🚨 Perps have their place in crypto, but they come with significant shortcomings. At CVEX, we believe there's a better way. We're launching a permissionless futures and options protocol. Here's why futures are superior to perps. 🧵
#Crypto
#DeFi
#CVEX
@cvex_xyz
@JTlikesNFTs
@RishiSunak
@JohnGlenUK
I wanted to test a DEX last week. Needed to move 10k into crypto. Chose Natwest->Coinbase. (Trusted not cheap), nope NWB blocked, spoke to them, still blocked. Crazy.
@TheHoustonWade
@djwhatshername2
Or it means there is market demand for premium at insane levels that they can still get tractions at. Even unfilled orders locks up balance sheet whilst the offer is out. If they didn’t think it would get filled they wouldn’t offer.
Thread: The Airdrop Marketing Conundrum for Web 3.0 Companies 🧵
1/ Marketing in Web 3.0 is complex, especially when considering airdrops. Let's explore why airdrops are attractive and the hurdles and complexities projects face.
Why Market Making is Broken in Crypto
After speaking with major market makers over the last month, here are some thoughts on the state of market making in crypto. It's crucial for liquidity and price discovery, but often broken.
A 🧵 ⤵️
Understanding Scale: Crypto vs DeFi vs TradFi
As I continue my 7-year journey in crypto, one aspect that continues to surprise me is the understanding of scale. We have grown a lot, but it’s still early. Let’s look at the size of some other significant markets to better
Thread: The Importance of Liquidity in DeFi Markets 🌐
1/ Liquidity is the lifeblood of DeFi markets, ensuring trades can be executed quickly and at fair prices. But why is liquidity so crucial, and how can it benefit both traders and liquidity providers? Let's dive in. 🧵
Is the Mt. Gox return a BTC token unlock event. We need a chart of all the pending seized and held assets and expected return dates to help price the market.
1/12 🧵 Why do some token prices collapse after the TGE (Token Generation Event)? Let's explore how small floats and frequent unlocks influence this phenomenon and what it means for the market.
This is a good skeptical analysis. My X and TikTok are full of people proclaiming this was the cause, it’s well unpacked here. One issue I have across crypto (and the world) is that people jump to conclusion based on misplaced experience or common sense. Be more skeptical.
This strange tweet got >25k retweets. The author sounds confident, and he uses lots of hex and jargon. There are red flags though... like what's up with the DEI stuff, and who says "stack trace dump"? Let's take a closer look... 🧵1/n
1/ First day impressions of Consensus 2024: Notably more TradFi presence this year. Patagonia gilets are outnumbering branded hoodies, signaling a shift in attire. The atmosphere is buzzing with energy! 🧥👕
#Consensus2024
17/ Conclusion: Market making should be inherently profitable.
Exchanges need to set appropriate tick sizes and transaction fees to support market makers and ensure a sustainable, self-perpetuating market.
@TXRandy14
@SpeakerPelosi
A perfect example of echo chamber thinking. This chap’s logic is an example of everything we find illogical about the US from the outside. Plain crazy.
Quoted on MARA’s bitcoin investment strategy.
This feels like a familiar strategy from commodities trading where groups like glencore expanded trading on top of mining where their data is exceptional. Feels a strong move.
Lennon Wired Exhibition @ strawberry fields. By
@paintpop
all the art contains sections of the microphone cables used to record Imagine.
#NFT
available
@spaceseven_nft
5/ The importance of face-to-face meetings can’t be overstated. Building relationships in person at events like Consensus is invaluable and significantly more effective than remote interactions. 🚀
#Consensus2024
Reading the Solana threads someone invokes TVL. 🤦♂️It is the wrong metric for DeFi. It’s like measuring a bank’s success by the number of loans issued, not the margin or the failure rate. Quantity does not promote efficiency. We need better metrics.
After all of these years, I still strongly believe that DeFi is the main value prop of blockchain technology.
Everything else is a bonus that simply plugs into DeFi to either enhance it or benefit from it.
Jobs not done until all of global finance settles on crypto-rails.
### Summary of Day 2 at Consensus 🌐
1/ Day 2 at Consensus was all about Arbitrum for me. Started with the Arbitrum brunch, meeting various projects building on Arbitrum. Exciting discussions, especially hearing from
@OpenZeppelin
about their promising Stylus tools.
🧵 What’s Wrong with Traditional Finance? 👇
1/ Traditional finance sees a significant portion of our wealth siphoned off by service providers and middlemen. e.g. Investment management fees can consume up to 40% of total returns over 25 years (CFA Institute).
As we all try to track the crypto markets there is one question that comes up again and again.
Why do dog themed Memecoins out perform cat themed Memecoins?
Love to hear thoughts. Trying to understand memetics further.
10/ In many jurisdictions, airdropped tokens are taxable. The IRS taxes them at market value upon receipt. In the UK, HMRC may subject them to Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax.
