Bitcoin Cash price jumps 4.5% as regulated BCH futures start trading on CME, putting the latest Bitcoin Cash price prediction squarely on the 200-day average
The Bitcoin Cash (BCH) market regained momentum on Friday, October 23, 2026, as the token climbed 4.5% in 24 hours to $287.70, its largest daily gain of a week that saw CME Group open trading in regulated Bitcoin Cash futures.
The rally follows CME’s confirmation on October 20 that crypto prime broker FalconX and liquidity provider GSR executed the first block trade in its new Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures, lifting the exchange’s single-asset crypto futures lineup to 11 tokens. The move puts the Bitcoin Cash price prediction back in focus ahead of the Federal Reserve’s October 27–28 meeting.
Why Is Bitcoin Cash Price Surging? CME Futures Trading Goes Live
CME Group began listing Bitcoin Cash futures on October 19, with the first trade confirmed by the exchange on X and in an official press release a day later.
Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures contracts are officially live – marked by the inaugural block trade between FalconX and GSR. See the announcement. https://t.co/XaihrqAv4a https://t.co/8mYKNKwtwJ
— CME Group (@CMEGroup) October 20, 2026
Traders can choose between a standard contract covering 250 BCH (ticker BCA) and a Micro contract covering 25 BCH (MCH), both cash-settled against the CME CF reference rate, so no coins change hands. At Friday’s price, one standard contract carries a notional value of roughly $72,000.
Giovanni Vicioso, CME Group’s Global Head of Cryptocurrency Products, framed the launch as a response to institutional appetite: “With trading now underway in our Bitcoin Cash and Uniswap futures, we are providing clients with more versatility to manage cryptocurrency risk and exposure through our robust 24/7 marketplace. As institutional demand for digital assets continues to grow, we are pleased that investors are turning to CME Group to expand their crypto trading strategies with our regulated and capital-efficient tools.”
Griffin Sears, Head of Derivatives at FalconX, highlighted why Bitcoin Cash made the cut: “Institutional demand is moving beyond the largest digital assets toward tokens with distinct use cases, like Bitcoin Cash in payments and Uniswap in decentralized finance.”
BCH traded between $271.90 and $288.40 over the past 24 hours on Binance spot, recovering from Thursday’s dip to $277.99. With 20.11 million coins in circulation, its market capitalization is close to $5.8 billion, ranking 18th.
What the CME Listing Means for Bitcoin Cash
Xin Song, CEO of GSR, added: “We have long believed that expanding institutional-grade derivatives will supercharge institutional adoption of digital assets.”
NEW: @GSR_io and @FalconXGlobal executed the first block trade in CME Group’s new Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Uniswap (UNI) futures.
Institutional demand is moving beyond the largest assets toward the long tail of tokens with distinct use cases, and regulated, capital-efficient…
— Frank Chaparro (@fintechfrank) October 20, 2026
The market has already shown how sensitive BCH is to this story. After CME announced the contracts on September 22, BCH tore from the $260s to above $360, a roughly 35% surge on $1.7 billion of daily volume. Of $6.67 million in liquidations, $4.90 million hit shorts, making it a textbook short squeeze.
That enthusiasm faded. Santiment data show open interest nearly doubled to about $295 million, then slipped back to roughly 560,000 BCH by October 18, within 1% of its pre-announcement level, as price retreated to $264–$270.
This week’s bounce looks healthier. Binance futures open interest rose 5.97% in 24 hours to around $81 million notional, while funding sits at a neutral 0.0088% per eight hours, suggesting new positions are entering rather than shorts simply covering. CME’s crypto futures and options averaged more than 242,000 contracts a day in 2026 ($7.9 billion notional).
Technical Analysis and Bitcoin Cash Price Prediction: All Eyes on $291
The technical analysis shows Friday’s rally has brought BCH back to the most important level on its daily chart. BCH has reclaimed its 20-day ($284.53) and 50-day ($278.97) simple moving averages, but the 200-day SMA at $290.94 sits just overhead.
