FAQ

General

What is Taste Markets?

A perpetual trading protocol on Solana where you trade attention indexes - scores derived from real-time social media data about public figures, brands, entertainment properties, and more.

Is this real money?

Currently Taste Markets is on Solana Devnet using testnet USDC. No real funds are at risk.

What wallet do I need?

Any Solana-compatible wallet works - Phantom, Solflare, Backpack, and others. Make sure it's set to Devnet.

Trading

What is a perpetual contract?

A perpetual contract (or “perp”) is a derivative with no expiry date. You can hold a position as long as your margin covers the borrow costs and hasn't been liquidated.

What leverage is available?

From 1x (no leverage) up to 10x. Higher leverage amplifies both gains and losses and moves your liquidation price closer to your entry.

What are the fees?

0.35% to open or close a position and 1% on liquidation. There is also a variable borrow fee that accrues while your position is open.

Can I go short?

Yes. You can go long (profit when attention increases) or short (profit when attention decreases) on any market.

What happens if I get liquidated?

Your position is automatically closed. A 1% liquidation fee is deducted, and any remaining collateral is returned to your wallet.

The Taste Index

How are prices determined?

Prices come from the Taste Index, which aggregates data from Google Trends, YouTube, Reddit, and TikTok. Some composite markets also incorporate domain-specific data (e.g., esports stats, card market prices, box office numbers).

Can the index be manipulated?

The index uses an exponential moving average (EMA) to smooth out sudden spikes. It also aggregates multiple sources, making it difficult for any single source to move the price significantly.

How often do prices update?

Every few minutes, depending on the market. The EMA smoothing ensures gradual transitions rather than sudden jumps.

Liquidity

What does providing liquidity mean?

You deposit USDC into the trading pool. Traders borrow from this pool to open leveraged positions, and you earn a share of their trading fees.

Is providing liquidity risky?

Yes. When traders profit, those gains come from the pool. Fees are designed to compensate for this over time, but short-term losses are possible.

Technical

What blockchain is this on?

Solana (currently Devnet).

Where does the on-chain program come from?

The core perpetual trading engine is built on Solana Labs' perpetuals program, extended with custom oracle integration for attention index data.

Where can I get testnet SOL?

Use any Solana Devnet faucet to get SOL for transaction fees. Testnet USDC for trading is available on our Faucet page.