The impact of the sudden withdrawal of Jane Street and Jump Trading from the U.S. cryptocurrency market could potentially disrupt liquidity in the industry. The two prominent market makers decided to halt their U.S. crypto trading activities in the aftermath of FTX‘s collapse in November due to regulatory pressures. Jump Trading will shift its focus to expanding its crypto division globally, while Jane Street will scale back its growth plans.
Kaiko analyst Riyad Carey expressed concerns about liquidity, which already took a hit after the collapse of FTX. With two of the largest remaining market makers pulling back, liquidity could come under more strain. Market depth, an indicator used to gauge liquidity on exchanges by estimating how much capital is needed to move a market, fell by more than 50% following FTX’s demise and has yet to bounce back despite the rise in cryptocurrency prices.
While the issue appears to be limited to the U.S. market, crypto-native market makers don’t seem overly worried about Jane Street and Jump Trading’s departure. Zahreddine Touag, Head of Trading at Paris-based Woorton, believes that there will be an immediate impact on the liquidity of some exchanges and sourcing over-the-counter (OTC) liquidity will become more challenging for U.S. counterparties.
In the long run, the repercussions of Jane Street and Jump Trading’s exit could be more significant. Exchanges, brokers, payment providers, and other actors may start turning to offshore or Europe and Asia-based providers in search of better liquidity. This scenario underlines the U.S. government’s ongoing stringent stance on crypto regulation, a subject that has drawn criticism from Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, among others.
One unfortunate consequence of reduced liquidity in the crypto market is the potential for heightened volatility. A market with less liquidity requires less capital to move an asset, and if coupled with the highly-leveraged nature of crypto markets, it could create a credit risk that extends to all sectors of finance.
In conclusion, the departure of two major market makers – Jane Street and Jump Trading – from the U.S. cryptocurrency market has raised legitimate concerns regarding the overall liquidity within the industry. The current regulatory climate in the United States may lead to undesirable long-term effects, such as increased volatility and potential credit risks, which could reverberate beyond the crypto sector.
Source: Coindesk
