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How Markets Work

Understanding Oyrade's market mechanics helps you make better predictions.

Market Structure

Each market represents a binary question:

"Will [EVENT] happen by [DATE]?"

Examples:

  • "Will $BONK reach $0.001 by March 1st?"
  • "Will ETH be above $5,000 on April 15th?"
  • "Will candidate X win the election?"

Shares: YES and NO

Every market has two types of shares:

ShareMeaningPayout if Correct
YESEvent happens$1.00 USDC
NOEvent doesn't happen$1.00 USDC

Combined value of 1 YES + 1 NO share always equals $1.00 USDC.

How Prices Work

Share prices range from $0.01 to $0.99:

  • Price = Implied Probability
  • YES at $0.70 = 70% chance event happens
  • NO at $0.30 = 30% chance event doesn't happen

These always sum to $1.00 (minus small spread).

Making Money

Buy Low, Correct High

If you think the market is wrong:

  1. Underpriced YES: Buy YES if you think probability is higher than price
  2. Underpriced NO: Buy NO if you think probability is lower than price

Example

Market shows YES at $0.40 (40% implied)

You believe true probability is 70%

Buy 100 YES shares for $40

If correct: 100 × $1.00 = $100 (150% return)

If wrong: Lose $40

Liquidity & AMM

Oyrade uses an Automated Market Maker (AMM) with bonding curves:

  • Always liquidity available to trade
  • Prices adjust based on supply/demand
  • Large trades move the price more
LMSR Curve

We use LMSR (Logarithmic Market Scoring Rule) for optimal price discovery-same as Polymarket.

Market Lifecycle

  1. Creation - Market opens for trading
  2. Trading - Buy/sell shares as odds change
  3. Expiry - Trading stops at cutoff time
  4. Resolution - Oracle determines outcome
  5. Settlement - Winners receive $1.00/share

Next: How prices are calculated →