What is spot trading?
Buying and selling an asset for immediate delivery: pairs, base and quote assets, and how a spot market works.
In spot trading, assets are bought and sold "on the spot": when a trade is executed, the buyer receives the asset and the seller receives payment straight away. There is no borrowed money and no contract about the future.
Pairs
Spot markets are organised in pairs, such as BTC/USDT. The first asset (BTC) is the base asset — what you buy or sell. The second (USDT) is the quote asset — what the price is measured in. A price of 80,000 on BTC/USDT means one BTC costs 80,000 USDT.
Makers and takers
- A maker places an order that waits in the order book (for example, a limit order below the current price). Makers add liquidity.
- A taker places an order that is executed immediately against waiting orders. Takers remove liquidity.
Exchanges often charge different fees for makers and takers.
What you see on a spot screen
- Price and 24h figures — last price, change, high, low and volume.
- Chart — price history as candles. See Reading candlestick charts.
- Order book — waiting buy and sell orders. See Reading an order book.
- Recent trades — the latest executed trades.
- Order form — where you choose the order type, price and amount.
Spot versus futures
On spot, you own the asset after a purchase. With futures, you trade a contract that follows the price, often with leverage. Read What are perpetual futures?.
University materials are for education only and are not investment, legal or tax advice.