[Weekly Readings] ETH Merge is coming, All You Should Read

HuobiPublished on 2022-08-13Last updated on 2022-08-16

Abstract

ETH Merge is coming,here is aggregation.

This week is about the Merge, we recommend you read though these articles to grasp the big picture of the ETH:

1. ETH preparation bifurcation - risk assets may return to zero, and beneficial assets will increase 100 times

Brefing: After the merger of eth, the bifurcation is expected to approach, and risks and opportunities coexist.

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[ETH] The Fork Is Coming? Which Strategy May Help You Profit from the ETH Merge?

Brefing: Although the official date of the Merge has not been given yet, when the Ethereum testnet Goerli has already started the merger, the Merge has no turning back.

At the same time, the hopelessness of ETH Miner caught the attention of the crypto world. Some old players trying to fork Ethereum proposed an option to create ETH-PoW, which ignited the enthusiasm for a new species. With the expectation of Merge, the ETH rally and we should believe on it.

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[ETH] A New Ecosystem for ETH, What Is Going On?

Brefing: In the post-Merge world, Ethereum transactions will flow through a very specific and orderly process. A powerful transaction supply chain is being constructed before our very eyes, and massive power structures are about to emerge.

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Tether also confirms its throwing weight behind the post-Merge Ethereum

Brefing: We believe that a smooth transition is essential for the long-term health of the DeFi ecosystem and its platforms, including those using our tokens,” Tether stated.

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Proposed ETHPoW Fork Poses An Existential Threat To Ethereum. Can It Succeed?

Brefing: The ETHPoW fork proposal comes from the miners. It’s only logical that they want to keep Ethereum as a Proof-Of-Work chain, since all of their profit will evaporate overnight with the change to Proof-Of-Stake. The merge is supposedly only weeks away, and the Ethereum community has their hearts set on the proposed changes. Nevertheless, the miners have the right to fork the chain, and that’s where ETHPoW comes in.

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Justin Sun Says Proof-of-Work 'Essential' Part of Ethereum

Brefing: Tron's controversial founder said his stablecoin, USDD, will be the first to support the post-Merge Ethereum fork, on CoinDesk TV’s “First Mover.”

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Will there be a Surge after the Merge? - A Quantitative Analysis of Post-Merge Impact on the Market

Brefing: The Merge of Ethereum is the migration of the network consensus scheme from Proof of Work (POW) to Proof of Stake (POS), which is expected to start on Sept 19, 2022. Its influence on the market is complex and profound.

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Related Reads

Options Don't Work in DeFi? Vitalik Might Not Agree

For years, the prevailing view has been that options struggle to gain traction in DeFi due to complexity, fragmented liquidity, and lack of natural demand compared to products like perpetual futures. However, a recent algorithmic stablecoin design proposed by Vitalik Buterin presents a different perspective, using options not as a standalone trading product, but as foundational infrastructure for other financial instruments. In this design, one unit of ETH is split into two components: a "stable" side (P) that retains value up to a specified strike price, and an "upside" side (N) that captures all appreciation above that strike. Combined, they always equal one ETH, eliminating debt, margin, and liquidation risks inherent in typical collateralized debt position (CDP) stablecoins. The stable component essentially mimics the payoff of a covered call option. To function as a stablecoin, this structure requires continuously rolling deep in-the-money calls, which introduces challenges like rollover slippage, predictable transaction flow vulnerable to front-running, and persistent liquidity needs. A core hurdle is finding consistent buyers for the leveraged ETH upside exposure (N). While it offers leverage without funding rates or liquidation, it must compete with simpler alternatives like direct call options or perpetuals. The system's scalability depends on a sustained demand for this specific form of leverage. The author draws parallels to their experience with Rysk, where earlier versions of DeFi options protocols struggled. The breakthrough came with Rysk V12, which aligns incentives: asset holders generate yield by selling covered calls against their holdings, while market makers efficiently acquire the desired option exposure. This demonstrates that options can find product-market fit when embedded as a risk distribution and pricing engine within structured products, stablecoins, or yield-generating assets, rather than marketed as a complex direct trading instrument. Vitalik's proposal reinforces this architectural approach—using fully collateralized, non-custodial, and physically settled options as a fundamental building block. The real opportunity for options in DeFi may lie not in becoming the next perpetual swap, but in powering the next generation of on-chain financial products.

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Options Don't Work in DeFi? Vitalik Might Not Agree

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Ethereum Foundation Faces Another Departure as Hsiao-Wei Wang Steps Down

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STRC Hits Historic Low, Saylor's Perpetual Motion Machine Grinds to a Halt

STRC, the perpetual preferred stock issued by MicroStrategy to fund its Bitcoin purchases, hit a historic low of $85.32, a 17% discount to its $100 par value. Designed as a "digital credit engine" to trade stably near par and enable continuous share issuance for buying Bitcoin, its plunge signals a breakdown in this model. Three key factors drove the decline: 1. Bitcoin's price fell over 50% from its peak, trading around $63,000 amid hawkish Fed signals. 2. MicroStrategy's cash reserves were depleted after a $1.5 billion convertible note repayment, slashing the dividend coverage for STRC's 11.5% yield to ~7 months. The company then sold 32 BTC to cover dividends—Michael Saylor's first Bitcoin sale since 2022—damaging the "never sell" narrative. 3. A competing Bitcoin-backed preferred stock, Strive's SATA, offers a higher yield (~13%) and daily dividends, drawing investors away from STRC. The drop triggers a negative cycle: STRC below par halts ATM share issuances, cutting off a key funding source for Bitcoin buys and potentially forcing more BTC sales for dividends, further eroding confidence. While Saylor argues the model is mathematically sound—needing only 2.3% annual Bitcoin growth to sustain itself—the market is testing the resilience of the leveraged Bitcoin treasury strategy in a bear market. The STRC price now reflects rising skepticism about this financial machinery's durability during downturns.

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