards’ Explosive Predictions: Gold to $10,000, Silver to $200 in 2026

Can a digital asset like XRP realistically sit at a few dollars if it is 
expected to serve as an important liquidity layer for the global financial 
system? That question is at the center of a growing debate around XRP’s market 
value and is the basis of comments shared on X by Jesse of Apex Crypto. His 
argument challenges the idea that XRP can function as a worldwide liquidity 
instrument through Ripple’s framework while maintaining a relatively low 
valuation around $3, which he says doesn&#8217;t make sense. The Liquidity Argument 
Behind XRP’s Valuation Debate XRP’s price history shows a clear ceiling that 
it has struggled to overcome. Since launch, the token has never sustained a 
move above the $4 level, with its highest recorded peak sitting around $3.65 
in mid-July. Recent weeks have been even more challenging, as XRP has been 
trading under $2 with the entire crypto market going through a weak phase. 
Related Reading: $130 Million XRP Fumble: Analyst Reveals What Went Wrong 
Despite this, some bullish analysts continue to speculate about scenarios 
where the price revisits the $3 region. That outlook, however, was directly 
challenged by Jesse of Apex Crypto, who asserted that even a $3 valuation 
fundamentally misses the point of what XRP is designed to become. Jesse’s 
position is built around XRP’s intended role in global finance. According to 
him, if XRP grows into a primary liquidity source for cross-border settlements 
like it was intended to be, then a valuation around $3 would not align with 
that responsibility. In his video commentary, he questioned what XRP would 
ultimately be backed by or pegged to, pointing to a structure tied to vast 
pools of global financial assets. These include fiat currencies, potential 
central bank digital currencies, and even commodities such as gold or silver. 
He noted that such a framework would imply that the total value represented by 
XRP tokens would correspond to the combined value of these underlying assets. 
In simple terms, if roughly 100 billion XRP were expected to support or 
represent liquidity linked to trillions of dollars in global assets, then a 
single-digit price per token would appear mathematically inconsistent. From 
this perspective, XRP’s valuation would need to reflect the scale of the 
assets it helps move. Institutional Adoption Versus Price Reality The 
valuation debate is much more complex when placed alongside Ripple’s growing 
institutional footprint. Ripple has continued to expand partnerships with 
banks, payment providers, and financial institutions across multiple regions, 
which strengthens the case that its technology is gaining traction within 
traditional finance. Related Reading: Dogecoin Price Could Rally If It 
Reclaims This Fibonacci Level At the corporate level, Ripple’s valuation and 
funding activity point to strong confidence from large investors, a factor 
Jesse of Apex Crypto believes should provide a valuation floor for XRP. 
However, XRP’s market price has not mirrored this institutioacnal momentum. 
Even with XRP-related investment products gaining attention and steady 
inflows, the price action is still limited, and the cryptocurrency might 
continue trading at low valuations in the near term. Featured image created 
with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

Cryptocurrency price in ZAR