New Insights from the Bitcoin Futures Market ()
ABSTRACT
Recently, cryptocurrencies have drawn considerable
attention from investors around the world. Such digital assets have also raised
numerous hot issues in academic fields. Among them, Bitcoin is the most
well-known and most notorious. After it was created in 2009, Bitcoin kept
rising in price and reached its peak in late 2017. After that, it plunged
dramatically. Coincidentally, Bitcoin futures also launched in December 2017.
We are curious about the role Bitcoin futures play in the Bitcoin market. In
this study, we investigate the relationship between Bitcoin and Bitcoin
futures. First, we compare the optimal hedge ratios using three different hedge
strategies, the na?ve hedge, the ordinary least squares (OLS) method, and
dynamic hedging with the bivariate BEKK-GJR-GARCH model. Dynamic hedging is the
most effective of the three methods; the level of risk reduction is around 59%.
Then we test whether the volatility of Bitcoin would be significantly different
before and after Bitcoin futures (BTC) launched. Our results support the
hypothesis.
Share and Cite:
Chen, Y. and So, L. (2020) New Insights from the Bitcoin Futures Market.
Modern Economy,
11, 1463-1475. doi:
10.4236/me.2020.118104.