In a strategic move to enhance market liquidity and optimize user trading experiences, OKX has announced upcoming adjustments to the tick sizes across select spot, margin, and perpetual futures trading pairs. These changes will be implemented in two phases on January 2, 2024, with the goal of refining price granularity and supporting more precise trading strategies.
Understanding the Tick Size Adjustment Schedule
The tick size updates will occur during two designated time windows:
- 6:00 AM – 7:30 AM UTC on January 2, 2024
- 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM UTC on January 2, 2024
These adjustments are designed to align pricing precision with current market dynamics and trading volume trends. For any trading pair available in both spot and margin markets, the updated tick size will apply to both.
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Phase 1: Initial Adjustment (6:00 AM – 7:30 AM UTC)
During this window, the following change will take effect:
- DORA/USDT (Spot): Tick size increases from 0.00001 to 0.0001
This adjustment reduces decimal precision, meaning price increments will be slightly larger post-update.
Phase 2: Expanded Updates (6:30 AM – 8:00 AM UTC)
A broader set of instruments will see refined tick sizes, enhancing precision for active traders.
Perpetual Futures Adjustments
Several perpetual contracts will adopt smaller tick sizes, allowing for finer price movements:
- CELO/USDT: 0.001 → 0.0001
- FLM/USDT: 0.0001 → 0.00001
- FLOW/USDT: 0.001 → 0.0001
- IOST/USDT: 0.00001 → 0.000001
- KNC/USDT: 0.001 → 0.0001
- LOOKS/USDT: 0.0001 → 0.00001
- OMG/USDT: 0.001 → 0.0001
- THETA/USD & THETA/USDT: 0.001 → 0.0001
- WAXP/USDT: 0.0001 → 0.00001
- XTZ/USDT: 0.001 → 0.0001
Spot Market Adjustments
Multiple spot trading pairs will also undergo tick size refinements:
Increased Precision (smaller tick size):
- ASTR/USDC & ASTR/USDT: 0.0001 → 0.00001
- BONE/USDT: 0.001 → 0.0001
- BRWL/USDT: 0.00001 → 0.000001
- CELO/USDT, DAI/USDT, FLM/USDT, FLOW pairs, KDA/USDT, KNC pairs, LOOKS pairs, OMG/USDT, THETA/USDT, XTZ/USDT: All moving to finer increments
Decreased Precision (larger tick size):
- SUN/USDT, MRST/USDT, GEAR/USDT, DGB/USDT: Moving from 0.00001 to 0.000001 — a rare tightening due to low volatility or trading activity
Key Impacts on Trading Activity
Temporary Trading Suspension for Reduced Precision Pairs
When a tick size is adjusted to fewer decimal places (e.g., from 0.0001 to 0.01), trading for that pair will be temporarily suspended for 2 minutes to ensure a smooth transition.
During this brief pause:
- You cannot place, modify, or cancel orders
- Fund transfers involving the affected asset are paused
- Only the specific trading pair is impacted — all others remain fully operational
Note: Pairs receiving increased precision (more decimal places) will experience no downtime.
What Happens to Your Open Orders?
Understanding how open positions are handled is crucial for active traders and bot users.
A. Orders Affected by Reduced Tick Size
If the new tick size supports fewer decimals, such as moving from four to two decimal places:
- Limit orders with excessive decimal precision (e.g., price at 13.4567 when only two decimals allowed) will be automatically canceled
- Orders matching or under the new precision (e.g., 13.45) remain active
- Applies equally to manual and API-placed orders
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Impact on Trading Bots
- Grid & DCA bots: All open orders are canceled and the bot is stopped
- Other bots (signal, TWAP, iceberg, arbitrage, etc.): Open orders canceled but bot remains active — resumes trading after restart with new tick rules
B. Orders Under Increased Tick Size
When precision improves (e.g., from two to four decimals):
- Existing orders remain valid
- They will be filled according to the new, finer tick size
- No cancellations occur
- Historical and open order displays retain original formatting
Order Display Rules After Adjustment
| Scenario | Open & Historical Order Display |
|---|---|
| Tick size reduced (e.g., more rounding) | Non-API users see rounded values (buy orders rounded down, sell orders rounded up); API users see pre-adjustment values |
| Tick size increased (finer increments) | All users continue seeing original tick precision |
For API traders: If you attempt to place an order using the old tick size after adjustment (e.g., four decimals when only two are allowed), the system will:
- Round down buy orders
- Round up sell orders
to ensure execution eligibility.
Manual traders using web or mobile interfaces cannot submit orders violating the new tick size.
Core Keywords Integration
This update revolves around key concepts critical to advanced trading operations:
- Tick size adjustment enhances price step accuracy
- Market liquidity benefits from optimized pricing tiers
- Trading experience improves through smoother execution
- Spot and perpetual futures both impacted
- Order management changes require trader awareness
- API trading behavior adapts automatically
- Risk mitigation during transition periods ensures stability
- Precision refinement supports better strategy deployment
These keywords naturally reflect user search intent around exchange updates, technical changes, and trading optimization.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Why is OKX adjusting tick sizes?
A: To improve market efficiency and liquidity by aligning price increments with current trading behavior and volume patterns across different assets.
Q: Will all trading pairs be affected?
A: No — only specific spot, margin, and perpetual futures pairs listed in the announcement are included in this update.
Q: Do I need to close my positions before the adjustment?
A: Not necessarily. Most open orders on increased-precision pairs will remain active. However, those with excessive decimals on reduced-precision pairs may be canceled — review your positions beforehand.
Q: How does this affect automated trading strategies?
A: Grid and DCA bots will stop and cancel pending orders during reduced-tick adjustments. Other bots will resume automatically after the update with new pricing rules.
Q: Can I still trade during the adjustment?
A: Yes — except for pairs undergoing reduced precision changes, which face a brief 2-minute suspension.
Q: Where can I get help if my order was unexpectedly canceled?
A: Contact OKX Support via the Help Center for personalized assistance regarding order status or transition issues.
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