Spot Trading
How to buy and sell spot assets on Ritdex — the difference from perps, the order types available, and the full place-an-order flow.
Alongside leveraged perps, Ritdex supports spot trading — buying and selling the underlying asset outright, with no leverage and no liquidation. You own what you buy, settled in your own wallet.
Spot vs perps
| Spot | Perps | |
|---|---|---|
| What you hold | The actual asset | A leveraged contract |
| Leverage | None (1×) | Up to Hyperliquid's per-market max |
| Liquidation | Never | Possible if margin runs out |
| Funding | None | Paid between traders |
| Best for | Holding, accumulating, exiting to cash | Directional trades, hedging, shorting |
If you want to simply own an asset without liquidation risk, trade spot. If you want leverage or to go short, use Perps.
Order types
- Market — buys or sells immediately at the best available price. Use when you want to fill now.
- Limit — fills only at your chosen price or better. Use to set the exact price you're willing to pay or receive; it rests on the book until matched.
Placing a spot order
- Open the spot market and pick the asset you want to trade.
- Choose a side — Buy or Sell.
- Pick an order type — Market to fill now, or Limit to set your price.
- Enter the amount — in the asset or in USDC value.
- Review — check the estimated price, the amount you'll receive, and the fee.
- Confirm. A Market order fills right away; a Limit order rests until price reaches your level.
Spot balances appear under Holdings on the trading screen. From there you can sell back to USDC at any time, or move to perps to trade the same asset with leverage.
Fees & settlement
Spot trades settle on-chain in your own wallet — non-custodial, like everything on Ritdex. The only Ritdex charge is the transparent trading fee described on the Fees page; there is no spread added on top.
A Limit order only fills if the market reaches your price. If it never does, the order simply stays open — cancel it any time from your open orders.