Triangular arbitrage in crypto refers to a trading strategy that exploits price discrepancies between three different cryptocurrencies or currency pairs on the same exchange.
The idea is to make a series of trades that ultimately result in a profit without the risk typically involved in trading. It works by taking advantage of the inefficiencies in the pricing of cryptocurrency pairs.
Here’s how it works:
Identify the Discrepancy: A trader finds a pricing mismatch between three cryptocurrencies. For example, they identify that the exchange rates between BTC/ETH, ETH/USDT, and BTC/USDT pairs are not aligned in a way that satisfies arbitrage-free conditions.
Three Trades:
Trade 1: Start with one cryptocurrency, say USDT (Tether).
Trade 2: Use USDT to buy ETH.
Trade 3: Use ETH to buy BTC.
Final Trade: Finally, convert the BTC back into USDT.
Profit: If the exchange rates between these pairs are out of sync, the trader can end up with more USDT (or the initial cryptocurrency) than they started with. This is because the temporary price inefficiency allowed them to buy low and sell high across different pairs.
Example:
Initial position: You have 10,000 USDT.
Step 1: You buy ETH with USDT (at a rate of 1 ETH = 2000 USDT), getting 5 ETH.
Step 2: You buy BTC with ETH (at a rate of 1 BTC = 2.5 ETH), getting 2 BTC.
Step 3: You sell BTC back for USDT (at a rate of 1 BTC = 5200 USDT), getting 10,400 USDT.
This results in a profit of 400 USDT after completing the cycle, assuming no fees or slippage.
Key Points:
Risk-Free (In Theory): In theory, triangular arbitrage is risk-free because you’re taking advantage of price discrepancies and not market trends.
High Speed Required: Since the inefficiencies in the crypto market are usually very short-lived, this strategy often requires bots or automated systems to execute trades quickly.
Fees and Slippage: In reality, exchange fees, trading volume, and slippage (the difference between the expected price and the actual execution price) can eat into profits and should be carefully considered.
Triangular arbitrage opportunities arise in crypto markets due to the high volatility and fragmentation across different trading pairs and exchanges.
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Recommended Binance pairs: DOGE/BTC, TRX/BTC, LINK/BTC, RUNE/BTC, FET/BTC, WIF/BTC,.. Make sure they have big daily volume when you swap them.
You typically have 30 seconds to 2 minutes to complete all three orders, but the main challenge is slippage, especially if the trading volume is low.
<>How to use indicator?
For example, open the DOGE/BTC chart on Binance and set the timeframe to 30 seconds or 1 minute.
In the first input, enter DOGE/USDT, the symbol that's on the left of your slash (DOGE/BTC), and in the second, enter BTC/USDT, the symbol that's on the right of your slash (DOGE/BTC).
Next, select the investment and commissions option.
Indicator will automatically calculate the discrepancies between these three different cryptocurrency pairs and show you when it's profitable to trade it on the chart.
Follow the indicator's suggested orders and capitalize on the price discrepancies between the three cryptocurrencies on the same exchange. This is how Triangular Arbitrage work.