News-driventraderscansettargetedstrategieswithCME\'sBitcoinFridayfutures(BFF)contracts. Theweeklyexpirylimitsbasisandcapsrollovercosts,facilitatingimprovedprofitability. ChicagoMercantileExchange\'s(CME)bitcoin(BTC)futuresthatexpireonFridayareideallysuitedfornewstraderslookingtobetonkeyU.S.economicdatareleases,CFBenchmarks\'CEOSuiChungsaid,explainingtheperformanceoftherecentlylaunchedcontracts. TheCMEdebutedcash-settledFridayfutures,sizedatone-50thofoneBTCwithlowermarginrequirements,onSept.30tomakethefuturesproductaccessibletoretailinvestors.Theso-calledBFFcontractsettleseveryFridayat16:00NewYorkTimeandtracksCfBenchmark\'sBitcoinReferenceRate-NewYork(BRRNY)variant.AnewcontractislistedThursdayat18:00NewYorktime,allowingmarketparticipantstotradethenearesttwoFridaysatanypointintime. Theglobalderivativesgiantregisteredafirst-daytradingvolumeofover31,000contractsacrosstwodifferentcontractweeks,becomingtheexchange\'smostsuccessfulcryptofutureslaunchever. \"Unlikemonthlycontracts,whichareinfluencedbyawiderangeofeventsoverfourweeks,theweeklycontractsallowinvestorstobetterexpressviewsonBitcoin\'sreactiontospecificevents,suchasU.S.macrodatareleases,\"ChungtoldCoinDeskinaninterview. Bitcoinhasemergedasamacroassetsincethecoronavirus-inducedcrashof2020,withshort-termtraders/speculatorsmakingbetsbyfollowingnotablenewsannouncementsanddatareleaseslikethemonthlyU.S.inflationfiguresandthenonfarmpayrollsdata. TheFridayfuturesprovideseveralbenefitstonewstraders,includinglowbasisorpricedifferentialrelativetospotprices,lowerrollovercostsandmoretargetedtradingstrategies. Theshorterdurationlimitsthegapbetweenfuturesandspotprices,ensuringalowerpremiumthanmonthlystandardandmicrofuturescontracts.Thelowerpremiummeansthecontangobleed,orthecostincurredfrommovingpositionsfromtheimpendingexpirytothefollowingFridayexpiry,isrelativelylessthanextendeddurationcontracts,leadingtoimprovedprofitability. \"Thereducedtimehorizonoftheweeklycontractsgenerallyresultsinalowbasiscomparedtotheirmonthlycounterparts,simplifyinganalysisforretailtraders,\"Chungsaid. ChungaddedthatthealignmentbetweentheFridayfuturesexpiryandthedailyNAVcalculationofU.S.-listedspotETFs,mostofwhichrefertotheBRRNY,enhancesmarketliquidity.Themoreliquidity,theeasieritistoexecutelargeordersatstableprices,andthemoreefficientthepricediscoverymechanism. Notethatonoffshoreunregulatedexchanges,retailtraderspreferperpetualfutures,whichusethefundingratemechanismtokeeppricesalignedwiththespotmarket.Thefundingfeeiscollectedfromtraderseveryeighthours.Theseratesarevolatile,addinganelementofuncertaintyandunpredictability. coindesk.com