3 ms·

Would you even need to take anonymization steps for this as another commenter has suggested (fake/stolen KYC and anonymized collateral)? It seems to me that wh

Would you even need to take anonymization steps for this as another commenter has suggested (fake/stolen KYC and anonymized collateral)? It seems to me that whomever was making these trades knew (suspected/or had actual inside operational information-but possibly from prior trades) that Alameda would buy the position and he would not be liable for the subsequent deflation of price. If you knew that Alameda were going to backstop at 1% under the market price, this seems like an obvious trade to make. But how would you know that Alameda were going to do that without inside information?

super256 4y ago
1) No, no need for fake KYC. It's a fair trade. 2) The information that backstop providers buy the position once your margin fraction is >= 1.5% is public info from documentation [1][2]. 3) It is an obvious trade and theoretically still possible on exchanges which have backstop providers and/or "insurance funds" to prevent clawbacks. (It depends on their risk model whether they allow you to open such a position in the first place, though. I don't know about their models at all!) But just because it is obvious, it doesn't mean it is easy to pull off. Most people fail at the first step, which is that you have initial margin to open a position and then actually move the price in your favour. Then you have people, who will try to bet against you, hunt your stops etc. [1] Backstops: https://help.ftx.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024479392-Backstop-Liquidity-Provider-Program https://help.ftx.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024479392-Backstop... [2] Cashing out: https://youtu.be/0ms7u__Gbys?t=87 https://youtu.be/0ms7u__Gbys?t=87
- super256 4y ago
  Oh, btw. This trade is similar to the mango trade as described by Matt Levine. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-12/defi-discovers-new-market-manipulations?leadSource=uverify%20wall https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-12/defi-d... Also a very funny trade!
- super256 4y ago
  Also, it's supposed to say "<= 1.5%". Sorry!

super256 4y ago

1) No, no need for fake KYC. It's a fair trade. 2) The information that backstop providers buy the position once your margin fraction is >= 1.5% is public info from documentation [1][2]. 3) It is an obvious trade and theoretically still possible on exchanges which have backstop providers and/or "insurance funds" to prevent clawbacks. (It depends on their risk model whether they allow you to open such a position in the first place, though. I don't know about their models at all!) But just because it is obvious, it doesn't mean it is easy to pull off. Most people fail at the first step, which is that you have initial margin to open a position and then actually move the price in your favour. Then you have people, who will try to bet against you, hunt your stops etc. [1] Backstops: https://help.ftx.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024479392-Backstop-Liquidity-Provider-Program https://help.ftx.com/hc/en-us/articles/360024479392-Backstop... [2] Cashing out: https://youtu.be/0ms7u__Gbys?t=87 https://youtu.be/0ms7u__Gbys?t=87

super256 4y ago
Oh, btw. This trade is similar to the mango trade as described by Matt Levine. https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-12/defi-discovers-new-market-manipulations?leadSource=uverify%20wall https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-10-12/defi-d... Also a very funny trade!
super256 4y ago
Also, it's supposed to say "<= 1.5%". Sorry!