How Crypto Futures Liquidation Works: Mark Price, Margin, and Risk

Crypto futures liquidation explained with mark price, margin requirements, and liquidation risk illustrated in a trading diagram.

A trader opens a leveraged Bitcoin futures position. The market moves against the trade, but the price shown on the candlestick chart has not yet reached the estimated liquidation price. Suddenly, the position is liquidated. How can this happen? The answer lies in how crypto exchanges calculate margin requirements, monitor positions, and execute forced liquidations. … Read more

What Is Open Interest in Crypto Futures? How to Read OI

Open interest in crypto futures explained, with a diagram illustrating how outstanding contracts increase and decrease.

Bitcoin prices are rising, trading volume is increasing, and open interest is climbing at the same time. Does that mean more traders are opening leveraged long positions? Not necessarily. Open interest (OI) is one of the most widely followed indicators in crypto derivatives markets. Traders use it to evaluate changes in outstanding futures exposure, assess … Read more

What Is a Funding Rate in Crypto Perpetual Futures?

Crypto perpetual futures funding rate explained, with a diagram illustrating funding payments between long and short positions.

Funding rates are one of the most important—and frequently misunderstood—features of crypto perpetual futures trading. Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual futures have no fixed expiration date. Traders can maintain long or short positions without a scheduled contract maturity. But that flexibility creates a problem: without expiration, what keeps the perpetual futures price aligned with the … Read more

What Are Perpetual Futures? How Crypto Perps Work

Editorial cover for What Are Perpetual Futures? How Crypto Perps Work by TheBearGrid

Perpetual futures allow traders to speculate on cryptocurrency prices without directly owning the underlying asset or worrying about a contract expiration date. They are widely used in crypto derivatives trading, but their flexibility comes with additional risks. Unlike spot trading, perpetual futures involve margin requirements, funding payments, and the possibility of liquidation. Understanding how these … Read more