If you are new to crypto, a market page can look like a wall of numbers. This guide explains what each figure means so you can read any coin page with confidence.
Price and 24-hour change
The headline price is the most recent traded value in your chosen currency. The 24-hour change shows how that price has moved over the past day, expressed as a percentage. A green number means the price is up over the period; red means it is down. Remember that the figure is a rolling 24-hour window, not a calendar day, so it shifts continuously as new trades come in.
Market capitalization
Market cap is price multiplied by circulating supply. It is the best single measure of an asset’s relative size. A coin with a low unit price can still have a very large market cap if many coins are in circulation, which is why comparing unit prices between coins tells you very little on its own.
Market cap rank
Most pages show a rank — #1, #2 and so on — ordering coins by market cap. Rank is a quick way to gauge how a coin sits relative to the rest of the market, but it says nothing about quality or risk; it is purely a size ordering that can change as valuations move.
Trading volume
Volume tells you how much of the asset changed hands recently, usually over the past 24 hours. High volume usually means better liquidity, so it is easier to buy or sell without moving the price much. Persistently thin volume is a warning sign: even a modest order can swing the price, and exiting a position can be harder than entering one.
Supply figures
Circulating supply is what is trading now; maximum supply is the hard cap, if one exists; total supply sits in between, counting coins that exist but are not yet circulating. Comparing circulating with maximum supply shows how much potential new supply could still enter the market, which can dilute holders over time.
All-time high and all-time low
Many pages list the all-time high (ATH) and all-time low (ATL) — the highest and lowest prices the asset has ever reached — often with how far the current price sits below the peak. These frame how much the price has moved historically, but on their own they predict nothing about where it goes next.
Where the numbers come from
Market figures are aggregated from public exchange data and refresh frequently, so two sources can show small differences depending on which venues they include and exactly when they sampled. Treat the numbers as a close approximation of a fast-moving market rather than a single official price.
Putting it together
No single number tells the whole story. Reading price, market cap, volume and supply together gives a far clearer picture than price alone — and it helps you avoid the common trap of mistaking a low unit price for a cheap or undervalued asset.
This article is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice.