Reading the ladder
The ladder is one market outcome shown as a vertical price scale. Prices run down the middle, the book sits on either side, and your own orders sit on the prices where you put them.
Read this page once and the rest of the program explains itself.
The columns, left to right
Section titled “The columns, left to right”| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Green | What you win or lose at that price if this outcome settles. Only appears on rows where you have a position. |
| Lay | Money waiting to sell at that price. |
| Price | The price itself, and your own order when you have one there. |
| Back | Money waiting to buy at that price. |
| Traded | How much has actually changed hands at that price, split into the back and lay halves. |
A depth strip runs down the far right, giving the shape of the whole book at a glance without scrolling.
The price column is where you work
Section titled “The price column is where you work”The middle column does three jobs at once.
It shows the price. The row that last traded is highlighted, so you can always see where the market actually is.
It holds your order. When you have an order at a price, that cell stops showing the price and shows your stake instead. This is deliberate: a stake and a cancel button do not fit next to a price, and half a price is worse than none.
It cancels. Your order cell carries a small cross in the top-right corner. One click and the order is gone.
You can also drag an order to another price. Pick up the cell and drop it on the row you want. The old order is cancelled and a new one goes in at the new price.
Back and lay
Section titled “Back and lay”Back is money waiting to buy. Lay is money waiting to sell.
Each side has a bar across the top showing how the depth is split between the two — a quick read of which way the book is leaning, without adding up the rows.
Traded
Section titled “Traded”The right-hand column is history, not intent. Back and lay show what people want to do; traded shows what they did. A price with a large traded figure and nothing left resting on either side is a level the market has already fought over.
The leftmost column answers one question: if this outcome settles now, what happens to your money at that price. It only appears on rows where you have something at risk.
Practical notes
Section titled “Practical notes”- The ladder keeps the current price in view on its own. You do not have to chase it while the market moves.
- Hiding your balance in the connect window does not hide your stakes here. Close the ladder before sharing your screen if the numbers are private.
- Every order in the ladder is a real order with real money. There is no practice mode.