9/ Financial promotion rules are a major barrier. In various forms, these rules apply in the EU, UK and US. Also, FINMA enforces strict AML/KYC in Switzerland.
4/ Increasing Adoption: By giving users free tokens, companies incentivize them to explore the platform, leading to higher retention and a more robust community.
1/ What Makes a Good DeFi Project Today? Let’s Demystify the Space. The DeFi space is crowded with projects, but are they truly addressing the market’s needs? There are too many app layers, and not enough transformative apps. Let’s break down the landscape. 🧵
@CryptoVikings07
Markets under performed after fed comments. People adjusting plans holding more cash. It’s not just BTC lots of other assets were impacted. If we want it to be cash like we have to accept when it acts like it’s cash.
@CriptoYellow
@cvex_xyz
That’s what they want people to think. Most CEX can’t launch futures in many countries and perps weren’t explicitly banned so they went there. Suits the narrative to promote them. Futures win in every asset class for good reason. Permissionless derivatives is the solution.
6/ Traditional regulated exchanges lack the infrastructure to meet the needs of Web 3 projects and VCs. Prime brokers in mature markets don’t accept on-chain collateral, creating a gap that permissionless options markets can fill. 🏦
Understanding the German Government (Federal Criminal Police Office's) Bitcoin Sell-Off and Its Implications
The recent sell-off of Bitcoin by the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has sparked significant debate within the crypto community. Many argue that Germany
7/ Success Stories: Projects like OmiseGO and Stellar used airdrops to build strong communities and boost initial adoption, showing potential benefits.
14/ Companies must avoid direct promotion of airdrops. They can't advertise the intent, timing, or size, creating a farcical situation where everyone knows but it can't be explicitly mentioned.
3/ Boosting Awareness: Airdrops generate substantial interest. Free tokens attract media and potential users, fostering recognition and curiosity about the project's goals.
22/ Navigating the airdrop landscape is tricky but essential. By learning from successful projects and staying compliant, Web 3.0 companies can leverage airdrops effectively.
@CriptoYellow
@cvex_xyz
There aren’t funding rates. We are launching futures rather than perps. Futures you “roll” once per month, essentially you pay the bid/offer spread x2 once per month. That’s tiny compared to funding costs. We make this easy. Futures and perps both react the same to spot price.
#r4today
program on
@BBCRadio4
absolutely roasting
@GBNEWS
. Their CEO totally out of his depth, badly briefed and probably setting himself up to be knocked over next. Very amusing.
10/ High transaction fees on some lower volatility tokens mean that even tokens with huge market caps can't be day traded. The long holding periods needed to profit after transaction fees put capital at risk for too long.
Our CMO has just explained to me how to create a thread, and appropriate use of hashtags, or moreover the lack of using them. Good knowledge, will be better next time. Want to explain how much better crypto can be but need to do that well. Still learning.
8/ Now the Complications: While airdrops offer benefits, they come with challenges. Financial promotion rules, regulatory compliance, and targeting the right audience must be navigated carefully.
Summary of Day 3 at Consensus 2024
1/ Day 3 had a strong partnership feel. Started with insightful discussions on crypto markets and regulation with major X space hosts. The focus on macroeconomics and its impact on our industry was particularly enlightening. 🌍
#Consensus2024
8/ Permissionless Market Challenges: In permissionless markets, minimum transaction quantity is important because gas fees aren't free. Small transactions can cost market makers a lot to hedge, especially in low-volume markets.
18/ Future Topics: Notional size and its importance will be discussed in a future thread.
Stay tuned for more insights on building better, more sustainable crypto markets.
15/ This complicates marketing strategies. Companies engage users through quests and tasks, hinting at potential rewards without explicitly mentioning airdrops.
21/ Conclusion: Airdrops are valuable for Web 3.0 companies but must be approached cautiously and strategically to maximize benefits and minimize risks.
Listening to the CFO from
@MarathonDH
at the
@SALTConference
, I don’t own their stock so not shilling, but continue to be impressed by their clarity and professionalism. Feel validated on comments I made to a journalist a little over a week ago.
4/ Sustainability Issues: If market makers' profitability relies only on incentives, the market can't become self-sustaining. Many crypto markets today aren't self-sustaining, leading to long-term viability issues.
@IOHK_Charles
We are not building on Cardano but I have to tweet some support here. Met real builders in Austin building for TradFi that needed semi-privacy of positions to replicate existing market. Cardano was a good solution for that problem and it’s a big project.
#SupportEachOther
.
16/ Market makers need substantial investment in technology to mitigate losses. This is especially true in options and for advanced algorithms. High costs can create oligopolistic structures where few firms dominate market making.
12/ Criticizing the Maker-Taker Model: The maker-taker model, mostly abandoned by traditional finance, is still prevalent in crypto. This model discourages true liquidity provision and can be detrimental to market health.
