Perpetual options provide continuous delta, gamma and vega exposure. They are ideal for traders that want options-like exposure without selecting an expiration.
Strike Prices
Perpetual options on Everstrike have dynamic strike prices. This ensures that each options contract stays relevant in perpetuity, removing the requirement for delisting and introduction of new contracts. The default strike price anchor is the 100-hour Exponential Moving Average (EMA₁₀₀) of the contract's underlier. Contract strike prices congregate around this number (subject to a unique percentage offset for each contract).
Example Strike Price Selection
1.1 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
1.05 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
1.03 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
1.01 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
1.00 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
0.99 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
0.97 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
0.95 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
0.90 * EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier)
Where EMA₁₀₀ is the 100-hour Exponential Moving Average, and Underlier is the option's underlying asset.
Funding Interval
Perpetual options on Everstrike have a Funding Interval of 1 hour. This makes their gamma/vega profile similar to that of European-style 0DTE options. For more information on the funding mechanism, check out the Funding section of this document.
Specification
Settlement | Cash |
Expiration | Perpetual |
Pricing Currency | USD |
Margin Currency | USD |
Settlement Currency | USD |
Funding | Hourly |
Funding Interval | 1h |
Max. Funding Rate | 10% |
Funding Period | 10h |
Strike Price | EMA₁₀₀ (Underlier) * Multiplier |
Strike Price Update Interval | 5 seconds |
Notes:
EMA₁₀₀ is the 100-hour Exponential Moving Average.
Underlier is the Everstrike Index Price (spot price) of the contract's underlying asset.
Multiplier is any of [0.90,0.95,0.97,0.99,1,1.01,1.03,1.05,1.10]. Each options contract has a unique Multiplier.
USD refers to Everstrike's internal stablecoin, Everstrike USD.
Strike Price Update Interval is the interval at which the Strike Price of the contract is updated.
Max Funding Rate is the maximum Funding Rate possible for the contract. The Funding Rate cannot exceed this number.
Funding Interval is the interval between each Funding exchange. The exchange takes place during the first five seconds of every hour (during which trading is disabled).
Equivalence with Perpetual Futures
A perpetual call option with strike price zero is functionally equivalent to a perpetual futures contract (identical payoff function). To see why, check out our blog post on Perpetual Options.
Funding for perpetual futures work in the exact same way as funding for perpetual options.
EMA₁₀₀
EMA₁₀₀ refers to the 100-hour Exponential Moving Average. It is calculated using the following formula:
EMA₁₀₀ = EMA_100[Pₜ,Pₜ₋₁,…Pₜ₋₉₉],
where
EMA_100 = 100-length Exponential Moving Average
Pₜ = Everstrike Index Price (right now)
Pₜ₋₁ = Everstrike Index Price (1 hour ago)
Pₜ₋₉₉ = Everstrike Index Price (99 hours ago)
Drift
Drift is a property that is unique to floating strike options (perpetual options, Asian options, floating strike lookback options). It measures the impact of the option's strike price on its Intrinsic Value. A Drift of 2% indicates that the strike price of the option causes its Intrinsic Value to grow by 2% per hour. A Drift of -2% indicates the contrary.
TLDR; Expected hourly percentage change in Intrinsic Value (from strike price movement only).
Example 1
A trader buys a perpetual BTC call option for a price of 100 USD. The strike price of the option is pinned to EMA₁₀₀(BTC). At the time of purchase, EMA₁₀₀(BTC) is 22,000, and the price of BTC is 22,100. Now he has the right to buy 1 BTC, at any time in the future, at a price that equals the EMA₁₀₀(BTC).
Twelve hours later, EMA₁₀₀(BTC) has risen to 22,100, and the price of BTC has risen to 22,500. The trader has paid $100 in funding. If the trader decides to sell his option now, he will profit the difference between the price of BTC and EMA₁₀₀(BTC), minus his initial purchase price, minus any funding he has paid thus far ($22,500 - $22,100 - $100 - $100 = $200). This amount will automatically be credited to his balance, should he decide to sell it.
Example 2
A trader buys a perpetual BTC put option for a price of 10 USD. The strike price of the option is pinned to EMA₁₀₀(BTC). At the time of purchase, EMA₁₀₀(BTC) is 22,000, and the price of BTC is 22,100. Now he has the right to sell 1 BTC, at any time in the future, at a price that equals EMA₁₀₀(BTC).
Twelve hours later, EMA₁₀₀(BTC) has risen to 22,100, and the price of BTC has dropped to 21,500. The trader has paid $300 in funding. If the trader decides to sell his option now, he will profit the difference between EMA₁₀₀(BTC) and the price of BTC, minus his initial purchase price, minus any funding he has paid thus far ($22,100 - $21,500 - $10 - $300 = $290). This amount will automatically be credited to his balance, should he decide to sell it.
Funding
Funding-based derivatives (perpetual futures, perpetual options, power perpetuals) are subject to Funding. Funding is an hourly exchange of money between longs and shorts.
Positive Funding Rate: Longs pay shorts.
Negative Funding Rate: Shorts pay longs.
Funding (Long) = -Funding Rate * Position Size
Funding (Short) = Funding Rate * Position Size
Funding takes place during the first five seconds of each hour. During this time, Everstrike takes a snapshot of all user positions, and debits/credits the margin balance of each user, according to the formula above.
Funding Rate
To calculate the Funding Rate, first calculate the Premium:
Premium = ((Mark Price - Index Price) / Index Price)
Next, calculate the Base Funding Rate:
Base Funding Rate = Max(dampener, Premium) + Min(dampener, Premium)
Where dampener is a pre-defined constant (0.03 for futures and 1.00 for options). Finally, calculate the Funding Rate:
Funding Rate = Base Funding Rate * (Funding Interval/Funding Period)
Funding Period
The Funding Period on Everstrike is 10 hours.
Funding Interval
The Funding Interval on Everstrike is 1 hour.
Settlement
Perpetual options are cash-settled. Settlement on Everstrike takes place immediately after closing a position. Once the trader closes a position, the P/L from the position is credited to the trader's cash balance. This happens automatically, within one second of closing the position.
Expiration
Perpetual options do not expire.
Additional Notes
Trading is disabled during the first ten seconds of each hour.
The hourly Funding Rate is capped at 10%.