"But futures are scary things, and perhaps there is also a dark side coming to the Bitcoin market as now people can profit just as much from the [price] diving as they can from it rising…
…futures introduce a different type of playing field as whales, and these are whales that make Bitcoin whales look like shrimp, have an incentive to drive the market down."(Big Fish Entering Bitcoin Waters: All Eyes on December 10 and 18)
This impending dynamic is precisely what I’ve warned close friends and family about. I am not particularly bullish on BTC in the short term post 12/18 because the large institutions that are entering to take advantage of futures are highly incentivized to crash the market. Just think: they can depress prices and make profit while scaring weak hands to convert back to fiat and likely run for the “safety” of the banks these institutions control. It’s a win-win situation for the institutions. My hope is that enough wise people will shift their portfolios towards the alts.