P2P order book builder

Comparing the lowest and highest prices tells you about current market conditions from the point of view of executing a trade. When you are forming an offer of your own, however, its position relative to the other ads carries just as much weight. Even a small change in rate can shift the position in the P2P book considerably, or barely move it at all. That depends on how densely the prices are packed and how the existing offers compete with each other. Judging competitiveness therefore calls for looking not only at the price value itself but at where it falls within the overall structure of ads.

The price you enter is slotted into the ad structure of each selected venue according to the ranking rules in force there. The projected position is highlighted with a marker so it is easy to compare visually. The position figure is determined by how many offers carry more favourable price terms than the value you set.

When analysing P2P offers you have to account for the role the participant plays in that category of ads. The sell direction groups offers from users placing assets for sale. Here a lower price is the more competitive one, because buyers look for the lowest cost of acquisition. The buy direction covers offers from users ready to acquire assets. Here higher price values take priority, because sellers are after the most favourable terms of sale. An offer’s position is therefore set not only by the size of the rate but by the trading direction chosen. The same price value can land in a different place depending on the category it is placed in.

The difference between the value you set and the price of the offer holding first position is shown as well. That figure tells you how far the rate has to move to reach the most favourable place in the queue. Even a slight change in the price parameter can affect how positions are distributed, which is why examining small price deviations has practical value when building a competitive offer.

The number of completed operations is a further criterion for judging the competitive environment. Individual ads can hold high positions thanks to an attractive rate, but the trading history of their authors matters too when analysing market offers. Setting a minimum number of trades adapts the selection to the criteria you choose and keeps the focus on offers from participants with a particular history of operations. The trade count is shown in a separate column, so you can judge merchant activity yourself and factor it into your pricing strategy.

Each selected platform appears in its own column, which makes it possible to compare ad structures and price positions within a single interface. How many venues fit at once depends on the screen size and the working space available. On mobile devices the columns scroll horizontally. For convenient comparison it is worth choosing a number of venues that suits the screen format and the monitoring task at hand.