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TQB/ learn/ foundations/ prediction market order booksEN · DARK
Foundationspractitionermarket-note

Prediction Market Order Books

Read bid, ask, midpoint, spread, depth and imbalance for outcome tokens.

Reviewed 2026-08-10TheQuantBateman ResearchReading note
01Intuition

Build the mental model first.

The headline probability hides executable sides and available size. The order book shows how much belief can actually trade near the displayed coordinate.

ONE-LINE DEFINITION

Read bid, ask, midpoint, spread, depth and imbalance for outcome tokens.

02Mathematics

Now make it exact.

mid=(bid+ask)/2,imbalance=(DbDa)/(Db+Da)mid=(bid+ask)/2, \quad imbalance=(D_b-D_a)/(D_b+D_a)
Notation and units

Decimal rates and volatilities, year-fraction time and continuous compounding unless stated otherwise.

03Assumptions

Every model has a price.

01

Educational conventions are stated explicitly and may simplify market quotation or settlement details.

02

Rates are continuously compounded unless the section says otherwise.

03

Inputs are deterministic in the base model.

“An unstated convention is a future reconciliation break.”— THEQUANTBATEMAN
04Market use

Why a quant cares.

Liquidity diagnostics, event monitoring, transaction-cost context and stale-price detection.

IntuitionMathematicsImplementationDesk risk
05Desk view
FRONT OFFICE VIEW

The hedge has opinions.

Start with the quote convention, then ask which Foundations risk survives the hedge. A number without its convention is merely well-dressed ambiguity.

Ask Bateman about this model
06Related

Continue through the graph.