The $6 billion expiration countdown: Traders pile into $82,000 bitcoin calls ahead of May 29 expiry

Bitcoin options worth roughly $6.25 billion are set to expire on Deribit on May 29, with positioning data pointing to $75,000 and $80,000 as the key levels to watch. The $75,000 strike carries the heaviest put concentration at $394 million in notional value, while $80,000 dominates on the call side with $532 million

The max-pain price, the level at which the largest number of contracts expire worthless sits at $75,000, just under 3% below where bitcoin currently trades at $77,250. With 43,184 call contracts versus 37,351 puts, the put/call ratio of 0.86 reflects a modestly bullish market, though bitcoin's position above max pain means downward gravitational pull remains a real consideration.

However, the $82,000 strike is where the most attention is currently focused as of writing. Volume data shows the BTC 29MAY26 $82,000 call was the single most actively traded instrument on Thursday, with approximately 1,600 contracts ($126 million) changing hands, suggesting traders are positioning for a breakout higher rather than a retreat.

The total open interest across the expiry stands at 80,535 contracts, split between 43,184 calls and 37,351 puts.

Meanwhile, Deribit's overall open interest has now reached $31.3 billion, overtaking BlackRock's IBIT at $27 billion, according to checkonchain.