Crypto Tape Reading
Tape reading is the analysis of executed trade flow. In crypto, this involves observing aggressive buying and selling, order size, trade speed and behavior between spot and futures markets.
What to watch
Traders usually observe volume, frequency, direction of trades, whales, sweeps, absorption and CVD. The combination of these signals helps you understand whether the market is being pressured by buyers or sellers.
- Aggressive buying vs. selling (who takes liquidity)
- Size and speed of prints on tape
- Large orders and ranking of session whales
- Divergences between price and CVD
- Differences between spot and futures behavior
Spot vs Futures
Flow in futures may show speculative and leveraged aggression. Spot flow helps to confirm real interest in buying or selling the asset. No single indicator guarantees future direction. Also read the article spot vs futures.
How to train on TapeRadar
- Open a liquid pair (BTC or ETH).
- Filter the minimum value to reduce noise.
- Follow 15–30 minutes without trading.
- Note sweeps, absorptions and CVD changes.
- Only then consider executing a trade on the exchange.
To go further: CVD and delta, absorption and sweep and day trade with flow.
Where to trade with what you read on the tape
TapeRadar does not execute orders. If you decide to trade, use a liquid exchange, 2FA and keep position sizes small. Binance for majors and depth; MEXC for alts and listings.
Referral links (Binance and MEXC). We may receive commission if you register and trade at no extra cost. This is not financial advice. Crypto involves high risk.