Bitcoin Funding Rates Plummet to 2023 Lows, Historically a Precursor to Market Rebound

The funding rates for Bitcoin have dropped to their lowest levels since 2023, a phenomenon that has historically been associated with market bottoms, as the price of BTC continues to climb above $75,000. According to data from Glassnode, the seven-day moving average of funding rates has decreased to approximately -0.005%. Funding rates represent the periodic payments made between long and short traders in perpetual futures contracts, designed to maintain price alignment with the underlying spot market. A positive funding rate indicates that long traders are paying short traders, reflecting a bullish market sentiment. Conversely, a negative funding rate signifies that short traders are paying long traders, indicating a market bias towards downside bets. Despite the prolonged period of negative funding rates throughout March and April, the price of bitcoin has continued to rise, increasing from the low to mid $60,000s to approximately $75,000. Historically, extremely negative funding rates have often been associated with local price bottoms in the bitcoin market. This dynamic typically reflects crowded short positioning, which can create the conditions for a price surge as bearish bets are unwound. This pattern has been observed across multiple market cycles. In March 2020, during the COVID-19-induced market crash, the price of bitcoin dropped to around $3,000 as funding rates turned sharply negative. A similar scenario emerged in mid-2021, amid China's mining ban, when prices fell to $30,000. Funding rates were also at their most extreme during the FTX collapse in November 2022, when bitcoin bottomed near $15,000. The trend continued into 2023, when funding rates flipped negative during the Silicon Valley Bank crisis, coinciding with bitcoin briefly dipping below $20,000 before recovering. More recently, episodes such as the yen carry trade unwind in August 2024 and the April 2025 'Liberation Day' selloff also saw negative funding rates align with local lows. The persistence of negative funding rates suggests that bearish positioning remains elevated, even as the price trend continues to rise. This divergence may indicate that the market is experiencing a 'wall of worry,' with short positioning potentially acting as fuel for further upside.