CME Bitcoin trading volume surpasses Bybit, but is it impacting BTC price? By Cointelegraph

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) introduced its futures contract in December 2017. This was around the same time that Bitcoin (BTC) had reached an all-time high of $19,800, but by late 2018, the price had dropped to $3,100. Investors in cryptocurrencies quickly learned that CME derivative contracts allowed them to make bullish bets with leverage but also enabled them to bet against the price, a practice known as shorting.

Historically, the Securities and Exchange Commission has rejected Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) proposals due to concerns about manipulation on unregulated exchanges. The growing significance of CME’s Bitcoin futures market might address this issue, and recently, Hashdex has even requested a Bitcoin ETF that relies on Bitcoin’s physical trades within the CME market.