Inventory Management

What is Inventory?

Inventory = how much of the asset the bot is currently holding (long or short).

Example:

  • If the bot buys more than it sells → it becomes long

  • If it sells more than it buys → it becomes short

How Arbital Manages Inventory Automatically

Arbital actively prevents runaway exposure by:

  • Reducing buys when inventory is too long

  • Reducing sells when inventory is too short

  • Adjusting spreads dynamically

  • Stopping one-sided trading if limits are hit

You don't need to manually rebalance - the bot does this continuously.

Directional Bias

Directional bias allows you to tilt execution toward buying or selling earlier in time, while still running a two-sided market making strategy.

  • The bot will always place both buy and sell orders.

  • Bias only affects when buys and sells happen - not whether they happen.

Neutral

  • Buy and sell orders are distributed evenly over time

  • Inventory stays close to zero

  • No directional exposure

This is pure market making.

Long Bias

  • Buy orders are executed earlier than sell orders

  • Sell orders are executed later, not removed

  • Inventory becomes temporarily long

Long bias causes the bot to build a long position early, then even out over time through continued market making.

Short Bias

  • Sell orders are executed earlier than buy orders

  • Buy orders are executed later, not removed

  • Inventory becomes temporarily short

Short bias causes the bot to build a short position early, then even out over time through continued market making.

Important Notes

  • The strategy always market makes on both sides

  • Total buy and sell volume still converges over the full run

  • Bias increases temporary inventory and margin usage

  • Margin requirements increase by up to 20% at higher bias levels

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