Researchers suggest that data on crypto liquidations from exchanges is likely being underreported. 📈

The Importance of Accurate Crypto Liquidation Data

Understanding the significance of reliable liquidation data in the cryptocurrency market is crucial for making informed trading decisions. This data provides valuable insights into market sentiment, risk appetite, and leverage ratios on exchanges, which can help traders manage their positions effectively and minimize potential losses. However, recent findings suggest that the reported liquidation volumes from leading cryptocurrency exchanges may not accurately reflect the actual volume of liquidations occurring in the market.

Lack of Transparency in Liquidation Data

A senior researcher at K33 Research, Vetle Lunde, has raised concerns about the transparency of liquidation data provided by exchanges such as Binance, Bybit, and OKX. Lunde suggests that these exchanges have been underreporting liquidation volumes by limiting the data shared through their WebSocket APIs.

Exchanges altered their liquidation WebSocket API in 2021 to only report one liquidation per second, significantly reducing the visibility of liquidation events.
This change was purportedly made to create a fair trading environment and optimize data streams for users.
As a result, the actual scale of cryptocurrency liquidations on these platforms may be much higher than what is being reported.

Implications of Inaccurate Liquidation Data

If Lunde’s claims are valid, the underreporting of liquidation data could have far-reaching implications for traders and investors in the cryptocurrency market. The reliance on inaccurate data to assess market risk and leverage positions could lead to misinformed trading decisions and increased exposure to market volatility.

Accurate liquidation data is essential for estimating market risk appetite and identifying leveraged positions on exchanges.
It helps traders understand the impact of sudden market movements on open positions and assess the cleansing effect of large liquidation events.
By limiting transparency in liquidation data, exchanges may gain an unfair advantage in understanding market risks and making informed trading decisions.

Measuring Liquidation Volume

Monitoring changes in open interest in notional terms compared to previous days can provide a more reliable measure of liquidation volume in the cryptocurrency market. However, this method may not capture new positions opened during market-wide sell-offs, limiting its effectiveness in assessing leverage events accurately.

Open interest refers to the total number of outstanding derivative contracts, including futures and options, that have not yet been settled.
While this approach offers insights into historical leverage events, it may not account for real-time changes in trading activity during market fluctuations.

Significance of Liquidation Data for Traders

Despite the challenges in obtaining accurate liquidation data, it remains a critical component for understanding market dynamics and making informed trading decisions in the cryptocurrency space.

Liquidation data provides insights into market sentiment, trends, and potential margin calls that can impact asset prices.
During times of market volatility, accurate liquidation data enables traders to adjust their positions proactively and mitigate potential losses.