Bitcoin News: Bitcoin Climbs to $77,000 But Remains Range-Bound as Negative Funding and Weak Conviction Cap Upside

Key Takeaways Bitcoin rose 1.25% to approximately $77,250 after finding support at $75,000 on Wednesday, but has been trapped between $75,000 and $80,000 since April 19Negative funding rates of around -2% annualized across most venues signal traders are still shorting rallies, while open interest holds steady at $19 billion with little speculative convictionOptions sentiment leans bullish with put/call volume 58% in favor of calls and the one-week delta skew easing to 8.6% from 9.5%, indicating moderating downside hedging demandThe implied volatility term structure is in contango, with front-end IV around 29% rising to approximately 45% at the March 2027 tenor -- pricing longer-dated uncertainty rather than immediate tail riskWLFI, the DeFi token linked to President Trump's family, dropped more than 2.6% and has now lost more than 77% of its value since its September launchCoinDesk's Overnight Rate on Aave has returned to normal after the KelpDAO hack, signaling DeFi market stabilization Bitcoin edged higher on Friday, rising 1.25% since midnight UTC to trade around $77,250, but the move lacks the conviction needed to break out of the $75,000–$80,000 range that has contained price action since April 19. Derivatives data tells the story of a market that is recovering but not yet committed to a directional move in either direction. The CoinDesk 20 Index added 0.7% with 14 of 20 members in the green. US equity index futures were little changed, with Nasdaq 100 futures cooling after the week's big tech earnings and S&P 500 futures marginally positive, up 5 points. Precious metals slipped, with gold and silver losing 1% and 0.7% respectively. Negative Funding Signals Persistent Short Bias Despite the modest price recovery, derivatives positioning reflects continued bearish lean. Funding rates across major venues sit at approximately -2% annualized, meaning short sellers are paying longs to hold positions -- a structural signal that the dominant positioning remains short, with traders fading rallies rather than chasing them higher. The exception was Deribit, which saw a funding rate spike to 37%, a notable outlier. Open interest in Bitcoin futures holds at approximately $19 billion, roughly unchanged week-over-week, indicating that speculative activity has not materially increased despite the price recovery. The three-month annualized basis sits at just 1.5% -- also flat on the week -- pointing to continued institutional caution rather than renewed enthusiasm for leveraged long exposure. CoinGlass data shows $149 million in 24-hour liquidations, split 30% longs and 70% shorts, with Bitcoin accounting for $50 million and Ethereum $29 million of the notional total. The Binance liquidation heatmap identifies $75,400 as the core liquidation level to monitor on any downside move. Options Market Leans Bullish The options picture is more constructive than the futures market. Put/call volume over the past 24 hours sits at 58% in favor of calls, and the one-week delta skew has eased to 8.6% from 9.5% -- a sign that demand for downside protection is moderating even if it has not fully reversed. The implied volatility term structure is in contango, with front-end IV around 29% rising to approximately 45% at the March 2027 tenor. The shape of the curve suggests the market is pricing longer-dated macro uncertainty rather than an immediate tail risk event -- a relatively orderly setup despite the geopolitical backdrop. Token Talk: WLFI Extends Losses In the altcoin market, notable gains in PENDLE, RAY, and TAO -- all up between 4.2% and 5.35%. The CoinDesk Memecoin Index outperformed with a 1.8% gain, followed by the Computing Select Index at 1.4%. The DeFi Select Index was largely flat despite broader market optimism, continuing to lag peers. World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the DeFi token associated with President Trump's family, fell more than 2.6% following a governance vote on token lock-ups and has now shed more than 77% of its value since its September 2025 launch -- a continued drag on a project that launched amid significant political attention. On a more positive note for DeFi, CoinDesk's Overnight Rate tracking lending and borrowing activity on Aave has returned to normal market conditions following the disruption caused by the $292 million KelpDAO hack -- a signal that the DeFi sector's liquidity conditions have largely stabilized in the weeks since the exploit.