Self-Trade Prevention (STP)

What Is Self Trading?

Self-trading occurs when a user’s own buy and sell orders match against each other. This can happen unintentionally, especially for traders using multiple strategies, automated trading systems, or API-based order placement.

Why We're Implementing STP

  • STP is important for Thalex, as it prevents a number of market manipulation techniques. It contributes to more accurate order books and market data, so the prices and volumes seen reflect real market activity.
  • Traders using bots, APIs or multiple accounts benefit from STP, as this mechanism automatically prevents conflicts between orders across strategies and/or accounts.
  • Aligning with other top-tier exchanges which also implement STP, giving our traders the same professional-level safeguards.

How Will It Work?

Orders are only considered self trading if they belong to the same customer.

  • Implied matching: a trade is a self-trade if any of the passive order executions produced are self-trades in relation to the taker order.
  • Combo matching: a trade is a self-trade if any of the order executions produced on the leg books are self-trades in relation to the taker order.

Supported STP Actions:

  • Cancel taker order with partial fill - fill from top-of-book up until the self-trade level.

We do not support canceling orders in the books at the moment.

Bots:

  • Always use the default STP level and action for orders placed by bots.
  • If any order self-trades, stop the bot.

Conditional orders: Uses the default STP level and action for converted conditional orders.