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Intermediate guides
You know the basics and want to understand how things really work.
193 guides

All intermediate guides
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Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto market manipulation: what it is and how it worksCrypto market manipulation is faking prices or trading activity to mislead traders. US law bans it, and the SEC and CFTC can bring fraud cases.2 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateHow to read a crypto liquidation heatmapA crypto liquidation heatmap shows price levels where leveraged crypto positions may be force closed; check the exchange, contract, colors, and time frame.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWash trading in crypto: what it is and how to spot itWash trading in crypto markets is buying and selling the same asset with yourself to fake volume and price moves. US regulators can treat it as illegal.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateHow to backtest a crypto trading strategyBacktesting runs your crypto strategy rules on past price data before you risk money. Write exact rules, add costs and slippage, then validate on new data.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateMaker and taker fees: what they are and when each appliesA maker fee applies to an order resting on the book; a taker fee applies to one that fills at once. Both are a percentage of the trade's value.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateImplied volatility in crypto options: what it meansImplied volatility is the market's expected price swing for a crypto, shown as an annualized percentage. It sets option premium levels, not direction.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto futures basis: what it is and how it worksBasis in crypto futures is the gap between a futures price and spot. Positive basis usually puts futures above spot; negative basis puts them below.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhat is open interest in crypto futures?Open interest in crypto futures is the total number of contracts still open. It differs from volume and does not show price direction on its own.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateLeverage and liquidation risk: how the trigger price movesLeverage magnifies losses, so a forced close triggers closer to your entry. Isolated margin limits the reach; cross margin can touch your whole balance.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhat is spoofing in a crypto order book?Spoofing is a fake order placed in a crypto order book to be canceled, used to mislead traders about supply or demand. It can cause sudden price swings.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhat are the limits of crypto technical analysis?Crypto technical analysis cannot predict prices. It only maps past patterns, and its signals often fail in 24/7 markets with thin, wash-traded volume.2 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto trading journal: what it is and what to recordA crypto trading journal records each trade's details, reasons, and outcome so you can review mistakes. It also helps with cost basis for US taxes.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto realized volatility: what it is and how to read itRealized volatility in crypto measures how much a coin's price moved in a past period. Traders annualize the standard deviation to compare past swings.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto options contracts: what they are and how they workA crypto options contract gives the buyer the right to buy or sell crypto at a set price by expiry. The seller must perform if the buyer exercises.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhy a funding rate can turn negativeA negative funding rate means shorts pay longs when a perpetual trades far enough below spot. The rate tracks the average discount over each interval.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto funding rates: what they are and how they workA crypto funding rate is a periodic payment between traders holding perpetual futures. It often keeps the contract near spot and can flip sign.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto trade sizing: how risk sets your order sizeRisk-based crypto trade sizing uses a preset loss and a stop distance. Divide the risk amount by that distance, then convert the result to coin quantity.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCalls and Puts in Crypto Options: What They MeanA call is the right to buy crypto at a set price, and a put is the right to sell it. Each contract has a strike, an expiration date, and a premium.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhat is contango in crypto markets?Contango in crypto markets means futures trade above spot. That gap is the basis, and it can flip to backwardation when the market is stressed.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateHow to calculate your crypto liquidation priceYour liquidation price is where your margin balance falls to the maintenance margin. Work it out from your entry price, leverage and margin mode.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto Perpetual Futures: What They AreA crypto perpetual future tracks a coin's price with no expiry date. Funding payments and leverage shape the risks that traders take on these contracts.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhat is backwardation in crypto markets?Backwardation means a crypto futures contract trades below spot. The gap is called the basis, and it can appear in Bitcoin and Ether futures.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhat Are Long and Short Liquidations in Crypto?Long and short liquidations are forced closes of leveraged crypto trades by an exchange. A long is closed when price falls, a short when price rises.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateHow to interpret open interest and price changesYou interpret open interest with price changes by comparing their directions over the same window. The four pairings show new longs, new shorts or closing.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateMaintenance margin in crypto futures: what it isMaintenance margin is the minimum collateral a crypto futures position must keep. Exchanges set the rate by contract and can liquidate below it.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateWhat is a cross margin position and how does it work?A cross margin position uses your whole account balance as shared collateral for every open trade. A loss on one position can affect the others.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateIsolated margin position: what it is and how it limits riskAn isolated margin position sets aside collateral for one leveraged trade, capping losses to that amount. The exchange can liquidate just that position.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateCrypto spot vs futures trading: how they differSpot crypto trading buys the coin itself, while a crypto futures contract tracks its price without ownership. Futures settle in cash and often use margin.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateStop loss orders: what they are and how they work in cryptoA stop loss order tells a crypto exchange to place a trade when a trigger price is reached. It is a conditional order, and its fill price can differ from the stop.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
Trading & InvestingIntermediateSlippage in spot trading: why your fill price differsSlippage in spot trading is the gap between your expected price and the price your fill actually gets. Thin liquidity and fast moves widen it.3 min read · Updated Oct 6, 2026
