What OI shows
When a new trade opens between new participants, OI grows; when both sides close, it falls. So OI answers the question whose money is moving the price: new positions or old ones closing. A detailed walkthrough with examples is in the article “Open interest: how to read it with price”.
Three condition types
| Type | What it shows |
|---|---|
| OI delta | How much OI changed over the window, in percent |
| OI from high | How far OI is below the window high: whether positions have started closing |
| OI from low | How far OI is above the window low: how fast positions were built |
Windows: 5m, 15m, 30m, 60m, 4h, 12h and 24h — 21 conditions in total. Each is set as a threshold or a “from–to” corridor.
Why the radars use a corridor, not a threshold
In Black Swan and Swan Precision open interest is two required rules: OI Δ 15m from 3% to 15% and OI Δ 30m from 5% to 20%. In Failed Breakout it is OI Δ 30m from 3% to 20%. The lower bound requires that new positions actually entered the pump. The upper bound filters out extreme outliers driven by other forces.
In the BTWUSDT signal of 17.10.2026 OI grew 5.39% in 15 minutes and 5.41% in 30 minutes — both values inside the corridors.
Keep in mind: OI is measured in dollars, so it also grows with the price. Compare OI growth with price growth over the same window — that is what the Price group is for.
Common mistakes
- Confusing OI with volume: huge volume with flat OI is positions changing hands, not new money.
- Watching only a short window: a 5-minute rise can be noise against a 4-hour decline.
- Setting a single threshold with no upper bound: extreme OI growth is a different market.
Which radars use it
Thresholds from the Trap Radar PRO demo radars, as in the dashboard. All required rules (AND) must match; confirmations (OR) count up to the minimum.
Failed BreakoutSHORT
What to combine it with
One indicator is not a signal. In Trap Radar rules Open Interest works together with other data groups:
FAQ
How is OI delta different from OI from low?
Why is open interest measured in dollars?
How is OI related to liquidations?
This article explains how indicators and Trap Radar rules work and is not investment advice. Leveraged futures trading carries high risk, up to the total loss of capital.