a coin u like just ran 50% and you want to buy?
most ppl end up buying local tops due to fomo
open interest shows you when to buy, when to wait, and when you're about to become exit liquidity
here's exactly how I use it, with a live
$TAO example
save this for bull run 👇
🔹 what OI actually tells you
OI = total open futures positions
every long has a short on the other side, so OI doesn't tell you who's winning
it tells you how much leverage is sitting in the market
high OI = more fuel for a big move. direction unknown
🔹 combos
1. price up, OI flat = spot buyers, healthy
2. price up, OI down = shorts closing, can fade
3. price up, OI up = new leverage, fragile if funding is high
4. price down, OI up = shorts piling in, don't catch it yet
5. price down, OI down = leverage flushing out, your zone once price stabilizes
🔸 entry 1: the flush
- price pulls back to support
- OI drops hard
- funding flat or negative
- price holds for 1–2 days
forced sellers are gone. that's your entry
🔸 entry 2: the breakout
- daily close above resistance
- retest holds
- OI flat or down
- spot buying, not just perps
real demand, not leverage. that's your entry
🔸 traps I skip
- support breaks while OI keeps rising
- funding above 0.03% per 8h (3x the default), longs overpaying
- wick above resistance that closes back below
🔹 real example:
$TAO
march 26: OI hit a record ~$555M right as
$TAO topped at $378
days later it was 20% lower at $300 as leverage flushed out
september: OI climbed back to around the same ~$555M
in dollars it looked like a repeat of march
in coins it was worse. same dollars at a lower price = roughly 15-20% more TAO on leverage
this is why you check OI in coins, not USD
then
$TAO got rejected at $329 and OI dropped 10% to $502M in a single day as longs got liquidated
that's the flush starting
🔹 my
$TAO plan
price ~$310, nothing confirmed yet. it wicked to $279 and bounced
- 30% now
- flush: $260–280 retest, OI still dropping, support holds → add the rest
- breakout: $340 flips to support, OI flat, spot buying → add the rest
- loses $260 with OI flat or rising → wait for next support
🔸 split your money
don't go all in at one level
30% now, 70% saved for confirmation
deeper flush = bigger buy
🔸 check before every buy
- OI in coins, not USD
- funding
- spot flow
- daily closes, not wicks
all free on coinglass
never long with leverage when OI is at a record. you can be right on direction and still get liquidated on the wick
a 10–20% swing won't matter much for a long term holder
these checks are your edge if you are trading
nfa