Maker and Taker Fees

The concepts of "taker" and "maker" are crucial to understand. These terms don't relate to whether you're buying or selling (the side of the trade), nor whether you're opening or closing a position. Instead, they refer to how your order interacts with the existing order book:

1. Taker Orders:

   • A "taker" is someone who "takes" liquidity from the market.

   • You become a taker when you place an order that immediately executes against an existing order in the order book.

   • This typically happens when you place a market order or an aggressive limit order that crosses the current bid-ask spread.

   • Taker orders are often described as "aggressive" because they actively remove orders (liquidity) from the book.

   • Example: If the current best ask price is $100, and you place a buy order at $100 or higher, you're a taker.

2. Maker Orders:

   • A "maker" is someone who "makes" or provides liquidity to the market.

   • You become a maker when you place a limit order that doesn't immediately execute and instead sits in the order book waiting to be filled.

   • These orders add depth to the market and are typically seen as passive.

   • Example: If the current best ask price is $100, and you place a buy limit order at $99.50, you're a maker.