Crypto is rewriting how Wall Street traders spend their weekends
CoinDesk 2026-07-27 13:00:00
Context: The cryptocurrency market is transforming how Wall Street traders spend their weekends, particularly in commodity trading. As the weekend approaches, traders typically reassess their risk tolerance and adjust their positions before markets close on Friday, but the emergence of 24/7 crypto exchanges has changed this dynamic. Now, traders can hedge their bets over the weekend using perpetual futures contracts on crypto exchanges.
Key Facts
- The total value of active contracts on the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid hit a record $1.2 billion on March 8, a Sunday when traditional commodity markets were closed, with traders flocking to crypto exchanges to trade derivatives contracts called "perpetual futures".
- According to Martin Lee, market insights lead at DWF Labs, weekend trading's share of overall volume has grown by roughly 25% since March, despite activity cooling after the spike that followed the Iran conflict.
- Researchers at Energy Aspects found that the implied volatility for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude options, which typically fell on Fridays, has begun to narrow due to the growth of perpetual futures on crypto exchanges.
- The growth of perpetual contracts on crypto exchanges may create roughly 40% more hedging sessions over the life of a typical contract, allowing traders to capture profits over the weekend if the market becomes chaotic.
- Gracy Chen, CEO of Bitget, believes that big banks are not yet trading perpetual futures because they do not see it as profitable enough to invest, with most volume currently coming from the retail market.