How a market works

From an open take to a settled payout.

A market is one take, one pot of money, and two to five traders competing to grow it.

What the creator sets

Setting	What it means
Take	One line, up to 100 characters. What the traders are out to prove.
Money	USDC the creator puts up. It’s split evenly between the traders who join.
Stocks	Up to four from the stock list. Traders can trade nothing else.
Length	10 minutes, an hour, a day or a week, counted from the start.
Trader slots	2 to 5.
Join window	One hour in the app.

The life of a market

1. Taking traders

   Traders join by moving collateral from their stake into the market. Each seat is a sleeve: the trader’s slice of the money plus the collateral backing it.

2. Start

   When every slot is taken, or the join window closes with at least two traders, the market starts and each sleeve gets its slice. If fewer than two joined, the market is cancelled and everyone gets their money back.

3. Trading

   Traders swap between USDC and the market’s stocks. Each trade is checked: allowlist, per-trade cap, fill price, and that the stake still covers the positions. See Stakes and tiers.

4. End and settle

   When the clock runs out, every sleeve is sold back to USDC and settled. The trader gets 30% of any profit; the creator gets the rest. See Liquidation and settlement.

Who earns what

	If the sleeve gains	If it loses
Creator	Their slice back plus 70% of the profit	Their slice back, less whatever the trader’s collateral couldn’t cover
Trader	Their collateral back plus 30% of the profit	Their collateral, less the loss