How to trade on Bitfinex
If you have accounts on multiple exchanges, you can connect and manage them all on Cryptowatch.
You can connect your exchange accounts by generating API keys on the exchange site, then plugging those keys into Cryptowatch’s Exchange Keys page. See this article for some tips on API key security, if you haven’t already.
Cryptowatch is a one-in-all platform for traders. You can trade directly on the charts, customize powerful indicators and overlays, and manage your multi-exchange portfolio. Our alerts system lets you set SMS or email alerts for price and volume directly on the charts.
In Cryptowatch, click the My Account button in the top-right corner, then select Exchange Keys from the menu:
The Exchange Keys page is where you can plug in API keys from trading- and portfolio-enabled exchanges into Cryptowatch:
Cryptowatch connects to your exchange accounts using the public and private keys generated by the exchange. API keys generally come in pairs — one public key, and one private (like a crypto wallet). As you will see soon, these keys can be set up to allow or disallow different actions.
You can open a new window and navigate to Bitfinex.com, or click the “Generate key here” button in the Bitfinex square on the Exchange Keys page:
If you are not logged into Bitfinex, clicking “Generate key here” will direct you to their homepage
On Bitfinex, click your profile icon in the top-right of the window and click “API KEYS”:
Expand the “Create New Keys” section if it is not already. This is where you can choose your API permissions. You can set your API permissions like this:
To trade via Cryptowatch you will need to turn on:
Get account fee information
Get historical entries and trade information
Get orders and statuses
Create and cancel orders
Get position and margin info
Claim a position
Get wallet balances and address
We strongly recommend against permitting deposit and withdrawal actions to the API key. These actions cannot be performed on Cryptowatch and may expose you to unnecessary risk.
When your permissions are set, give the API keys a functional nickname — like “Cryptowatch”:
Once everything is set up, click “Generate API key”.
Bitfinex warns you to store your API keys — Cryptowatch recommends you do not. If your keys don’t work, or you want to change your permissions, delete the key and create a new one.
Bitfinex will generate public and private API keys. Copy the topmost “API key” into the “API key” field in the Bitfinex box. Then, copy the key labeled “API key secret” into the “API Secret” field.
Once both keys are input into their respective fields, Cryptowatch will automatically connect to your Bitfinex account. If the connection is successful, the box will change color and hide the keys:
If you received an Invalid Key, Unprivileged Key, Key Not Exclusive, or Unhandled error, visit the How to connect exchange accounts to Cryptowatch article for troubleshooting tips.
Success! Now you can place and cancel orders and manage your Bitfinex portfolio on Cryptowatch. If you’re new to Cryptowatch, try following the New User Guide to get acquainted with the interface.
Bitfinex traders can use Cryptowatch’s advanced charts to trade and perform technical analysis as well as track their funds alongside any other exchange accounts on the Portfolio page. For a quick overview of these features, scroll down to the Trade on Bitfinex and Bitfinex Portfolio sections.
Check out these articles to learn more about trading and analysis on the Charts page:
These articles demonstrate the Portfolio page:
Cryptowatch’s alerts function is a favorite among traders as well. Check out these articles to learn how to set alerts for price, volume, and order fills:
Now you can use Cryptowatch to trade on Bitfinex markets!
A good way to get started is to visit the Markets page, then filter the list by exchange. Click the Exchanges drop-down list on the left and select Bitfinex. Alternatively, type “Bitfinex” in the search bar to narrow the exchange list down.
Now you will only see Bitfinex markets listed. If you want to view markets for a specific asset, use the Asset’s drop-down list to filter the results even further. Clicking any market here will open that market in the trading terminal.
You can select multiple assets on the Markets page to quickly compare markets.
Cryptowatch offers a variety of tools that can enhance your trading on Bitfinex.
You can:
Do technical analysis and chart drawings while you trade
View real-time order book and trade history feeds
Track your balances across multiple exchanges in real-time on the Portfolio page
Receive SMS and email alerts for price and volume and order-fills
Chat with other traders in the Trollbox
Create and save custom themes
Stream prices and order books with the Market Data WebSocket API
Pull market data into Google Sheets with the Cryptofinance.ai plugin
Automate orders and alerts using triggers and actions with Zapier integration
After selecting a market from the filtered Markets list you will be taken to the Charts page. This is the trading terminal where you can perform analysis and submit trades:
On the right side of the page is the trading form. This is where you’ll enter the details of your trade, like direction, order type, price and volume. The trading form varies based on the options available on the current exchange. If you don't see the form, it is most likely hidden. Click the vertical bar on the right hand side of your screen to expand it.
Section | Description |
Action | Choose whether you are buying or selling |
Type | Drop-down menu for selecting an order type |
Funds | Shows your available funds for performing whichever action is selected (Buy or Sell) |
Quantity | Enter the total quantity (a.k.a. volume) of your order here |
Price | This option is available for Limit, Stop Loss and Take Profit orders. Input the price you want the order to trigger at. |
Total | This is the total value of your trade order, a product of quantity and price |
For an in-depth guide on submitting trades, check out the How to trade on Cryptowatch page.
On the price chart above you can see Bollinger bands surrounding the candlesticks on the price chart. Bollinger bands are a selectable overlay that visualize expected market extremes around a Simple Moving Average.
You can click “More info” under the Info tab in the Analysis menu to learn more about any overlay or indicator on Cryptowatch:
In the price chart image above there are a few indicators on display. From top to bottom:
Volume
MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence)
Detrended Price Oscillator (DPO)
Relative Strength Index (RSI)
Volume and MACD are present by default.
You can use any combination of indicators, drawing tools and overlays to help you analyze and predict trends.
Go to the Portfolio page to see how your orders, positions and crypto holdings are performing across all connected exchanges. You can sort your portfolio by exchange if you want to isolate your Bitfinex activity, or by asset to see how your holdings are doing.
For a closer look at the Portfolio page and the tools within, check out these articles: