Apr 14, 2025: Our weekly Institutional Insights explores the latest market developments — market performance, industry news, exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows, trending topics, upcoming events and token unlocks — to help you supercharge your crypto trading.

 explores the latest market developments — market performance, industry news, exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows, trending topics, upcoming events and token unlocks — to help you supercharge your crypto trading.

Weekly highlight — Apple exemptions send crypto higher 

US president Donald Trump’s administration recently exempted smartphones, computers and other electronics from reciprocal tariffs, providing significant relief for major technology manufacturers like Apple and NVIDIA. This move, announced by US Customs and Border Protection, limits the impact of Trump’s 125% tariff on goods from China and baseline 10% global tariff affecting many countries.

The exclusions cover popular electronics, such as smartphones, laptops, hard drives and memory chips, typically not domestically produced. This decision is welcome news for consumers who feared rising prices due to potential tariffs. It also benefits major tech companies that have made substantial investment pledges in the US domestic markets to the Trump administration.

The tariff reprieve marks a noteworthy easing in Trump's trade conflict with China, effective retroactively from April 5. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that America must not depend upon China for critical technologies, highlighting the president's efforts to secure substantial investments from leading tech firms to bolster domestic manufacturing. 

However, the reprieve may be temporary. The exclusions stem from an initial order designed to prevent cumulative tariffs on specific sectors. While certain semiconductor manufacturing equipment is excluded, the announcement doesn’t cover the 20% tariff targeting China, aimed at addressing fentanyl shipments.

Analysts note that while this exemption is a win for the tech industry, uncertainty remains regarding future tariffs. The administration is poised to further investigate semiconductor imports, potentially leading to new tariffs in the coming weeks. As negotiations evolve, other countries may seek similar exceptions, complicating the trade landscape. 

Overall, while this announcement offers temporary relief, the future of tariffs remains uncertain as the administration continues its aggressive trade policies.

Weekly crypto highlight — Bitcoin has its role to play amid volatility

The concept of "safe haven" assets, traditionally represented by gold and government bonds, is being challenged in today’s volatile markets. For decades, investors relied on a classic portfolio structure of 60% equities and 40% bonds, with capital flowing into gold and government bonds during market downturns. These assets were seen as stable and reliable, ideal for safeguarding against volatility. However, in a world marked by constant market activity, geopolitical unrest and rising skepticism toward governments, the definition of a safe-haven asset may require reevaluation.

Enter Bitcoin, a highly volatile and often misunderstood asset. Despite skepticism from many investors, Bitcoin has significantly outperformed traditional safe-haven assets since the COVID-19 market lows, rising over 1,000% since March 2020. In contrast, long-duration bonds have dropped by 50%, and gold, while up 90% over five years, appears less impressive when adjusted for monetary inflation.

However, Bitcoin's status as a safe haven remains debated. During various risk-off events, it’s behaved more like a high-beta asset than a protective hedge. For instance, in March 2020, BTC fell 40%, while the Nasdaq-100 dropped 27%. But during the recent tariff-led sell-off in April 2025, Bitcoin held up better than the Nasdaq-100, suggesting emerging strength.

Non-sovereign assets like Bitcoin could thrive amid geopolitical tensions, given their decentralized, censorship-resistant nature. Traditional safe havens like gold and long-duration bonds are losing their luster, with gold’s gains overshadowed by monetary expansion and rising yields on Treasury bonds.

As Bitcoin continues to demonstrate resilience, it may challenge the notion of what constitutes a safe haven. While it may not fit the classic definition of a low-volatility asset, its durability, neutrality and liquidity make it increasingly relevant in today’s financial landscape. Thus, the traditional playbook for safe-haven assets may need an update.

Advanced

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Weekly Institutional Insights: Apple exemptions send crypto higher; Bitcoin’s role to challenge gold

Our weekly crypto derivatives analytics report delves into macro events; the current state of crypto and trading signals from spot trading volume; and futures, options and perpetual contracts.