Drawing a Fibonacci retracement over the September rally, from the mid-month low near $215 to the $360 peak, BCH is trading almost exactly on the 50% level at $287. The 38.2% retracement at about $304 overlaps with the $300–$310 zone BCH broke through in September and the 200-day EMA, which sat near $308 at the time. That makes $300–$310 the decisive resistance; clearing it would open the way toward $330 and then the September highs at $358–$360.
On the downside, first support sits at $277–$279, combining the 50-day SMA and Thursday’s lows. Below that, the 61.8% Fibonacci level around $270 coincides with the October lows between $264 and $272, which have held twice. Only a daily close below $264 would hand control back to bears and expose the mid-September demand zone between $215 and $225.
Momentum is neutral to constructive. The 14-day RSI reads 52, and the MACD histogram has flattened at zero, setting up a potential bullish crossover if the next daily close confirms. The stochastic oscillator above 90, however, warns that the short-term move is stretched.
My Bitcoin Cash price prediction for the coming weeks: the base case is consolidation between $270 and $305 as markets await the Fed. A daily close above $291 followed by a break of $305 would target $330 and the $358–$360 highs by mid-November, while a close below $264 would shift focus to $225.
Source: TradingView
Grayscale ETF Filing and Mt. Gox Delay Add to Bitcoin Cash Tailwinds
Futures are not the only institutional door opening for BCH. On September 11, Grayscale filed an amended S-3 registration statement to convert its Bitcoin Cash Trust into a spot exchange-traded product, to be renamed Grayscale Bitcoin Cash Trust ETF and listed on NYSE Arca under the ticker BCHG. The filing, flagged by analyst @olnlkim on X, helped lift BCH as much as 12% on September 18. The SEC has set no timeline, and the conversion depends on approval of NYSE Arca’s generic listing standards.
UNI is now the first DeFi protocol token with futures on @CMEGroup https://t.co/dE0SjToLyR
— Uniswap (@Uniswap) October 19, 2026
Supply-side news helps too. Mt. Gox’s rehabilitation trustee has pushed the creditor repayment deadline back a year to October 31, 2027. The estate holds about 143,000 BCH earmarked for creditors, so the delay removes a near-term selling risk.
Broader Crypto Market: Bitcoin Holds Above $80,000 as Fed Decision Looms
Bitcoin has traded between roughly $80,600 and $83,000 this week, rejected at $83,009 before settling near $82,200, while total crypto market capitalization hovers near $2.78 trillion. Macro remains the main headwind: Brent crude trades near $110 a barrel, the 10-year Treasury yield sits above 5%. CME pricing puts the odds of a Fed hike at the October 28 decision at 14.9%, down from 57.6% a month ago.
Jasper De Maere, an over-the-counter trader at Wintermute, summed up the mood: “At the moment, this still feels like a recovery vs the start of a rally, however that could turn quickly if we approach $87,000 Bitcoin with decent momentum.”
Bitcoin Cash Price Prediction FAQ
Why is Bitcoin Cash price going up today?
Bitcoin Cash rose 4.5% to $287.70 on October 23 as CME Group’s regulated BCH futures entered their first full week of trading following the FalconX–GSR debut block trade. Rising open interest, Grayscale’s pending BCHG ETF and the Mt. Gox delay add support.
Will Bitcoin Cash reach $500?
It is possible, but it would require a major trend reversal. BCH faces resistance at $291, $300–$310 and the September highs of $358–$360. A 74% rally to $500 would likely need BCHG ETF approval and sustained CME volume.
Is Bitcoin Cash a good buy?
That depends on individual risk tolerance. Technically, BCH is testing its 200-day SMA at $290.94, with support at $277–$279 and $264–$272. CME futures and a potential spot ETF are positives, but BCH is down about 54% year to date and remains highly volatile.
Does the CME listing mean a Bitcoin Cash ETF is coming?
Not automatically. CME futures are cash-settled derivatives and do not require anyone to buy spot BCH. However, a regulated futures market strengthens the case for spot products such as Grayscale’s proposed BCHG ETF, which still awaits SEC action.