Today, the XPL hyperp experienced a period of significant volatility, where the mark price increased by ~2.5x over several minutes. Throughout this period, the Hyperliquid blockchain functioned as designed without any technical issues, first executing liquidations against the order book and then falling back to auto-deleveraging (ADL) as per its public specifications. Hyperps use isolated-only margining, meaning pnl from all users are isolated from all positions on other assets. All liquidations and ADLs affected only XPL positions, and the protocol incurred no bad debt.

Pre-launch markets are inherently unpredictable. The robust mark price formula for hyperps correctly prevented an instant spike, requiring several minutes of elevated order book prices before triggering liquidations.

Hyperliquid is a permissionless protocol with different markets, each with unique risk profiles. Users are strongly encouraged to read the documentation to understand the mechanics of markets like hyperps and to apply appropriate risk management before trading. All hyperps include a warning for users to beware of low liquidity, high volatility, and increased liquidation risk.

Lastly, some users expressed a desire to short using a highly collateralized position. After the next network upgrade, the mark price of hyperps will be capped at 10x the 8-hour mark price EMA. This condition has never been close to being hit, but provides a mathematical formula for bounds on liquidation prices for overcollateralized shorts. The 8-hour EMA is already reported onchain and in the API as the oracle price for hyperps. Note that this would not have changed any of today’s liquidations or ADLs, but is intended to encourage liquidity provision during periods of volatility. Different suggestions from users all come with a different set of risk vectors. The best solution is to onboard more liquidity for these markets to reduce the effects of volatility.