# Introduction to Spot Trading

#### 1. What is Spot Trading?

Spot trading in cryptocurrencies refers to buying or selling assets at the current market price. For example, in the BTC/USDT trading pair, the price reflects how many USDT are required to purchase 1 BTC, or how many USDT you receive when selling 1 BTC.

#### 2. Key Features of Spot Trading

* **Direct ownership**: Transactions are settled immediately, and ownership of the asset is directly transferred.
* **Crypto-based settlement**: Trades are conducted entirely in cryptocurrency — no physical assets are exchanged.
* **No expiry or forced liquidation**: You can hold your purchased assets indefinitely without delivery deadlines or mandatory closing.
* **Transparent and fair pricing**: Prices are determined by supply and demand, with all trades matched transparently through the order book.

#### 3. What is a Trading Pair?

A trading pair represents two digital assets that can be exchanged for one another. For example, **BTC/USDT** means you can buy BTC using USDT, or sell BTC to receive USDT.

#### 4. Maker vs. Taker

* **Maker (adding liquidity):** An order that does not execute immediately but adds to the order book (e.g., a buy order priced lower than the best ask, or a sell order priced higher than the best bid).
* **Taker (removing liquidity):** An order that executes immediately against an existing order in the order book (e.g., a buy order priced equal to or higher than the best ask, or a sell order equal to or lower than the best bid).

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