In a ground-breaking move within the Ethereum decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, two ETH traders have reportedly secured a staggering $120 million in profits in under 24 hours, employing a brilliant trading strategy known as ‘looping.’

This technique has allowed them to amplify their investments through leveraged positions on Ether, showcasing the incredibly dynamic and lucrative potential of decentralized finance strategies amidst rising crypto prices.

The Mechanics of ‘Looping’: A High-Stakes Game of Leverage

‘Looping’ in the DeFi context is a strategy where traders leverage their existing crypto assets to secure additional funding, thereby multiplying their investment capacity.

Specifically, these traders deposit Ether into a lending protocol, borrow a stablecoin like DAI or USDT against this deposit, and then convert the borrowed stablecoin back into Ether.

This newly acquired Ether is then redeposited, allowing the trader to borrow more funds and further extend their leveraged position on the original Ether deposit. The result is a high leverage ‘long’ on Ethereum, betting big that it’s price will rise.

The two anonymous Ethereum whales, identified only by their wallet addresses, have demonstrated the power of this strategy by leveraging their Ether positions in a range of 1-2x rather than opting for higher-risk leverages. Theoretically, the traders could have gone for 3x or even 5x leverage through this strategy, and their profit potential would be even greater, but so would their risk.

This approach has paid off handsomely, with their combined holdings now valued at approximately $3 billion across various lending protocols such as MakerDAO, Spark, Morpho, and Compound. Their last effort netted them $120 million in just 24 hours. That’s the equivalent of making $5 million per hour.

This strategic maneuver has not only solidified their status within the DeFi community but also highlighted the critical balance between risk and reward in leveraging crypto assets.

Ether’s Bullish Horizon: Key Catalysts Ahead

Source.

The success of the looping strategy is inherently tied to a bullish outlook on Ether’s market performance, with recent hype for ERC-404 tokens fueling ecosystem activity.

Several upcoming developments for Ethereum, such as the much-anticipated Dencun upgrade, have the potential to further fuel Ether’s price growth.

Additionally, the crypto community is eagerly awaiting the potential approval of a spot Ethereum ETF, a move that could mirror the success of recent Bitcoin ETF approvals and significantly impact Ether’s market presence and value.

Finally, Bitcoin is nearing its next halving event, where its inflation rate (how many Bitcoin is minted per block) is halved. Historically, this event has coincided with a tremendous bull market where Bitcoin and much of the rest of the crypto market sees astonishing gains. Of course, this may not happen this time or it may already have been ‘priced in’ by the market but it’s still something to keep an eye on.

While the looping strategy offers enticing returns, it comes with its fair share of risks too. The trader borrows stablecoins with Ethereum as collateral but the value of Ethereum is always shifting. If the value of the ETH collateral drops below a certain threshold set by the platform, it will be automatically liquidated to cover the position. Traders often supply a large amount of collateral and watch their positions carefully to lower this risk.

When using this strategy, the potential for liquidation always looms large if Ethereum’s price doesn’t go your way, even if your prediction was right in the long term. This is why these kinds of strategies are extremely risky and not for the faint of heart. Always factor in your own risk-tolerance when making any kind of investment decisions.

Despite the risks, the two traders in question have navigated these waters successfully so far. Their initial risky bets placed when Ether was valued around $1,000 now yielding substantial returns as Ether trades around $2,770. If ETH’s price would have fallen below the DeFi platforms’ liquidation thresholds, millions and millions of dollars would have evaporated.

The Bottom Line: Innovation and Volatility in the Future of DeFi

The successful implementation of the looping trading strategy by these Ethereum traders underscores the innovative and dynamic nature of the DeFi ecosystem. There are always new ways to make money sprouting up in the crypto world. With that being said, there are even more ways to lose money in the crypto sphere so make sure you trade carefully.

As Ethereum continues to evolve and attract interest with its upcoming upgrades and the possibility of spot ETH ETF approvals, the DeFi space stands as a testament to the creative and potentially lucrative strategies that traders can employ.