Daily Crypto Signals: Bitcoin Wavers Under Pressure, Zcash Claims November’s Search Crown
Bitcoin traders brace for a $14 billion options expiry on Friday that favors neutral-to-bearish positions, while weak US employment data
Quick overview
- Bitcoin traders are preparing for a $14 billion options expiry that leans towards neutral-to-bearish positions, with prices around $87,400 amid weak US employment data.
- Zcash has experienced a remarkable surge of over 1,000% since fall, becoming the most-searched cryptocurrency on Coinbase and briefly regaining large-cap status with a valuation over $10 billion.
- The UAE has enacted a new law regulating decentralized finance and crypto services, requiring licenses for various activities, with compliance deadlines set for September 2026.
- Venture capital investment in the crypto sector reached $4.65 billion in Q3, marking a 290% increase from the previous quarter, driven by interest in stablecoins and blockchain infrastructure.
Bitcoin BTC/USD traders brace for a $14 billion options expiry on Friday that favors neutral-to-bearish positions, while weak US employment data and declining consumer confidence add pressure on prices hovering near $87,400. Meanwhile, Zcash ZEC/USD has surged over 1,000% since fall, becoming the most-searched cryptocurrency on Coinbase in mid-November and briefly returning to large-cap status with a valuation exceeding $10 billion.
Crypto Market Developments
This week, there were big changes in the cryptocurrency industry when it came to funding and rules. Polymarket got the go-ahead from the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission to run an intermediated trading platform. This is a big step forward for the company, which happened about five months after federal investigators ended their investigation into the prediction platform. The CFTC’s Amended Order of Designation lets Polymarket onboard brokerages and consumers directly and lets trading happen on US venues with full regulatory regulation.
The United Arab Emirates passed Federal Decree Law No. 6 of 2025, which puts decentralized financial protocols, Web3 infrastructure, and middleware suppliers under the control of the Central Bank of the UAE. The law says that you need a license to do things like accept crypto payments, provide exchange services, lend money, hold assets, and invest. Experts in the field say that this is one of the most important changes in the rules for the region’s crypto sector, with a deadline for compliance of September 2026.
In the third quarter, venture capital activity in the crypto industry hit $4.65 billion. This was a 290% rise from the previous quarter and the second-highest level since the FTX collapse in late 2022. There were 414 agreements in the quarter. Stablecoins, artificial intelligence, blockchain infrastructure, and trading platforms are still getting a lot of investment, even though they are still below the levels seen during the bull market of 2021–2022.
Bitcoin Trades Under $88,000 Ahead of Friday Options Expiry
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) stayed around $87,400 on Tuesday as traders thought about what might happen when Friday’s $14 billion options expire. The total open interest for call options is 104,300 BTC worth $9.12 billion, but because the price has dropped 23% in the last month, 84% of these positions are now above $91,000. This means that they will expire worthless unless prices go up a lot. Put options worth 67,877 BTC seem to be better suited for the current market conditions. 31% of them are placed at $84,500 or less, which is more likely to lead to neutral-to-bearish results.
People’s feelings about the market got worse once the US economy released bad news. ADP, a payroll processor, said that private enterprises lost an average of 13,500 jobs each week in the last four weeks. The Conference Board, on the other hand, said that consumer confidence fell from 95.5 in October to 88.7 in November. Even if these bearish signs were present, Bitcoin traders added year-end call options in the $100,000 to $112,000 area over 48 hours, showing that they still expect the market to go up in the medium term. The bad economic news also made people think more about the possibility of the Federal Reserve stepping in with less stringent monetary policy.
Zcash Dominates Crypto Search in November
Zcash (ZEC) was the surprise breakout story of November, with almost 52,000 searches on Coinbase, more than Bitcoin and XRP. The privacy-focused cryptocurrency shot up more than 1,000% since the fall and more than 500% in just one month, momentarily boosting its value above $10 billion and bringing it back into the large-cap range after years of being relatively unknown.
There were a number of important events that helped the rally along with pure supposition. The halving in November 2024 lowered block rewards from 3.125 ZEC to 1.5625 ZEC. This meant that about 1,800 new coins were made per day. Over the past year, shielded balances have grown from about 1.7 million coins to 4.5 million coins. Now, more over 27% of the circulating supply is held in privacy-protected addresses. This change shows that people are really using Zcash’s main privacy features instead of just guessing about the pricing.
The NU6.1 upgrade that went live on November 24 added a holder-controlled funding scheme. It gave 8% of block rewards to community donations and 12% to a fund controlled by coinholders. This change in governance offers ZEC holders direct control over how development capital is used until the next halving in 2028. The timing was good since privacy became a hot topic again after a high-profile Monero hack and increased enforcement of anti-money laundering laws. This made Zcash’s optional privacy model look like a “responsible” option that could operate with compliance frameworks. Some analysts see the quick price changes as a possible blow-off top, but others say that the combination of less supply, more sheltered usage, and better governance is a fundamental repricing rather than just a speculative fever.
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