- Market-neutral: stablecoin or staked-asset loops
- Directional: including long or short-biased positions on volatile assets
Open, Manage, Roll Over, and Close Loops
- Open
- Manage
- Roll over
- Close
- Manually open
- Manually close
- Visit the Loops page in the Loopscale App.
- Choose a Loop. See Loop Types for more detail.
- Review whether the position is market-neutral or price-sensitive.
- Select your leverage. Higher leverage increases both yield and liquidation risk.
- Choose optional settings: Slippage tolerance and fixed-rate duration (longer durations reduce rate risk, but may have higher rates and/or less liquidity).
- Confirm and execute the transaction.
Risk Management
Loops introduce amplified exposure. While they are designed to boost returns from yield-bearing assets, they also come with meaningful risks:- Asset price volatility: Directional Loops (e.g. long or short) can be liquidated if the underlying asset moves against the position.
- Yield vs. borrow rate mismatch: If your asset’s yield drops below your fixed borrow rate, the strategy may become unprofitable.
- Liquidity constraints: AMM liquidity must be sufficient to open or close Loop positions. If unavailable, users may face slippage, need to wait, or close manually.
Understanding Returns
Loop P&L depends on:- The yield rate of the asset being looped
- The borrow rate and fixed duration
- The chosen leverage multiplier
- Any associated fees (origination, slippage, early close before maturity for PTs)
- Underlying asset pricing
Loop Types
Different Loops have distinct risk profiles and performance dynamics based on the yield asset and debt asset.- LSTs & LRTs
- Perps LPs
- DEX LPs
- Fixed Yield (PT)
- xStocks
Loops on tokens like mSOL, JupSOL, or restaking tokens earn a spread between staking yield and borrow rate.
- Yield Source: Staking rewards
- Liquidation Risk: Not based on price volatility — driven by staking yield falling below borrow cost or validator underperformance
- Best Use: Capital-efficient compounding of stable staking yields
FAQ & Common Issues
’Market does not have enough SOL supplied’ when opening a loop
Loops rely on swaps via AMMs (like Orca or Raydium). This error means there isn’t enough liquidity in the AMM pool to complete the Loop at your selected size. Try reducing leverage or selecting a different Loop.‘No Route Found’ when closing a Loop
This indicates insufficient liquidity in the AMM to close the Loop. You can wait for AMM liquidity to recover or manually close your Loop.Unexpected negative PnL, particularly after opening a position
Loops can show negative yield if market conditions move against the position, such as changes in underlying asset values, high borrow rates, or insufficient collateral yield. PnL can also start negative due to costs associated with opening a Loop, particularly at higher leverages. For leveraged PT and LST Loops, negative PnL is often temporary, especially immediately after opening a Loop. This usually reflects execution costs and conservative estimates rather than poor performance. For LSTs, negative PnL often resolves when staking rewards are distributed. For PT loops, true value becomes apparent at maturity or as market liquidity improves. For a better estimation of PnL, you can simulate pricing by clicking Close Loop to simulate closing the position in your wallet, without confirming the transaction. This will show a more accurate estimation as it is a simulated transaction rather than an estimation. What can affect your PnL:Execution Costs
Execution Costs
Opening a Loop requires multiple AMM swaps to create leverage, each incurring roughly AMM fees. With leverage, these costs multiply—a 3x leveraged Loop will have 3x the fees.
Oracle vs. Market Price (Swap Difference)
Oracle vs. Market Price (Swap Difference)
Your PnL uses Loopscale’s “fair value” pricing, but actual market prices may differ. We call this the “Swap Difference”.
- LSTs (jitoSOL, mSOL, fragSOL): Often trade below theoretical value until staking rewards are distributed at epoch end
- PTs (RateX tokens): Frequently trade at discounts in AMMs due to low liquidity and early exit risk. Since PTs only realize full yield at maturity, AMM prices may reflect additional discounts
Conservative PnL Estimates
Conservative PnL Estimates
The system shows conservative estimates assuming maximum slippage and fees. This is especially pronounced for PT loops, where calculations include potential early exit penalties you won’t pay if holding to maturity.
Price Movement (in Directional Loops)
Price Movement (in Directional Loops)
Directional loops like JLP or MLP have leveraged exposure to underlying pool assets. If you’re looping JLP (containing SOL, ETH, BTC, etc.), you’re taking a leveraged long position on that basket. When these assets decline, losses are amplified by your leverage multiplier.
Borrowing Costs
Borrowing Costs
Fixed-rate borrowing costs accumulate over time. If your looped asset’s yield doesn’t exceed this rate, PnL will gradually decrease. This is indicated by a negative APY on a Loop.
Market Hours
For certain assets, Loops can only be closed or fully repaid during market hours. Open market hours are as follows for these assets:Asset | Market Hours (EST) | Description |
---|---|---|
xStocks | Weekdays 9:30am–4:00pm | xStocks are tokenized equities such as NVDAx or CRCLx. They are available during U.S. market hours. |
Flash Pool 2 (FLP.2) | Sunday 5pm - Friday 5pm, with a daily hour break at 5pm | Flash Pool 2 provides liquidity for synthetic tradeable assets across oil, FX, and metals. This market is available during CME FX/Metals/Oil market hours. |