Bitcoin Perpetual Futures Approval Triggers Exchange Stock Plunge
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 5 hours ago
0mins
Source: CNBC
- Market Reaction: CME Group's stock fell over 3% on Tuesday, with a total decline of around 9% over two days, poised for its largest weekly drop since 2020, indicating significant market anxiety regarding new trading products.
- Cboe Market Impact: Cboe Global Markets plunged 8% in Tuesday trading, bringing its weekly losses to over 16%, also on track for its largest weekly decline since 2020, reflecting investor panic over perpetual futures.
- Regulatory Approval Consequences: The CFTC's recent approval of bitcoin perpetual futures has raised concerns that this new product could pose a competitive threat to traditional exchanges, particularly affecting CME and CBOE's S&P products.
- Strong Market Demand: Kalshi's CEO noted that despite regulatory barriers preventing U.S. investor participation, perpetual futures see over $90 trillion in annual volume, highlighting a robust demand for these products in the U.S. market.
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Analyst Views on ICE
Wall Street analysts forecast ICE stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
9 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 144.960
Low
174.00
Averages
191.60
High
223.00
Current: 144.960
Low
174.00
Averages
191.60
High
223.00
About ICE
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. provides financial technology and data services across major asset classes, helping its customers access workflow tools that increase transparency and efficiency. Its Exchanges segment operates regulated marketplace technology for the listing, trading and clearing of an array of derivatives contracts and financial securities as well as data and connectivity services related to its exchanges and clearing houses. Its Fixed Income and Data Services segment provides fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global credit default swaps (CDS), clearing and multi-asset class data delivery technology. Its Mortgage Technology segment provides a technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address inefficiencies and mitigate risks that exist in the United States residential mortgage market life cycle, from application through closing, servicing and the secondary market.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.

- Market Concerns Intensify: The selloff in shares of U.S. exchange operators continued as Cboe Global Markets fell 9%, while CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange each dropped about 4%, reflecting investor fears over the risks of extending derivatives to the equities market.
- Regulatory Impact: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's approval of perpetual crypto futures last Friday marks the first time such instruments will be available to U.S. investors through regulated exchanges, potentially sparking competition across other asset classes.
- Increased Competitive Pressure: Analysts noted that the approval of perpetual futures could heighten competition in the retail space, putting pressure on exchange valuation multiples, although they expect limited impact on traditional futures products, which are primarily designed for institutional investors.
- Retail vs. Institutional Demand: While perpetual futures have gained traction with retail investors due to high leverage and short holding periods, institutional demand remains limited, as analysts believe these contracts are not suitable for hedging and unlikely to displace existing liquidity at CME Group and ICE.
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- Increased Market Competition: The recent launch of perpetual futures by Coinbase and Kalshi has led to declines in the stock prices of Cboe Global Markets, CME Group, and Intercontinental Exchange, with CBOE down 6.90% to $280.23, CME down 3.22% to $249.47, and ICE down 3.18% to $140.35, indicating market concerns over new competitors.
- Potential of Perpetual Futures Market: Coinbase stated that the global crypto derivatives market has a trading volume of approximately trillions of dollars, with crypto perpetual futures and options accounting for 80% of that volume, highlighting the immense potential and appeal of this market, especially for U.S. customers.
- Kalshi's Product Expansion: Kalshi announced the launch of perpetual futures contracts, allowing U.S. investors to trade Bitcoin perpetual futures on its platform, with CEO Tarek Mansour emphasizing that this product represents the company's most significant expansion since the introduction of event contracts, further solidifying its position as a full-service financial exchange.
- Flexibility in Trading Mechanism: Kalshi's perpetual futures allow investors to choose leverage ratios, enabling them to respond flexibly to Bitcoin price fluctuations, with Mansour noting that investors can opt for 1:1 or 5:1 leverage, enhancing market participation flexibility and attractiveness.
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- Market Reaction: CME Group's stock fell over 3% on Tuesday, with a total decline of around 9% over two days, poised for its largest weekly drop since 2020, indicating significant market anxiety regarding new trading products.
- Cboe Market Impact: Cboe Global Markets plunged 8% in Tuesday trading, bringing its weekly losses to over 16%, also on track for its largest weekly decline since 2020, reflecting investor panic over perpetual futures.
- Regulatory Approval Consequences: The CFTC's recent approval of bitcoin perpetual futures has raised concerns that this new product could pose a competitive threat to traditional exchanges, particularly affecting CME and CBOE's S&P products.
- Strong Market Demand: Kalshi's CEO noted that despite regulatory barriers preventing U.S. investor participation, perpetual futures see over $90 trillion in annual volume, highlighting a robust demand for these products in the U.S. market.
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- Market Dynamics Attention: Investors are focusing on new developments in Iran while awaiting the May jobs report due later this week, which could influence market sentiment and trading strategies.
- Listing Celebration: FedEx Freight (NYSE: FDXF) celebrates its listing on the NYSE, marking a significant milestone for the company in the capital markets, which is expected to enhance its market visibility and investor confidence.
- Technology Innovation Launch: Nvidia has unveiled Vera, a CPU designed for agents, with NYSE President Lynn Martin stating that the Exchange will scale its capacity while optimizing latency, which will enhance trading efficiency and attract more high-frequency traders.
- Liquidity Summit Sponsorship: The NYSE is sponsoring the All-In Liquidity Summit, featuring an interview with Pershing Square CEO Bill Ackman in its media hub, showcasing the Exchange's commitment to liquidity and market participants.
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- Trust Bank Approval: Nomura's digital asset subsidiary, Laser Digital, has secured conditional approval for a national trust bank charter, enabling it to hold and manage tokenized, digital, and conventional assets under federal supervision, which is expected to enhance its market position in the digital asset space.
- Capital Requirements: Full approval is contingent upon meeting specific conditions, including minimum capital requirements, ensuring Laser Digital's financial stability in operations and bolstering client trust in its services.
- Market Demand: Laser Digital aims to assist clients in moving funds across traditional currencies, stablecoins, and other digital assets, handling cross-border payments, and managing collateral across crypto and traditional markets, addressing the growing institutional demand, particularly in crypto trading and asset management.
- Industry Trends: As digital assets gain mainstream prominence, more firms are seeking national trust bank charters, with at least 15 applications submitted by digital asset-related firms to the OCC since the start of 2025, reflecting increased confidence in regulatory frameworks within the industry.
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- Futures Market Design: China is designing a futures market for AI tokens, with the Shanghai Futures Exchange in preliminary stages aimed at providing new financial instruments for pricing AI services, thereby enhancing domestic companies' ability to hedge against computing costs.
- Competitive Market Context: This initiative contrasts with the U.S. CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange's launch of GPU compute futures, highlighting China's strategic intent in the AI sector, which could influence global AI supply chain dynamics.
- Surge in Token Usage: Since the beginning of 2024, China's daily token usage has skyrocketed to over 140 trillion, reflecting a 1,000-fold increase, indicating strong market demand for computing power and driving the development of futures products.
- Potential for New Asset Class: BlackRock's CEO noted that the surging demand for tokens could spawn an entirely new asset class, further enhancing China's financial position in the competitive landscape of AI and semiconductor technology.
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