After a purchase or sale, it is natural to look straight at your balance. But which balance are you reading? TraderLobby shows cash, the value of holdings, tradable amounts, and reserves. These figures answer different questions. In this chapter, we will give each number a clear meaning so that a large total does not get mistaken for money available to spend.

Begin with the Paper or Live label. We will use Paper examples and read-only inspection throughout this lesson. Paper balances belong to the simulated account. They are not a statement of money at your exchange. You can learn the whole process from the demonstration without adding funds, changing a setting, or placing another trade.

In Live, also identify the selected exchange connection. The header can show a connection label, and API settings leads to the connection controls. A balance from one connection should not be compared with another account as though they were one wallet. Changing the selected context changes the information you are looking at; it does not move money between those accounts.

Next, read the currency and the kind of figure. Paper uses dollar amounts in these cash displays. The Live header uses a Cash label for the app's reported dollar cash figure. Do not treat that as proof that every asset you own is a dollar, or that every market accepts the same quote asset. A market's full pair still matters when you review an order.

Cash and holdings are different categories. Cash is the account amount reported as cash in that context. A holding is an asset you already own, with a displayed value based on the price information available to the app. A holding worth four hundred dollars is not the same as four hundred dollars already available as cash for another purchase.

Imagine a clearly labeled example with six hundred dollars of cash and holdings valued at four hundred dollars. Together they represent one thousand dollars of account value under that example's assumptions. They do not represent one thousand dollars of cash. This distinction will stay with us as we follow the same example through the rest of the lesson.

Check freshness and errors before explaining a difference. A Live unavailable message or a dash is not a confirmed zero balance. A visible figure may also come from an earlier update while another view is refreshing. Read the selected context and any status information available instead of deciding that missing or delayed information means money has disappeared.

Your first checkpoint is a complete description: I am in this mode, viewing this account or connection, reading this currency and this type of value. That sentence may feel slower than glancing at a number, but it saves confusion later. Once you know what the figure belongs to, you can start comparing it with the other figures on purpose.