Welcome to our detailed guide on the contract terms you'll encounter on our platform. Let's dive in!
Basic Terms
Index Price
The average price of the digital asset in question.
Underlying Asset
The digital asset (e.g., Bitcoin, Ethereum) from which the price for a Futures or Perpetual Contract is set.
Market Price
The latest, most up-to-date transaction price for an asset.
Understanding Prices
Mark Price (also known as Mark-to-Market or MTM)
A calculated "fair price," taking into account various market factors.
Why it matters:
Used to calculate unrealized Profit and Loss (P&L).
Used to determine the probability of liquidation.
Used to safeguard against market manipulation.
Learn More: Mark Price Calculation FAQ
Spot Price
The current market price for immediate trades.
Notional Value
The total value of the position you hold, calculated as follows:
Notional Value = Current Mark Price x Position Size x Contract Size
Example: If you have 100 BTC contracts at a Mark Price of $4020, your Notional Value is $402.
Position-Related Terms
Contract Size
The fraction of the underlying asset each contract represents. For us, it's 0.001 of the asset.
Position Size
The number of contracts you're trading.
Types of Positions
Long Position / Buy Position: Buying first to sell later.
Example: Owning 100 BTC contracts means you hold a long position.
Short Position / Sell Position: Selling first to buy back later.
Example: If you've sold 100 BTC contracts, you're in a short position.
Entry Price
The initial price at which you bought or sold to open your position.
Leverage and Risk
Leverage
The ratio of the initial margin to the order value. Higher leverage means higher risk but lower initial costs.
Example:
With 100x leverage, the initial margin is just 1% of the order value.
With 1x leverage, the initial margin is 100% of the order value.
Risk Limit
A set of rules designed to minimize large liquidations.
Learn More: How to Read Your Margin and Leverage Tabs
Margin Terms
Initial Margin
The minimum amount you must have to open a position.
Maintenance Margin
The minimum amount you must maintain to keep your position open. Failure to do so triggers liquidation of your position.
Cross Wallet
Enables multiple digital currencies to serve as margin.
Note: 10% of the digital asset value is held as collateral.
Isolated Wallet
Only one type of digital currency can serve as margin for one type of contract.
Note: 10% of the digital asset value is held as collateral.
Liquidation
Liquidation Process
What happens:
The system takes over your position and associated margin.
A forced market buy/sell occurs between the liquidation and bankruptcy prices.
Extra margin from the LMEX insurance fund may be used.
If still not closed, Auto-Deleveraging (ADL) occurs.
Liquidation Price
The price at which liquidation is triggered.
Bankruptcy Price
The price at which your margin balance becomes zero.
Auto-Deleveraging (ADL)
A process to close positions when liquidation fails.
ADL Indicator
This shows your likelihood of being auto-deleveraged.
Profits and Losses
Unrealized P&L
Current profit or loss that isn't finalized until your position is closed.
Realized P&L
Profit or loss you've actually made when your position is closed.
Other Important Terms
Market Makers
Provide buying and selling options to maintain liquidity.
Funding Fees
Payments made between Long and Short positions. Example here
Basis / Basis Differential
The difference between the Spot Price and the Entry Price of the contract at expiration.
Bid / Ask Price
The price a buyer is willing to pay (Bid) and the price a seller is asking for (Ask).
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