Liquidity, Shortages, and Slippage

What it is and why it matters

If the market has a bid for only 20 units, you cannot assume that 100 units will automatically sell at the same price. An exhausted bid means part of the cargo stays in the hold or in the warehouse.

Getting started

Before buying a lot, ask about the sale:

"If we deliver 40 units, how many can actually be bought at the current book levels? What will be left unsold?"

Example

The thinnest markets of the starting world on November 6: Energy Cells at Perseus Watch were bought at 74 for only 6 units, Logic Circuit at Vega Station at 48 for 12 units, and Mechanical Assembly at Vega at 40 for 8 units. A Courier's hold carries 40, so a full trip of such goods is guaranteed not to sell in one go. Prices and volumes change.

How the market recovers

Once every 24 game hours (currently 48 real seconds), port authorities refresh their orders back to their usual volume, as far as their money and warehouse allow. Part of the stock is consumed in the process, and some goods are produced. The market is not infinite: a bid recovers only while the authority has money, and an ask only while it has goods in its warehouse.

Fuel is produced only at Helios Port and Vega Station. At Altair, Orion, and Perseus its stock is finite until someone sells new fuel there.

Limitations and risks

• In a market sale, the unsold remainder stays where it was: in the hold or in the warehouse.
• In an assignment to the deputy, an incomplete sale halts the assignment until you decide what to do.
• The next order may be too late: bids are not reserved.

Common mistakes

• Spending all your money while looking only at the best price.
• Planning around a commodity with a single buyer without a backup selling port.

What's next

See how the deputy reads depth across all stations.