There are essential differences in asset ownership, sources of leverage, settlement mechanisms, and risk structures among the three types of trading methods in cryptocurrency trading: spot, leverage, and contract.
1. Spot Trading
- Core Logic: Immediate buying and selling of actual assets
- Leverage and Risk:
- Leverage Ratio: 1x (no leverage)
- Maximum Loss: Principal goes to zero (when the coin price drops to 0)
- Typical Scenario:
> Buying 0.025 BTC with 1000 USDT, if BTC rises to 45,000 USDT, profit is 125 USDT (25% increase).
2. Leverage Trading
- Core Logic: Spot collateralized lending amplifies the principal
- Leverage and Risk:
- Leverage Ratio: 2-100x (platform sets the upper limit)
- Forced Liquidation Mechanism: When the value of collateralized assets ≤ borrowed principal + interest, automatic liquidation is triggered.
- Maximum Loss: May exceed the principal