Seattle News Desk

I'm no conspiracy theorist, at least not usually. But I am one among many in the cryptocurrency world who believe there were several forces at play when the bear market we're in today was triggered, some more suspicious than others.Silicon Valley reporter Ross Davis summed it up well in a tweet You probably remember how it felt at the time of the 2017 peak, it shocked many that all this as happening without the blessings, or really any involvement from the usual players you find almost every time billions of dollars are changing hands.It's like they found a way to press rewind, get a 'do over' that they sure as hell haven't wasted. One after another, the major financial institutions are setting up their cypto trading operations, developing new custody solutions, and made certain that the next time cryptocurrency explodes - they're guaranteed a piece of the pie.I promise you - they didn't do this thinking there's just a 'small chance' of a crypto comeback.If you're with me so far, you'll likely also agree this means the first signs the market is about to turn bullish won't be seen in the charts - our first hints will be based on what the institutional heavyweights have on the horizon - in regards to corporate planning.What products are they putting more resources into next quarter? What are they beginning to phase out? I believe this is the type of movement you want to watching for signals.While there are also some standard market fundamentals pointing to a bullish market on the horizon, such as a spike in new addresses and an upturn in sentiment, something else caught my attention - CBOE announcing they'll be wrapping up Bitcoin futures trading, and the market responding positively with growth as Bitcoin breaks above $4000.I want you to realize, CBOE's Bitcoin futures market was like training wheels for Wall Street. They could watch Bitcoin's price movement and profit from correctly predicting it, all without ever owning any cryptocurrency tokens.The demand for futures has dropped, while at the same time - indicators of increased interest in real Bitcoin ownership has gone up.Those training wheels are coming off, investors who dabbled in Bitcoin futures because it was the only Bitcoin related investment offer from firms they trust, soon will have those firms offering them real Bitcoin ownership.So OF COURSE popularity of futures trading will decline when companies like Fidelity, or Bakkt by Nasdaq, Starbucks and Microsoft will be offering people the real thing.With CBOE's announcement, followed by price movement upward, plus in CBOE themselves making it clear they 'aren't closing the door on crypto' and hinting at another product coming - we're seeing the shift begin.Be alert for institutional investor focused firms wrapping up the old, as they prepare to launch what's new? While this example isn't the one that has me yelling "it's happening right now!" it is the perfect example of what to look for in these coming few months. Small steps before the running of the bulls!-------