Trading Volume
The total value of an asset bought and sold over a period, usually measured across 24 hours.
Volume tells you how much real activity sits behind a price. High volume means tight spreads, easy entries and exits, and a price that's hard to manipulate. Thin volume is the opposite: a single order can swing the chart, and getting out is harder than getting in.
Treat reported figures with care. Some exchanges inflate volume with wash trading to look busier than they are.
Related terms
How easily an asset can be bought or sold near its current price without moving that price much.
Wash TradingFaking activity by repeatedly buying and selling the same asset to inflate volume or price.
Price DiscoveryThe market process by which buyers and sellers continuously settle on an asset's fair price.
VolatilityA measure of how sharply and how often a price swings, in either direction, over time.