Bitcoin and Ether fell sharply amid renewed market selling, with rising futures activity and positive funding rates suggesting traders brace for volatility despite bearish technical signals.
Bitcoin dropped to $107,800 and Ether to $3,867, reversing weekend gains and nearing October lows near $103,700. Futures open interest increased to $26 billion, while funding rates turned neutral to positive, indicating renewed leverage positioning. Options data show traders paying high premiums for upside exposure, signaling expectations of greater volatility even as technical patterns suggest a potential lower high formation that could precede a bear market. Altcoins broadly declined, with CAKE and ETHFI down about 10%, while Upbit and Bithumb listings briefly boosted smaller tokens such as SynFutures (F) and ZORA.