Bitcoin Stalls Near $73K as $1.26B IBIT Block Hits, Kraken Plans US Perps
The post Bitcoin Stalls Near $73K as $1.26B IBIT Block Hits, Kraken Plans US Perps appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Bitcoin News A $1.26 billion off-exchange block sale of BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust executed on May 26 appears to reflect a single large investor seeking a rapid exit rather than a hedge-fund unwind. Roughly 29.21 million IBIT shares changed hands at $43.16, a $1.01 discount to the prevailing $44.17 market price — a 2.3% concession totaling about $29.5 million in execution cost. Research circulated this weekend noted that the magnitude of the discount points to a seller prioritizing speed and certainty over price. The transaction cleared through the FINRA/Nasdaq TRF Carteret venue, which institutions typically use for privately negotiated trades. Analysts pushed back on the theory that the trade represented a closed basis position. Such a strategy — long spot Bitcoin via ETF, short CME futures — would have lost meaningful expected return at a 2.3% execution hair