KALSHI Mechanics
Market Ticker
The code that identifies a single Kalshi binary contract under an event.
Detailed explanation
A market ticker is the unique code for an individual binary Kalshi contract within an event. It distinguishes a single YES/NO outcome (for example, CPIYY-26MAR-T2.5) from other contracts that share the same event ticker. Traders use the market ticker to fetch data, place orders, and view the specific contract’s order book, price, and settlement terms. The ticker, together with the event’s resolution rule, determines how the contract will settle to $1.00 or $0.00 based on the official outcome.
Worked example
Example: A market ticker CPIYY-26MAR-T2.5 has YES priced at 42¢ and NO priced at 56¢. The sum is 98¢, creating a 2¢ edge if you buy both legs within the same event. Buying YES at 42¢ and NO at 56¢ costs 98¢ total, leaving potential profit if the event resolves true or false according to the rule.
FAQ
- What is a market ticker in Kalshi?
- It’s the code for an individual binary contract under an event, used to identify and trade the YES/NO sides.
- How does a market ticker relate to YES/NO prices?
- The ticker designates the contract; the YES and NO prices on that ticker are the two sides you trade, whose sum is constrained by Kalshi’s $1.00 spread.
- Can several markets share the same market ticker?
- No. Each market ticker uniquely identifies a single binary contract; related markets may share an event ticker but have different market tickers.
See Market Ticker on a live Kalshi market
KalshiArb scans every open Kalshi market for arbitrage edges where YES + NO < $1.00. Plug in your Kalshi API key and start receiving alerts in under 5 minutes.
Related terms
- Yes ContractA YES contract is the binary Kalshi market side that pays $1 if the event resolves true, $0 otherwise.
- No ContractThe NO contract is the opposite side of a binary Kalshi market, paying $1 if the event does not occur.
- Yes AskThe ASK price to buy YES on a Kalshi market; the YES side’s best offer.
- No AskThe NO ask is the lowest NO price offered to sell NO contracts.
- Best BidThe highest price investors are willing to pay for a YES or NO side of a Kalshi market.
- Best AskThe lowest price sellers are willing to accept for a contract side (YES/NO) on the current Kalshi order book.
- Tick SizeTick size is the minimum price increment by which Kalshi contract prices can move (1 cent).
- Settlement PriceThe final per-contract value used to determine payouts at resolution (usually $1 for a winning side, $0 for the losing side).