Open interest in Ethereum has reached an all-time high on Kraken, suggesting coming volatility in either direction.

Ethereum (ETH) could soon experience heightened price swings, according to new data from Kraken. Alexia Theodorou, Head of Derivatives at Kraken, said in a June 10 obtained by crypto.news that open interest on Ethereum contracts hit an all-time high, a sign that speculative activity is ramping up.

“Open interest in ETH perpetuals on Kraken reached an all-time high of 30,000 ETH earlier this week, signaling a notable uptick in speculative activity around the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap,” Alexia Theodorou, Kraken.

The likely catalyst for the rise in derivatives activity is growing institutional inflows into spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds, Theodorou explained. However, it remains unclear which direction these flows may drive Ethereum in the near term. Rather than indicating conviction, the current positioning appears to reflect anticipation of volatility.

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“While funding rates remain mildly bullish, the market has yet to form a clear directional consensus, with the long/short ratio still well below its January peak,” Alexia Theodorou, Kraken.

Still, pro-innovation developments in the U.S. regulatory landscape could act as a potential tailwind for Ethereum in the months ahead, she added.

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