Liquidity Explained

High liquidity means that there is a large supply of buyers and sellers, and the asset can be traded quickly and at a fair price. Low liquidity means that it is difficult to find buyers or sellers, and the asset may have to be traded at a significant discount.

Liquidity in Crypto Markets

Cryptocurrency markets tend to be much more volatile and less liquid due to the lack of regulation and the relatively small size of the market compared to other asset classes. As a result, trading in and out of cryptocurrencies can be more difficult and require more caution than traditional markets.

Liquidity is a key factor in the cryptocurrency market. Without liquidity, it can be difficult to move in and out of positions quickly or to accurately price assets. It helps to create a more efficient and orderly market, as it reduces the spread between the bid and asks prices of assets. 

Liquidity on Decentralized Exchanges

Many DEXs offer liquidity pools, in which users can deposit their crypto assets and earn returns on the tokens they stake. These pools are designed to provide liquidity to the market and to ensure that trades can be executed quickly and at a fair price.

They are typically managed by decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and typically incentivize market makers and grant them a reward for providing liquidity to the market.

What is Locked Liquidity

Some liquidity pools can have locked liquidity. It is usually realized by using smart contracts which lock up a certain amount of tokens in a pool. This pool can then be used by users to exchange tokens or to make transactions, however, can’t be withdrawn by the original depositor. This process ensures that liquidity is maintained in the pool and that no tokens are removed from circulation.

How to check the Token’s  Liquidity

CoinBrain can be used to check the total liquidity of a given coin on decentralized exchanges. It is displaying the list of available liquidity pools with information about locked liquidity and the counterparty tokens.

Liquidity on Centralized Exchanges

On a centralized exchange, liquidity is achieved by employing market makers and high-frequency traders. Market makers provide liquidity by continuously placing orders to buy and sell at different prices in order to create a market for the asset. High-frequency traders use sophisticated algorithms to take advantage of small price discrepancies in the market in order to make a profit. Both of these activities help to ensure that a centralized exchange is able to provide liquidity for its users.

Centralized exchanges have also usually a large number of active traders who are willing to buy and sell at the current market prices. 

How is liquidity measured?

There are two main types of liquidity measurements: volume-based liquidity and price-based liquidity. Knowing how to measure liquidity can help investors make informed decisions about which assets are best suited for their needs. Let's take a look at both of them:

Volume-based liquidity 

Volume-based liquidity is the most straightforward way to measure liquidity. It looks at the total number of tokens that are traded in a given period of time. This provides an indication of how liquid the asset is because the more active the trading is, the more liquid the asset is considered to be. This type of liquidity measurement can be used to compare the liquidity of different assets.

Price-based liquidity 

Price-based liquidity is another way to measure liquidity. This type of measurement looks at the volatility of an asset's price over time. If the price of an asset is stable and doesn't experience large swings, then it is considered to be more liquid than an asset with a volatile price. Price-based liquidity can be used to measure the liquidity of a portfolio of assets.

Importance of Liquidity

Liquidity is an important concept to understand when trading in financial markets. It refers to the ease with which assets can be bought and sold and is a key indicator of market health. A liquid market is one which has a large number of buyers and sellers and is characterized by narrow spreads between bids and asks prices. Liquidity is important for a number of reasons. 

Liquidity as a sign of market health

Liquidity is often used as an indicator of market health. A market with high liquidity indicates that there is a large number of participants willing to buy and sell assets. This in turn leads to narrow spreads between bid and ask prices, which make it easier for investors to trade. High liquidity also suggests that there is a lower risk of price manipulation, as it is difficult for a single trader to move the market.

Liquidity and trading costs

Liquidity is important for minimizing trading costs. In a liquid market, investors can easily buy and sell assets at narrow spreads, which reduces the cost of trading. This is especially important for traders who have to buy or sell large amounts of assets, as they can incur high costs if the spreads are wide.

Liquidity and risk

Finally, liquidity is important for minimizing risk. In a liquid market, investors can easily buy and sell assets when they need to, which helps to reduce the risk of not being able to exit a position when needed. This is especially important for investors who are trading on leverage, as they can easily get into a situation where they can’t exit a position due to a lack of liquidity.