After initially resisting US president Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, crypto markets joined the global sell-off, with BTC falling from $87K on April 2 to a low of $74K. BTC’s term structure was inverted again before easing, while ETH’s term structure remained inverted. Meanwhile, short-term BTC volatility skews favored OTM puts, reflecting more bearish sentiment than during the Q1 2023 US banking crisis. However, volatility levels decreased after Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs (excluding those on China), leading to a significant rally in spot prices.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

BTC open interest declined substantially this week

Bybit’s largest perpetual swap markets initially remained stable during the broader market sell-off and tariff reactions, recovering from the dip after the 

. However, Trump’s recent announcement and subsequent pause of near-unilateral import tariffs significantly impacted these markets, leading to notable declines in open interest for BTC and ETH, which have fallen sharply from their late March highs.

After a brief period of positive funding rates, BTC’s perpetual swap market fluctuated between positive and negative sentiment, indicating traders were hesitant to commit to a strong directional move (similar to trends in options markets). This changed when President Trump announced a 90-day tariff relief, leading to positive jumps in funding rates. Altcoins displayed a similar pattern, with funding rates alternately positive and negative before rising following the tariff announcement.

During the April 6–7, 2025 sell-off, traders sought downside protection, as BTC's spot price fell to $75K in reaction to President Trump’s tariff announcement. The high volume of put options relative to calls indicates strong demand for this protection. Meanwhile, the US's reciprocal tariffs caused a significant inversion in BTC’s at-the-money volatility term structure, which, although it has eased, remains inverted. Additionally, there‘s a stronger skew toward OTM puts at short tenors as compared to the March 2023 US banking crisis. Put open interest has surged over the past week, reflecting extremely bearish sentiment for both the near and long terms.

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Bybit X Block Scholes crypto derivatives analytics report (Apr 9, 2025): Tariffs bring substantial volatility at a level similar to that of the Q1 2023 US banking crisis

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how you can stake and mint Lombard LBTCv on Bybit Web3 Staking with the Bybit Web3 Seed Phrase Wallet. 

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how you can stake BTC to mint 

Please note that in order to get started, you’ll first need to download the Bybit App on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. 

How to stake and mint LBTCv with Bybit Web3 Staking

: Launch the Bybit App on your mobile device and tap on the 

: Deposit BTC into your preferred Bybit Web3 Seed Phrase Wallet BTC address.

: Once you’ve deposited BTC into your wallet address, tap on the 

drop-down and select the BTC address into which you’ve deposited BTC. 

: Input the exact amount of BTC you’d like to stake, and tap on 

 and sign the message to allow this exact amount of BTC to be staked.

 page. Ensure that the amount of BTC is exactly the same as you wish to stake, and tap on 

: Tap on the icon located at the upper-right corner of the screen to check your transaction history.

: You’ll receive LBTCv in three progressive stages:

: Once you’ve received LBTCv, you can check your points (updated every hour).

If you wish to stake more BTC, simply repeat Steps 7 through 12. However, please

that you won’t be able to stake more BTC as long as you haven’t yet received your LBTCv.

To redeem your LBTC, simply scroll down the 

button. Then, wait three days for the successful redemption of LBTC.

If you wish to cancel your redemption, you can do so within these three days.

Beginner

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How to stake and mint Lombard LBTCv with Bybit Web3 Staking

A Chainlink Spot ETF would bridge TradFi and crypto, offering a simplified way to gain exposure to LINK without the complexities of digital wallets or exchanges.

There's been a recent surge in spot ETF applications as investors look for ways to sidestep the rigid frameworks of traditional finance. The success of 

 — drawing billions in inflows — signals a major shift in the way institutions approach crypto investments. 

 networks, is in line for its own Spot ETF. The proposed fund promises a direct, hassle-free way to invest in Chainlink (LINK), eliminating the need to deal with complex 

 and exchanges. This article explores what a Chainlink Spot ETF is, how it would work, its current market impact and what its potential approval could mean for investors and the broader crypto landscape.

A Chainlink Spot ETF is an exchange-traded fund, backed by Chainlink (LINK) tokens, that would directly track the market price of LINK, a cryptocurrency powering decentralized oracle networks, thus enabling investors to gain exposure without directly holding the asset itself.

 (ETF) would offer investors direct exposure to LINK’s price movements without requiring the investors to handle the digital asset directly. 

Authorized Participants (APs), typically large financial institutions or market makers approved by the ETF issuer, play a central role in maintaining liquidity and aligning the ETF’s market price with its net asset value (NAV). These entities facilitate the creation and redemption of ETF shares by acquiring LINK tokens from exchanges or over-the-counter markets, and transferring them to the ETF’s custodian, a regulated entity responsible for secure storage. 

In exchange, the ETF issuer provides APs with newly created shares, which represent fractional ownership of the underlying assets. The shares are then introduced to secondary markets for investors to trade.

Creation, redemption and listing of shares

When redeeming shares, APs collect ETF shares from the market and return them to the issuer, receiving LINK tokens from the custodian in return. These tokens can be sold on the open market or held, depending upon the AP’s strategy. This creation-redemption process enables an 

 mechanism that stabilizes the ETF’s price, relative to its underlying assets. 

If the ETF is trading at a premium to NAV, APs create and sell shares to capitalize on the price difference, pushing the market price downward. Conversely, if the ETF is trading at a discount, APs redeem shares, reducing supply and driving the price upward. This dynamic ensures that the ETF’s market price remains closely tied to LINK’s actual value. 

Shares are listed on exchanges and traded like traditional stocks, integrating seamlessly into existing portfolios while offering potential tax efficiencies. The structure combines the accessibility of conventional investments with the benefits of cryptocurrency exposure, appealing to those seeking indirect participation in LINK’s market movements through a regulated and familiar framework. For investors, the ETF will simplify exposure to Chainlink by eliminating the need to manage 

 or wallets, or navigate complex crypto exchanges. 

The Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index US ETF, which includes Chainlink (LINK), has gained attention as a significant development in the crypto ETF space. This ETF, 

 in February 2025 and currently provides exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum. 

 with the SEC on Mar 14, 2025 to expand the ETF's scope to include additional cryptocurrencies like LINK, ADA and SOL. This application remains the sole filing for a Spot Link ETF (as of Mar 20, 2025). While the SEC has approved the fund's initial structure, its response to the inclusion of Chainlink and other assets remains pending.

The SEC has historically been cautious about approving spot cryptocurrency ETFs, due to concerns about market manipulation and investor protection. However, the approval of multi-asset ETFs such as NCIQ signals a potential shift in regulatory attitudes. Market sentiment has been cautiously optimistic, with investors viewing these developments as a step toward broader acceptance and integration of cryptocurrencies into traditional financial systems. The timeline for the approval of Chainlink Spot ETFs remains uncertain, but growing institutional interest and regulatory advancements suggest progress in the near future.

Current impact of Chainlink Spot ETF applications on the crypto market

The anticipation surrounding Chainlink Spot ETF applications is clearly influencing market sentiment. Although Chainlink's price hasn’t yet surged dramatically, increased investor interest and speculation about potential ETF approvals have boosted overall optimism. 

Data from LINK and CoinGlass reveals that 

 have fallen to 138.8 million coins, the lowest since September 2024, indicating that investors are holding onto their tokens in self-custody wallets instead of selling. This trend reflects a growing belief that SEC approval for a Spot LINK ETF could substantially boost the token’s price. In addition, Chainlink’s role as one of the largest oracle networks and its innovative cross-chain interoperability protocol for asset tokenization further reinforce this positive outlook.

What will it mean if a Chainlink Spot ETF application is approved?

The approval of a Chainlink Spot ETF would have some significant implications for both the cryptocurrency market and traditional financial sectors, as follows.

If you’re looking to capture the market and trade LINK tokens, Bybit offers the 

A Chainlink Spot ETF would connect cryptocurrency with traditional finance by allowing investors to track LINK’s price without the complications of managing digital wallets. Specifically, it would keep the ETF's price in line with LINK’s market value, increase liquidity and attract institutional investors. Approval of a Chainlink Spot ETF could drive LINK's price higher, similar to trends seen with Bitcoin ETFs, and confirm Chainlink’s importance in the crypto ecosystem, encouraging its use across various industries. 

However, investors need to be cautious of potential short-term price swings and changes in regulations. Overall, this ETF would make crypto investing simpler for a broader audience, strengthening Chainlink’s position and supporting wider acceptance of blockchain technology in the financial world.

Intermediate

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Chainlink Spot ETF: A gateway to decentralized oracle investment

Trading

High-frequency trading is indeed applicable in crypto trading. Understand the concept & learn how it works to gain competitive advantages.

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Many trading strategies appear to be profitable to cryptocurrency traders, but a few promise an edge over the rest. One such example is high-frequency trading, though it’s evident that it may or may not be perfect for everyone.

In this guide, we’ll explain the ins and outs of high-frequency trading. But do note that this approach doesn’t necessarily guarantee success, as it also assumes that you have the skill set to use it. So, if you’re keen on understanding the HFT trading concept and ultimately applying this strategy to crypto trading, here’s precisely what you need to know.

High-frequency trading (HFT) is a type of algorithmic trading that involves high-speed trade execution in fractions of a second. Institutional investors largely employ this method.

As the name suggests, HFT is all about speed. This technique uses various algorithms to analyze the smallest price changes and discrepancies between the same asset prices on multiple exchanges. Typically, HFT platforms and systems can automatically open and close several positions per second, aiming for short-term goals that would otherwise go unnoticed by the naked eye.

Traditionally, this technique applies to foreign exchange (forex), stock, and other markets. However, over time, high-frequency trading has gained traction in the crypto space, mainly because of the 

 that can offer a slew of benefits. Of course, there are also specialized services that provide HFT platforms for institutional investors to help them benefit from the high volatility of cryptocurrencies. However, retail traders should be wary of suspicious online services pretending to provide efficient HFT algorithms in exchange for a price paid in advance. Most of these algorithms don’t work at all.

Previously, high-frequency trading supposedly accounted for up to 73% of all equities trading volume in the US, but in reality, it’s lower than that. In 2017, 

 that HFT was responsible for 10–40% of trading volumes in equities, and 15% in foreign exchange and commodities. However, when it comes to intraday trading, the share of HFT may range between 0% and 100% at any given time. Nasdaq claims that half of the stock trading volume in the U.S. alone is related to high-frequency trading.

Although the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 

 use a clear definition of high-frequency trading, it stresses five key aspects of high-frequency trading:

All in all, HFT is an integral and crucial part of all markets. That includes cryptocurrency, even though most retail traders aren’t aware of its contribution. They’re interested in generating more profits with little effort, and HFT seems ideal for achieving this.

However, HFT strategies’ success depends to a large extent on the algorithms and equipment used. Sadly, the reality is that typically, institutional investors are the ones who are capable of accessing the best algorithms.

As you can guess, there’s a lot of automation involved in the HFT process. But not everyone can use this method. In a nutshell, the computers used to conduct high-frequency trading are programmed to host sophisticated algorithms, which continuously analyze all cryptocurrencies across multiple exchanges by millisecond. 

The algorithms are created by trading experts and are designed to detect trends and other trading triggers that other traders cannot observe, no matter how professional they are. Based on analysis, the programs automatically open a large number of positions at high speed. The main goal is to be the first to benefit from the emerging trends detected by the algorithm.

When a large institution or whale opens a large long or short position on a particular cryptocurrency, the price tends to follow the position’s side after the trade.

Generally, the algorithms used by high-frequency traders are built to scour these price moves and to trade on the opposite side. For instance, a large sale of a cryptocurrency might drag prices down. But the algorithms “

” and exit the positions when the cryptocurrency bounces back to normal.

Note that we’re not discussing sizable price moves but rather short-term anomalies caused by large traders. In addition, algorithms can use different strategies besides going the opposite way.

High-frequency trading (HFT) seeks to take advantage of small price fluctuations to exploit the bid-ask spread. The bid-ask spread is simply the difference between the price at which you buy and the lowest price at which you’re able to sell.

When you buy a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, you’re not paying the market price; rather, you’re hitting the ask price, which is higher than the market price. Conversely, if you sell Bitcoin, you’ll be paid the bid price, which is lower than the current market price.

The bid-ask spread, in this case, is $50.

The HFT algorithms will seek attractive bid-ask spreads that they can exploit.

While each of these HF trades generates small amounts of profits, executing thousands of them can make it a very profitable strategy.

Many other HFT strategies, such as arbitrage or HFT programs, seek discrepancies in prices that aren’t visible to the human eye. 

High frequency can be applied to cryptocurrency trading, but not everyone can execute it. The scope and capability of HFT in crypto trading are similar to that seen in traditional markets. However, the crypto space is more volatile, full of opportunities and risks.