7/ Profitability from Tick Sizes: Proper tick sizes allow market makers to take profits from minimum spreads or a few ticks. This ensures market makers can support liquidity and remain profitable.
@_Checkmatey_
Very good. It’s important to understand. We are building on chain portfolio VaR futures. With Lower basis that perp cost of carry will typically be lower and therefore cheaper for hedging. Plus initial margin offset increases number of trading strategies.
$GME 8-K. Tell me that your stock ownership is 100% retail without telling me your stock ownership is 100% retail. There is no long Wall Street, Hedge fund or prop money here. Retail money squeezing retail money.
6/ More liquidity for the same collateral creates better markets. It’s a virtuous circle: efficient trading leads to increased activity, enhancing market depth and stability. 🌐
5/ Perverse Listing Incentives: Spot markets often have perverse listing incentives, like minimum volume requirements, leading to wash trades. This issue was highlighted in a recent WSJ article.
2/ I was on the
@Arbitrum
panel for
@arbitrumstylus
. Thanks to our CTO, Ivan I, for his invaluable briefing. Shared our excitement and focus on core Rust support. Pitched CVEX, leading to many interesting 1-1 chats. The Arbitrum community is very supportive and enthusiastic. 📚🔧
2/ Understanding Web 3 -- Why Airdrops? Airdrops are a strategic marketing tool that can significantly enhance visibility and adoption of new crypto projects by distributing free tokens.
2/ For liquidity providers, the ability to make a profit is key. By offering well-tuned bid/offer spreads and minimum price ticks, we enable traders to profit from trading between the bid and offer, encouraging more liquidity provision. 📈
@DavidGauke
Wow, that’s some support you aren’t getting from your constituents tonight. Do the right thing back a second referendum. It can be no deal vs remain if you want.
#SWHerts
@peoplesvotehert
12/ It's crucial to reach potential users, not just hunters. Effective targeting ensures tokens go to individuals likely to engage with the project, enhancing utility.
11/ This fee structure pushes more trading in crypto toward higher volatility products. It also prevents active trading and price support for even blue-chip tokens, skewing market dynamics and social discussions.
5/ We are delivering options markets in a permissionless manner with an on-chain default fund. No reliance on unknown default fund sizes or obscure insolvency laws. Transparency and on-chain verification ensure that risks are visible and managed in a fair and open environment. 🌍
3/ Had a fascinating chat with the Cardano team about enabling TradFi flows and RWA integration. VCs are showing a lot of enthusiasm for CVEX, especially for reducing treasury risk in their projects. More updates to come! 🚀
#Consensus2024
@cvex_xyz
4/ At CVEX, we optimize bid/offer spread minimum price ticks. This setup ensures that trades are meaningful and profitable, benefiting both retail and professional traders. 💼
9/ High Transaction Fees: Typical exchange fees in crypto are 8-10x higher than in traditional finance. For the tokenization market to compete, fees need to be lower, making spreads look smaller and more attractive for market makers.
2/ Many CEX and DEX aren't designed to be profitable for market makers. They lack necessary tuning in contract specs like tick sizes, minimum trade sizes, and transaction fees, which are critical for supporting sustainable market-making activities.
@CriptoYellow
@cvex_xyz
Perps are insane. They are all different, lots of squeezes, exchanges hide the details from users. They only became popular because exchanges got regulated as payment companies and found that banned them from launching futures in those countries.
Understanding the Dunning-Kruger Effect in Trading
I see many misconceptions on my Twitter feed, especially about options trading, market infrastructure, and motivations of different actors. Recent GameStop discussions are filled with incorrect assumptions. This reminds me of
5/ We offer lower transaction fees, similar to traditional finance. This allows traders to "scalp" small price movements profitably, bringing more liquidity to the market. Shorter risk windows mean traders don't need to hold positions as long. 💡
3/ Many crypto derivatives platforms have poorly tuned product specs. They allow excessive price increments and tiny trade sizes, which often don't add value due to high gas fees. This inefficiency can deter traders. 🪙
3/ Designing a market that's friendly to market makers needs to happen before launch. Incentive models are important as market makers commit their balance sheet, but relying solely on incentives isn't sustainable.
6/ Tick Sizes and Transaction Fees: To make market-making work, we must look at tick sizes and transaction fees together. Tick size is crucial; supporting every possible price increment makes it hard for market makers to profit from trades.
7/ A well-functioning market with ample liquidity reduces volatility, improves price discovery, and ensures trades can be executed with minimal slippage. This is essential for a healthy DeFi ecosystem. 🌍
Lennon Wired Exhibition @ strawberry fields. By
@paintpop
all the art contains sections of the microphone cables used to record Imagine.
#NFT
available
@spaceseven_nft
@cvex_xyz
✅ Futures contracts, on the other hand, allow for better portfolio risk management. They enable initial margin offsetting, not just P&L application to other positions. This opens up a wider range of trading strategies, making trading more cost-effective.
#Futures