What is a Price Ladder?

A Price Ladder (also called Market Ladder or DOM – Depth of Market) is a vertical trading interface that shows live bid-ask prices, market depth, and your orders in real-time. It lets you place, modify, cancel, or exit trades directly by clicking on price levels.

Think of a price ladder as a dynamic "X-ray vision" into the market that reveals not just the current prices, but the volume of orders waiting to be executed at each price level. This powerful visualization helps traders understand market sentiment, identify potential support and resistance levels, and make more informed trading decisions.

Key Components of a Price Ladder

A Price Ladder typically consists of three core components - Header, Entry Panel, and Ladder. Each component dynamically adapts based on the selected ladder type.

1. Header

Instrument Information: Displays the selected trading instrument, contract details, and expiry

OHLCV Data: Shows Open, High, Low, Close, and Volume information

Ladder Type Indicator: Identifies which type of price ladder view is currently active

2. Entry Panel

Contract Details: Specifications of the selected option contract

Quantity Selector: Tools to set your desired trading volume

Order Type Selection: Choose between Single, Bracket, Cover, Limit, Stop Loss, and other order types

Additional Parameters: Set specific conditions like Tick Size, Order Slicing, Auto stop loss trail

Action buttons: Cancel Buy/Sell or All orders, Exit Positions partially

3. Ladder Display

Price Column: Central column showing price levels in sequential order

Bid Column: Left side showing buy orders with their volumes,

Ask/Offer Column: Right side displaying sell orders with their volumes

Buy/Sell Action: Single-click on Bid/Offer column to execute trades at specific price levels

Types of Price Ladders

1. Price-Based Ladder

This ladder is directly anchored to the price movement of a specific option contract or future. It updates in real-time with every market tick, making it ideal for traders focused on precision entries and exits.

Benefits:

• Tick-Level Precision: Track every movement of the instrument and place instant orders at desired price levels without delay.
• One-Click Order Execution: Click directly on the ladder to place or modify orders instantly—no switching screens or confirmation pop-ups.
• Microstructure Awareness: See live changes in bid-ask spreads, order book depth, and price aggression to make informed scalping or intraday decisions.
• Visual Order Management: Drag and drop to modify order prices, cancel with a click, and scale in/out with precision—all within the ladder.

2. Index-Based Ladder

This view is synchronized with the underlying index or asset, allowing you to monitor how option prices react in real-time to price fluctuations in the underlying instrument.

Benefits:

• Index Correlation: Instantly place orders based on how option premiums move in response to shifts in the underlying index (e.g., Nifty, Bank Nifty).
• Spread Visualization: View live bid and offer spreads at each strike price, especially around the ATM, for quick trade decisions.
• Precision Scalping: Easily track the underlying index and place orders at specific strike price levels, making it ideal for scalping ATM options.

3. Strategy-Based Ladder

Built specifically for traders executing options strategies (Straddles, Strangles, Spreads, Iron Condors, etc.), this ladder provides a consolidated view of multiple legs and their real-time pricing dynamics.

Benefits:

• Strategy Visualization: Monitor and manage all legs of a strategy in one unified ladder—see price movements, spreads, and combined premiums clearly.
• Linked Execution: Place bracket or cover orders across multiple legs simultaneously, improving strategy execution speed and reducing risk.
• Accurate Spread Tracking: Visualize the premium difference (spread) between legs in real-time, helping you fine-tune entry and exit points.
• Ideal for Hedging & Multi-Leg Scalping: Quickly analyze profitability zones, break-even points, and place or adjust orders with a single click per leg.

How traders can be benefitted from Price Ladder Trading

Beginners

• Visual, Click-Based Interface: Easy to understand and operate, even with zero prior trading platform experience.
• One-Click Safety Orders: Place Cover, Bracket, and Auto SL orders instantly to reduce risk exposure.
• Faster Learning Curve: See how market depth and price ladders work in real-time—build confidence through hands-on interaction.
• Loss Prevention: Use quick exit and cancel options to safely manage trades during volatility.

Retail Traders

• No-Nonsense Order Execution: Trade instantly without dealing with complicated forms or delays.
• Single, Bracket & Cover Orders in One Click: Protect your trades with stop-loss and target right from the ladder.
• Auto SL Trail: Set and forget your stop-loss—it auto-adjusts to protect profits.
• Quick Order Exit: Exit partially or fully with a click when the market moves against you—minimizing losses.

Scalpers

• Blazing Fast Trades: Execute dozens of trades per minute with high precision.
• Instant Order Modification: Drag and drop your SL/target or modify price levels with zero delay.
• Live Bid-Ask Reactions: Read order flow and depth for microsecond decisions.
• One-Click Safety: Use Auto SL and instant bracket orders to protect capital while scalping tight ranges.

Professional Traders

• Multi-Leg Strategy Control: Trade complex strategies (straddles, spreads, etc.) across multiple ladders.
• Advanced Risk Management: Scale in/out, cancel orders, or exit trades immediately with a click.
• Auto SL Trail + Bracket = Safer High-Volume Trades: Mitigate risks on large orders without manual effort.
• Full-Screen, Multi-Asset Trading: Monitor different instruments and execute across them simultaneously with precision.