One of the basic HFT practices used in the crypto space is 

. Colocation is used when a trading server is placed as close to an exchange’s data center as possible. Ideally, the server is found in the same facility as the exchange, ensuring minimum latency in data transmission. While the slight delays in data transmission for retail traders are not so significant, every millisecond can make a difference for institutional traders.

Besides colocation, HFT algorithms are commonly used for arbitrage and short-term trading in cryptocurrency markets.

How to Apply High-Frequency Trading in Crypto Markets

There are several systems and strategies that rely on high-frequency trading. They help traders become the first ones to benefit from emerging market trends. Regular traders are commonly excluded from such privilege, as they don’t employ sophisticated trading algorithms.

Here are the main types of high-frequency trading opportunities.

 is the practice of speculating on the price difference of the same cryptocurrency across multiple exchanges. For example, one Bitcoin may simultaneously cost $30,100 on one exchange and $30,050 on another. 

Traders who detect and exploit these differences are called arbitrageurs (AHR-bi-trah-zhur). In fact, even though their main goal is to profit from market inefficiencies, they help to equilibrate markets by balancing the prices. Obviously, by using efficient HFT algorithms, traders become the first to take advantage of these price differences. 

Besides detecting arbitrage opportunities, HFT platforms can open multiple positions and conduct trades hundreds of times faster than any human trader can.

Market making is another approach used by institutional traders who speculate on the spread. Market makers with large capital are placing both bids and asks into the same market. That allows such traders to benefit from the spread and also helps the market ensure liquidity.

In regular trading, market-making is offered by large companies and is regarded as a positive practice. Cryptocurrency exchanges can collaborate with one or more market makers who bring liquidity and maintain the market in a good state. Additionally, there are HFT market makers who don’t have any contracts with the exchange platforms. Their goal is to leverage their algorithms and benefit from the spread.

As their name suggests, market makers make a profit by providing liquidity to the market. In other words, they are the counterparty to your trade.

For example, they might offer Bitcoin to sell at $35,100 (bid price) to anyone who wants to sell their Bitcoin holdings and, at the same time, charge $35,120 (ask price) as the selling price. That $20 difference between the bid and ask prices is how market makers earn money for providing a service — aka, liquidity.

High-frequency trading is not meant for swing traders and buy-and-hold (HODL) investors. Instead, it’s used by traders who want to speculate on short-term price movements. You could think about it as

 on steroids. However, HFT employs powerful computers and algorithms that can secure profits within seconds or even milliseconds. High-frequency traders move so fast that the price may not even manage to respond on time.

To put everything in context: when a whale dumps a cryptocurrency, its price will likely decline for a very short period before the market adjusts to meet the balance between offer and demand. While most manual traders cannot exploit this dip since it may last only minutes (or even seconds), it represents an excellent opportunity for high-frequency traders. They have plenty of time to let their algorithms do the trick.

High-frequency trading enables traders to benefit in ways that would either be impossible or too risky for a manual trader. By relying on automation, a high-frequency trader can carry out enough transactions whose aggregate volume allows them to profit from the smallest fluctuations.

You can use high-frequency trading once you’ve made sure that the promoted trading algorithm is 100% efficient — and isn’t a scam. Note that even a reliable algorithm is only as dependable as the person who created it. So it makes sense to conduct due diligence before engaging in high-frequency trading.

Once you find the algorithm that best suits your needs, you can engage in HFT when you feel ready.

 or other trading strategy, HFT comes with advantages and limitations. Ultimately, what suits you might not be what fits others. Here’s an overview of the pluses of crypto trading with high-frequency techniques.

Despite all the benefits and opportunities, HFT is still a controversial activity. Many jurisdictions even ponder banning it because of potential market manipulation.

HFT has become technically available for everyone, as there are advanced algorithms that everyone can access for a price. However, beginners need to be extra cautious when executing it.

HFT is more suitable for institutional investors who understand the market and know how to deal with unexpected outcomes.

The best recommendation would be to stick with manual trading to gain experience and understand the market. Perhaps traders should start with crypto day trading, slowly refine their strategies, and eventually work their way up to HFT.

Whether or not HFT is causing ghost liquidity, or benefiting institutional investors substantially, ultimately, it’s all about the goal and how it’s applied. Instead of focusing on the potential negative impact on the overall market, traders may regard HFT as a potential opportunity.

What Is High-Frequency Trading (HFT) In the Crypto Market?

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