Market Making on Uniswap: An Analytical Approach - Part I

Browse Web

Reading https://insights.glassnode.com/lp-uniswap/

TLDR :mag:

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the activities and dynamics within the Uniswap decentralized exchange (DEX) protocol, focusing on the interplay between liquidity providers (LPs) and traders.

Key Points :key:

  • Uniswap is one of the largest and most established DEXs, with a significant portion of its liquidity on the Ethereum mainnet.
  • The number of unique traders and market makers on Uniswap has slightly decreased over time, but the balance between these cohorts has shifted, with fewer traders per active market maker.
  • Market makers tend to prefer larger volume traders who are more likely to stay on the mainnet, while smaller and more fee-sensitive traders are more likely to move to cheaper Layer-2 alternatives.
  • Despite the large number of newly created liquidity pools, the majority of the total liquidity is concentrated in the top 10-20 token pools, suggesting that market makers follow the fee revenue.
  • Similar to market makers, traders also tend to focus their activity on the top 10-20 token pools, with limited demand for tokens outside the top 30 pools.

In-depth Summary :memo:

The article provides a comprehensive overview of the Uniswap protocol’s performance, examining various metrics and methodologies that can help market makers better understand the dynamics within the ecosystem.

One key observation is the slight decrease in the number of unique traders and market makers on Uniswap, but a shift in the balance between these cohorts. During the 2021 bull cycle, there was an average of 3 traders per active market maker, but this number has since oscillated between 1 and 2 traders per market maker. This suggests that market makers are preferring larger volume traders who are more likely to remain on the Ethereum mainnet, while smaller and more fee-sensitive traders are transitioning to cheaper Layer-2 alternatives.

Despite the high rate of new liquidity pool creation, the majority of the total liquidity is concentrated in the top 10-20 token pools, indicating that market makers are following the fee revenue and focusing their efforts on the most popular token pairs. This trend was amplified during the 2021 bull market, but has since reverted to a more concentrated distribution as the market conditions have shifted.

Similarly, traders also exhibit a preference for the top 10-20 token pools, with limited demand for tokens outside the top 30 pools. This suggests that the trading activity on Uniswap is still relatively niche compared to its centralized counterparts, and is primarily driven by the most popular token pairs.

ELI5 :hugs:

The article looks at how the Uniswap decentralized exchange works, focusing on the relationship between the people who provide the liquidity (market makers) and the people who trade on the platform (traders). It shows that even though there are a lot of different tokens and liquidity pools available, most of the activity is concentrated in the most popular ones. Market makers and traders tend to focus on the same top tokens, following the money and the trading volume.

Writer’s Main Point :bulb:

The primary goal of this article is to provide market makers with a comprehensive understanding of the Uniswap protocol’s activities and dynamics, which can help them devise more effective market-making strategies. By analyzing the trends in trader and market maker behavior, as well as the distribution of liquidity and trading volume, the authors aim to equip market makers with the insights they need to optimize their positions and capitalize on the opportunities within the Uniswap ecosystem.

Relevant Links :link: