Ethereum traders are paying more to protect against a potential sell-off as implied volatility climbs and demand for downside hedges grows, even as Bitcoin holds relatively firm amid ongoing market turmoil.
Ether’s seven-day put options traded at an implied-volatility premium of as much as eight percentage points over calls during the weekend, according to data from Block Scholes. ETH’s seven-day implied volatility has also risen by nearly 10 percentage points, while Bitcoin’s increased from just below 30% to 33% since last Friday.
The widening put-call skew comes as Ether has fallen about 8% over the past 30 days, while Bitcoin has gained 1.5%. Thahbib Rahman, research analyst at Block Scholes, said the short-dated put-call skew has widened for both crypto assets since the start of October, indicating increased demand for protection against potential losses.
The divergence comes as weakening sentiment around artificial intelligence investments weighs on risk appetite across US equities and crypto.
Chipmakers have fallen nearly 20% over the past two weeks, while the Nasdaq-100 recorded its worst week since the April 2025 tariff turmoil. The VIX, which measures expected volatility in the S&P 500 over the next 30 days, has climbed to its highest level since the Federal Reserve’s July FOMC meeting.
Bitcoin has held within the $80,000 to $84,000 range despite the broader risk-off environment. Its implied volatility is now less than twice the VIX, compared with a historical average of almost three times since 2021, suggesting expected volatility in equities has risen more sharply relative to Bitcoin.
“This indicates palpable investor nervousness. We will see if these nerves turn to investor panic in the coming days and weeks. Given the current geopolitical and macro backdrop, the chances of panic setting in amongst stock markets appears to be high,” Rahman noted.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.