kraken-funding-carry

name: kraken-funding-carry version: 1.0.0 description: "Earn funding rate payments by positioning on the paying side of perpetuals." metadata: openclaw: category: "finance" requires: bins: ["kraken"] skills: ["kraken-futures-trading", "kraken-futures-risk"]

Use this skill for:

scanning funding rates across perpetual contracts
identifying carry opportunities (collect funding by being on the receiving side)
entering hedged carry positions (spot hedge + futures position)
monitoring ongoing carry yield

Core Concept

Perpetual futures charge periodic funding payments between longs and shorts. When the funding rate is positive, longs pay shorts. When negative, shorts pay longs. A carry strategy positions on the receiving side and hedges with spot to remain market-neutral.

Scan Funding Rates

kraken futures historical-funding-rates PF_XBTUSD -o json 2>/dev/null
kraken futures historical-funding-rates PF_ETHUSD -o json 2>/dev/null

Compare rates across contracts to find the highest yield.

Carry Entry (Positive Funding)

When funding is positive (longs pay shorts):

Short the perpetual.
Buy spot as a hedge.

# Hedge: buy spot
kraken order buy BTCUSD 0.01 --type market -o json 2>/dev/null

# Carry: short perpetual (collect funding)
kraken futures order sell PF_XBTUSD 1 -o json 2>/dev/null

Carry Entry (Negative Funding)

When funding is negative (shorts pay longs):

Long the perpetual.
Sell spot as a hedge (or skip hedge if already holding).

# Carry: long perpetual (collect funding)
kraken futures order buy PF_XBTUSD 1 -o json 2>/dev/null

# Hedge: sell spot
kraken order sell BTCUSD 0.01 --type market -o json 2>/dev/null

Yield Calculation

Annualized yield = funding_rate * funding_periods_per_year * 100.

Kraken funding periods are typically every 4 or 8 hours (varies by contract). Check contract specs:

kraken futures instruments -o json 2>/dev/null

Monitoring

Track funding accrual:

kraken futures accounts -o json 2>/dev/null

The unrealizedFunding field shows accumulated but unsettled funding.

Watch for funding rate flips:

kraken futures historical-funding-rates PF_XBTUSD -o json 2>/dev/null

If the rate flips direction, the position switches from collecting to paying. Exit or reverse.

Exit

Close both legs when carry becomes unprofitable:

kraken futures order buy PF_XBTUSD 1 --reduce-only -o json 2>/dev/null
kraken order sell BTCUSD 0.01 --type market -o json 2>/dev/null

Hard Rules

Always hedge carry positions to avoid directional exposure.
Monitor funding rates continuously; a flip turns profit into loss.
Monitor margin on the futures leg; price moves require margin even when hedged.
Requires human approval for all entries and exits.