<p>Market direction, as with any direction, only applies when you have more than a single data point.</p>

<p>So, the value of the trade at <code>t-1</code> compared to the value of the trade at <code>t</code> can tell you if the market moved "up" or "down".  The value of <code>t</code>, by itself can only ever tell you the value of <code>t</code>.  There is no way to determine direction or velocity from a single point value.</p>

<p>If an individual API provides direction, then you could use that; however that is up to the individual API to provide.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-10T20:34:43.177Z
2018-05-10T20:34:43.177Z
Hannah Vernon
<p>All you're seeing in the order book are offers to trade at specific prices. There's no commitment there; they can be easily added or removed at a moment's notice. That leaves the order book as a very weak and gameable indication of future market price movement.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-10T20:45:58.403Z
2018-05-10T20:45:58.403Z
harrym
<p>Among other open access (i.e. public) data available in exchange API's are the open order books. They are given on exchange websites sorted by coin value. Is there a way to tell which way the market is going, as in up or down for a given pair, from sell and buy order books? 
If the only way is by taking two snapshots of these data, would that be a good way to do it, or is there a better way, using public API's?</p>

<exchanges><api>
Can one tell which way the market goes from sell and buy orders?
Vera
# Can one tell which way the market goes from sell and buy orders?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-10)

Among other open access (i.e. public) data available in exchange API's are the open order books. They are given on exchange websites sorted by coin value. Is there a way to tell which way the market is going, as in up or down for a given pair, from sell and buy order books?
If the only way is by taking two snapshots of these data, would that be a good way to do it, or is there a better way, using public API's?

**Tags:** exchanges, api


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-05-10. Score: 1

Market direction, as with any direction, only applies when you have more than a single data point.

So, the value of the trade at `t-1` compared to the value of the trade at `t` can tell you if the market moved "up" or "down". The value of `t`, by itself can only ever tell you the value of `t`. There is no way to determine direction or velocity from a single point value.

If an individual API provides direction, then you could use that; however that is up to the individual API to provide.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2018-05-10. Score: 0

All you're seeing in the order book are offers to trade at specific prices. There's no commitment there; they can be easily added or removed at a moment's notice. That leaves the order book as a very weak and gameable indication of future market price movement.


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