Predictive Strength

Negligible
Binance Coin historically had 23.64% 30 days returns when Margin Borrow Rates was▆ Very High (0.8 - 1). It indicates higher than average expected returns.
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BNB Price with Margin Borrow Rates

Factor Plot

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▆ Very Low▆ Low▆ Moderate▆ High▆ Very High

Predictive Strength

Negligible

Measures the average borrowing rates across leading exchanges.

Potential Edge

Supply-Demand Dynamics of Leveraged Capital

Borrow rates reflect real-time competition for margin liquidity. When traders aggressively borrow stablecoins (e.g., USDT) to long crypto assets, rates spike – signaling overcrowded bullish positions. Conversely, elevated BTC borrowing (often for shorting) depresses stablecoin rates, flagging bearish sentiment. These imbalances often reverse as overleveraged positions trigger liquidations, creating mean-reversion opportunities.

Liquidation Cascade Early-Warning

Margin markets operate on reflexivity: higher borrow rates → increased cost of carry → tighter liquidation buffers. Platforms like Binance auto-liquidate positions when collateral ratios fall below 1.1x. Sustained high rates (e.g., >30% APR) indicate systemic leverage vulnerable to flash crashes. Historical data shows 80%+ of +20% BTC rallies preceded by sub-15% stablecoin borrow rates.

Data Collection Methodology

The data for margin borrow rates is sourced through exchange APIs, we normalize metrics against historical averages to create a comparative index.

Read more about our methodology

Track this predictive factor on your dashboard

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Scatter plot - Margin Borrow Rates and BNB 30 and 90 Day Average Returns

Backtest - Strategy Performance

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To understand a predictive factors predictive power, we create a simple long/short strategy and simulate its past performance (with daily rebalancing):

  • 100% Long when the predictive factor is close to 1, with a position size equivalent to the predictive factor value.
  • Flat when the predictive factor is close to 0, with a position size equivalent to the predictive factor value.

The strategy is rebalanced daily, on a continuous basis. There are 0.5% transaction costs applied on each position adjustment.

API

Get started by validating the historical performance of the strategy with our transparent code snippets.
Copy and paste the code snippets below into your Python environment or download the files below.

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Our Methodology