> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.uniocean.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.uniocean.io/forecast-platform/markets/understanding-markets.md).

# Understanding Markets

A market is a forecasting challenge for a specific asset and time window.

Users submit an exact price forecast before the market locks. At settlement, the actual price is fetched from the oracle and predictions are ranked by accuracy.

## Market Examples

| Market           | Forecast                     |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------- |
| BTC/USD — 1 Hour | Bitcoin price in 1 hour      |
| ETH/USD — Daily  | Ethereum price at end of day |
| XAU/USD — Weekly | Gold price at end of week    |

## Supported Assets

| Category    | Examples                                                                                        |
| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Crypto      | Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, BNB, XRP, Cardano, Dogecoin, Polygon, Avalanche, Polkadot, Chainlink |
| Commodities | Gold, Silver, Oil, Wheat                                                                        |
| Forex       | EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD                                                              |

> Additional categories such as indices and other financial instruments are planned for future releases.

## Market Durations

| Type        | Examples                   |
| ----------- | -------------------------- |
| Short-term  | 5 minutes, 1 hour, 4 hours |
| Medium-term | 8 hours, 12 hours, Daily   |
| Long-term   | Weekly, Monthly, Yearly    |

## Market Information

Users may view:

* Asset and pair
* Duration
* Entry fee
* Market status
* Participants
* Reward pool
* Live chart
* Rankings
* Settlement timing

## Market Flow

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[Browse Markets] --> B[Open Market]
    B --> C[Review Details]
    C --> D[Submit Forecast]
    D --> E[Market Locks]
    E --> F[Settlement]
```

***

## Related Pages

* [Market Lifecycle](/forecast-platform/markets/market-lifecycle.md)
* [Submitting Forecasts](/forecast-platform/markets/making-predictions.md)
* [Rankings](/forecast-platform/markets/leaderboard.md)
* [Reward Overview](/forecast-platform/rewards/overview.md)