US President Donald Trump has announced a ‘major trade deal’, sparking speculation about a potential US-UK trade agreement. Yesterday, Trump shared a post about a potential trade deal with a “big, and highly respected, country,” which the New York Times identified as the United Kingdom. The announcement has sparked speculations of a crypto market rally, with top currencies exhibiting significant price upticks.
Following Trump’s cryptic message on Truth Social post, the crypto market saw a notable surge, with the total market cap reaching $3.07 trillion, up 2.72%. Top cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and XRP have experienced surprising hikes of 2.66%, 5.3%, and 2.5%, respectively, over the past 24 hours.
On May 7, President Trump shared a Truth Social post that read, “Big News Conference tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M., The Oval Office, concerning a MAJOR TRADE DEAL WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF A BIG, AND HIGHLY RESPECTED, COUNTRY. THE FIRST OF MANY!!!” Though he hasn’t revealed the partnering country, the New York Times confirmed it as the United Kingdom, fueling speculations of a potential US-UK trade deal.
These speculations, indeed, have triggered a bullish rally in the crypto market with leading players trading in green. Bitcoin, which traded around $97,759 before the announcement, quickly shot through the roof, nearing the critical $100k barrier. While the ETH price reached closer to $2k, XRP hit a psychological level of $2.2.
Trade Agreement Details
According to the New York Times post, three people familiar with the matter revealed that the US is entering into a trade deal with the UK. Though the details remain undisclosed, as per Trump’s post, it will be announced today (May 8).
Timothy C. Brightbill, an international trade attorney at Wiley Rein, commented that the announcement is likely to be “just an agreement to start the negotiations, identifying a framework of issues to be discussed in the coming months.” He added, “We suspect that tariff rates, nontariff barriers and digital trade are all on the list — and there are difficult issues to address on all of these.”
This trade deal marks the first agreement announced since President Trump’s introduction of stiff tariffs on numerous US trading partners. Later, he temporarily paused the tariffs to facilitate negotiations with other countries. It is noteworthy that the US-China tariff plans have significantly impacted the crypto market, resulting in a major correction.
Tron (TRX) continues to trade in a tight range around $0.27, with technical indicators pointing to a market in consolidation. Momentum has faded, as shown by a weakening ADX and a neutral RSI hovering near 50, signaling indecision among traders.
The token faces resistance at $0.274 and support at $0.256, with a breakout or breakdown likely to set the next directional move. Meanwhile, SunPump’s new CEX Alliance aims to boost TRON’s meme coin ecosystem, but on-chain activity and revenue remain subdued despite the initiative.
SunPump Launches CEX Alliance, But Platform Activity Remains Low
The alliance brings together several centralized exchanges, including BitMart, Poloniex, LBank, and others, to streamline listing procedures and amplify marketing efforts for promising projects with stable on-chain performance and market caps over $500,000.
Through coordinated campaigns, social exposure, and access to trading events, the initiative seeks to bolster meme coin visibility and foster growth within the TRON network.
SunPump Tokens Created Daily and Cumulative. Source: Dune.
However, SunPump’s on-chain metrics paint a more muted picture. Despite the recent announcement, the platform has seen only around 98,300 token launches in total over the past nine months—a figure that Pump.fun often surpasses in less than a week.
Activity on the platform remains subdued, and revenue generation has been underwhelming, with daily earnings frequently falling below $1,000 in recent weeks.
While the CEX Alliance may introduce more exposure and credibility, SunPump’s ability to scale user participation and on-chain performance remains a critical challenge going forward.
TRX Enters Sideways Phase as Trend Strength Weakens
Tron’s Directional Movement Index (DMI) currently shows a weakening trend, with the Average Directional Index (ADX) falling to 11.68 from 24 just three days ago.
The ADX measures trend strength on a scale from 0 to 100, where readings above 25 suggest a strong trend—either up or down—while values below 20 indicate a weak or non-trending market. Alongside the falling ADX, the positive directional indicator (+DI) has declined to 20.74 and the negative directional indicator (-DI) to 15.41, both down significantly from earlier levels.
RSI is a momentum oscillator that ranges from 0 to 100, with values above 70 indicating overbought conditions and below 30 signaling oversold conditions. An RSI near 50 typically reflects balance between buying and selling pressure—suggesting that the market is in equilibrium.
With both DMI and RSI pointing to a lack of strong conviction from either bulls or bears, TRX is likely to remain range-bound in the short term unless a clear catalyst shifts sentiment.
Tron Price Consolidates: Will $0.274 Breakout or $0.256 Breakdown Come First?
Tron has been trading steadily around the $0.27 level over the past week, with its EMA lines pointing to ongoing consolidation.
The token recently failed to break through the $0.274 resistance, which remains a key short-term hurdle.
A successful breakout above that level could open the door for a move toward $0.279 and $0.282, potentially setting up a larger rally to reclaim the $0.30 mark for the first time since December 2024.
However, such a move would likely require renewed momentum and a shift in market sentiment.
On the downside, TRX faces important support at $0.256. If bearish pressure increases and that level is breached, the price could slip further to $0.250, and in a more extended pullback, even test $0.243.
The current setup suggests a market in wait-and-see mode, with traders closely watching for a decisive move in either direction.
Ethereum reached a notable milestone earlier this month when the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved options trading for several spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The move is expected to increase liquidity, attract interest from institutional investors, and solidify Ethereum’s position as a major cryptocurrency.
Yet Ethereum’s smaller market cap relative to Bitcoin means it is also vulnerable to gamma squeezes, thereby increasing investor risks. BeInCrypto consulted an expert in derivatives trading and representatives from FalconX, BingX, Komodo Platform, and Gravity to analyze the potential impact of this new characteristic.
This week marked the official debut of options trading for spot Ethereum ETFs in the United States. BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) was the first to list options, with trading commencing on the Nasdaq ISE.
Shortly after, a broader availability of options followed, including those for the Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) and the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust (ETH), as well as the Bitwise Ethereum ETF (ETHW), all of which began trading on the Cboe BZX exchange.
This move allows a wider range of investors, beyond crypto traders, to benefit from hedging and speculation opportunities on Ethereum’s price through options on familiar investment vehicles like ETFs without direct ownership.
The timing of this news is particularly positive, as Ethereum has been losing some ground in the market lately.
Options Trading to Bolster Ethereum’s Market Position
A significant decline in market confidence surrounded Ethereum this week, with BeInCrypto reporting its price had plummeted to its lowest point since March 2023. This drop coincided with a broader market downturn, worsened by Donald Trump’s Liberation Day.
Meanwhile, large Ethereum holders are increasingly selling off substantial amounts, putting downward pressure on their prices. Ethereum’s value has fallen sharply by 51.3% since the beginning of 2025, and investor confidence has waned, as evidenced by a decrease in addresses holding at least $1 million in ETH.
Holders with at least $1 million worth of ETH. Source: Glassnode.
With options trading now accessible to more traders, experts anticipate that Ethereum’s market position will improve.
“ETH’s been leaking dominance, stuck sub-17%. Options give it institutional gravity. It becomes more programmable for fund strategies. More tools mean more use cases, which then in turn means more capital sticking around,” Martins Benkitis, CEO and Co-Founder of Gravity Team, predicted.
This newfound accessibility of options trading will create additional opportunities for investors and the broader Ethereum ecosystem.
Greater Investor Access and Liquidity
The SEC’s approval of Ethereum ETFs in July 2024 was significant because it allowed traditional investors to enter the crypto market without directly holding the assets. Now, with options trading also available, these benefits are expected to be even greater.
The Ethereum ETF market will naturally become more liquid with increased participation through options trading.
High Trading Volumes and Hedging Demands
The SEC’s fresh approval of options trading for Ethereum ETF investors suggests that the market will likely initially experience a high trading volume. As a result, market makers must be prepared.
An increase in call options will require institutional market makers to hedge by buying more Ethereum to meet demand.
Ethereum will also secure a unique advantage, particularly in institutional trading, enhancing its perceived quality and driving optimism among key market participants.
“ETH just got a serious institutional tailwind. With options now in play, Ether is stepping closer to BTC in terms of tradable instruments. This levels up ETH’s legitimacy and utility in hedging strategies, narrowing the gap on Bitcoin’s dominance narrative,” Benkitis told BeInCrypto.
Yet, rapid surges in options trading could also have unintended consequences on Ethereum’s price, especially in the short run.
Will Investors Suffer a Gamma Squeeze?
As market makers rush to acquire more of the underlying asset in case of a higher volume of options calls, Ethereum’s price will naturally increase. This situation could lead to a pronounced gamma squeeze.
When market makers hedge their positions in this scenario, the resulting buying pressure would create a positive feedback loop. Retail investors will feel more inclined to join in, hoping to profit from Ethereum’s rising price.
The implications of this scenario are especially pronounced for Ethereum, considering its market capitalization is notably smaller than that of Bitcoin.
Retail traders’ aggressive buying of ETHA call options could compel market makers to hedge by acquiring the underlying ETHA shares, potentially leading to a more pronounced effect on the price of ETHA and, by extension, Ethereum.
“We believe option sellers will generally dominate in the long-run but in short bursts we could see retail momentum traders become massive buyers of ETHA calls and create gamma squeeze effects, similar to what we’ve seen on meme coin stocks like GME. ETH will be easier to squeeze than BTC given it is only $190 billion market cap vs BTC’s $1.65 trillion,” Joshua Lim, Global Co-head of Markets at FalconX, told BeInCrypto.
Arbitrage involves exploiting price differences for the same or nearly identical assets across different markets or forms. This is done by buying in the cheaper market and selling in the more expensive one.
According to Grant, traders will increasingly look for and exploit these price differences as the market for ETH options on different platforms develops.
While arbitrage activity is expected to refine pricing and liquidity within the Ethereum options market, the asset continues to operate under the shadow of Bitcoin’s established market leadership.
Will Landmark Options Approval Help Ethereum Close the Gap on Bitcoin?
Though Ethereum achieved a major landmark this week, it faces competition from a major rival: Bitcoin.
In late fall of 2024, options trading started on BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), becoming the first US spot Bitcoin ETF to offer options. Though not even a year has passed since the original launch, options trading on Bitcoin ETFs experienced strong trading volumes from retail and institutional investors.
According to Kadan Stadelmann, Chief Technology Officer of Komodo Platform, options trading for Ethereum ETFs will be comparatively underwhelming. Bitcoin will still be the cryptocurrency of choice for investors.
“Compared to Bitcoin’s Spot ETF, Ethereum’s ETF has not seen such stalwart demand. While options trading adds institutional capital, Bitcoin remains crypto’s first mover and enjoys a greater overall market cap. It is not going anywhere. It will remain the dominant crypto asset for institutional portfolios,” Stadelmann told BeInCrypto.
Consequently, his outlook does not include Ethereum’s market position surpassing Bitcoin’s in the immediate term.
“The once-promised flippening of Bitcoin’s market capitalization by Ethereum remains unlikely. Conservative and more-monied investors likely prefer Bitcoin due to its perceived safety compared to other crypto assets, including Ethereum. Ethereum, in order to achieve Bitcoin’s prominence, must depend on growing utility in DeFi and stablecoin markets,” he concluded.
While that may be the case, options trading doesn’t harm Ethereum’s prospects; it only strengthens them.
Can Ethereum’s Options Trading Era Capitalize on Opportunities?
Ethereum is now the second cryptocurrency with SEC approval for options trading on its ETFs. This single move will further legitimize digital assets for institutions, increasing their presence in traditional markets and boosting overall visibility.
Despite recent significant blows to Ethereum’s market position, this news is a positive development. Although it might not be sufficient to surpass its primary competitor, it represents a step in the right direction.
As investors get used to this new opportunity, their participation level will reveal how beneficial it will be for Ethereum.
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