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Risk

Phoenix uses a tiered risk classification system:
TierStatusConditionAction
0Low RiskCollateral ≥ Initial MarginNo immediate action
1At RiskCollateral < Initial Margin but > Cancel MarginMonitored
2CancellableCollateral ≤ Cancel Margin but > Maintenance MarginRisk increasing limit orders can be permissionlessly cancelled
2LiquidatableCollateral < Maintenance MarginAll open positions are eligible for liquidation via market order
3BackstopCollateral < Backstop thresholdBackstop liquidation to the insurance fund
4High RiskCollateral < High Risk ThresholdADL Eligible

Liquidation Types

Atomic Liquidation

For positions in Tier 2:
  • Market orders executed against the orderbook
  • Must improve trader health or fully close position
  • Respects maximum liquidation size limits

Backstop Liquidation

For positions in Tier 3:
  • Position transferred to the insurance fund, with a haircut applied to the trader’s remaining collateral
  • Haircut taken from remaining collateral as compensation
  • Used when orderbook liquidity is insufficient

ADL

For positions in Tier 4:
  • Underwater (losing) positions are closed at bankruptcy prices by reducing/closing matching profitable positions on the opposite side. Profitable traders affected by ADL
    may realize lower profits than expected.
  • ADL activates when the insurance fund is no longer able to take on large underwater positions, with a small buffer.