Understanding the Trading Interface

Once your wallet is connected and funded, navigate to the Trading page of OrbDex. Here you will find the main interface for executing trades. Let’s break down the key components of the OrbDex trading

• Market Selector: Usually on the upper left, there is a dropdown or list of trading pairs/markets (e.g. BTC-PERP, ETH-PERP for Bitcoin and Ethereum perpetual futures). Select the asset pair you want to trade. The price chart and data will update for the chosen market.

• Price Chart: OrbDex provides a real-time candlestick price chart for the selected perpetual contract. You can use this chart to analyze price movements. There may be options to change time frames or view indicators.

• Order Book and Recent Trades: Typically, the center of the interface shows the order book (lists of current buy and sell orders at various prices) and recent trade history. The order book has two sides – green (bids) and red (asks) – showing the quantities available at different price levels. This helps you gauge market liquidity and where you might execute a trade.

• Order Entry Panel: On the right side (or below on smaller screens) is the order entry form. This is where you create buy or sell orders. Key elements in the order panel include:

-Order Type: Choose between Market and Limit order (and possibly other types like Stop orders, if provided). We’ll explain these types in the next section.

-Buy/Long vs Sell/Short: Select whether you are opening a Long position (betting the price will rise) or a Short position (betting the price will fall). Buttons are often colored (e.g. green for Buy/Long and red for Sell/Short).

-Price field: For a Limit order, you will enter the exact price at which you want your order to execute. For Market orders, price input may be disabled since it will execute at current market price.

-Amount/Quantity: Enter the amount of the asset you wish to buy or sell. This could be in terms of the base asset (e.g. number of BTC contracts) or the quote (amount in USDC) depending on OrbDex’s interface. The system might also offer a slider to choose a percentage of your balance to use.

-Leverage: Select the leverage multiplier for your position, such as 2×, 5×, 10×, etc., up to the maximum allowed. OrbDex may provide a slider or dropdown to set leverage. The chosen leverage determines how much collateral is required for the position (higher leverage = less initial margin needed, but higher risk).

-Collateral/Margin display: As you adjust amount and leverage, the interface will show the required Initial Margin (the collateral that will be used for this position) and possibly the estimated Liquidation Price for the position based on current inputs.

• Stop-Loss / Take-Profit (optional): OrbDex’s order panel allows setting a Stop-Loss and Take-Profit price before placing the order. These are optional fields where you can input price levels:

• Stop-Loss Price: A price below (for long positions) or above (for short positions) the current price at which your position will automatically close to prevent further loss.

• Take-Profit Price: A target price at which your position will automatically close to secure profits. If you set these, OrbDex will create the respective stop or limit orders to execute when those trigger prices are reached, as described later.

Open Positions and Orders: Below or beside the chart, the interface lists your Open Positions and any Open Orders:

• Open Positions table shows each currently active position with details: entry price, size, leverage, current PnL, and liquidation price.

• Open Orders table shows any pending orders (such as limit orders waiting to execute, or stop-loss/take-profit orders that have been set but not yet triggered). Each order will list the type (buy/sell, limit/stop), the price, amount, and status.

• Account Summary: You may also see a small summary showing key stats like Total Account Equity (value of your collateral plus PnL), Used Margin (collateral tied up in positions), Available Margin (free collateral remaining), and Margin Ratio or Margin Level (an indicator of how close you are to liquidation—often shown as a percentage where if it drops to 100% you get liquidated).

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with these interface elements. Understanding what each part displays will help you make informed trading decisions. In the next section, we will cover how to execute trades using the order entry panel.