Redemptions and price stability of LUCID

The ability to redeem LUCID for ETH at face value (i.e. 1 LUCID for $1 of ETH) and the minimum collateral ratio of 110% create a price floor and price ceiling (respectively) through arbitrage opportunities. We call these "hard peg mechanisms" since they are based on direct processes.

LUCID also benefits from less direct mechanisms for USD parity — called "soft peg mechanisms". One of these mechanisms is parity as a Schelling point. Since Lucidly Finance treats LUCID as being equal to USD, parity between the two is an implied equilibrium state of the protocol. Another of these mechanisms is the borrowing fee on new debts. As redemptions increase (implying LUCID is below $1), so too does the baseRate — making borrowing less attractive which keeps new LUCID from hitting the market and driving the price below $1.

What are redemptions?

A redemption is the process of exchanging LUCID for ETH at face value, as if 1 LUCID is exactly worth $1. That is, for x LUCID you get x Dollars worth of ETH in return.

Users can redeem their LUCID for ETH at any time without limitations. However, a redemption fee might be charged on the redeemed amount.

For example, if the current redemption fee is 1%, the price of ETH is $500 and you redeem 100 LUCID, you would get 0.198 ETH (0.2 ETH minus a redemption fee of 0.002 ETH).

Note that the redeemed amount is taken into account for calculating the base rate and might have an impact on the redemption fee, especially if the amount is large.

Is a redemption the same as paying back my debt?

No, redemptions are a completely separate mechanism. All one has to do to pay back their debt is adjust their CDP's debt and collateral.

How is the redemption fee calculated?

Under normal operation, the redemption fee is given by the formula (baseRate + 0.5%) * ETHdrawn

Check the derivation of the redemption fee here.

How is the baseRate calculated?

Redemption fees are based on the baseRate state variable in Lucidly Finance, which is dynamically updated. The baseRate increases with each redemption, and decays according to time passed since the last fee event - i.e. the last redemption or issuance of LUCID.

Upon each redemption:

• baseRate is decayed based on time passed since the last fee event

• baseRate is incremented by an amount proportional to the fraction of the total LUCID supply that was redeemed

• The redemption fee is given by (baseRate + 0.5%) * ETHdrawn

As a borrower, do I lose money if I'm redeemed against?

If your CDP is redeemed against, you do not incur a net loss. However, you will lose some of your ETH exposure. Your CDP's collateral ratio will also improve after a redemption.

How can I avoid being redeemed against?

The best way to avoid being redeemed against is by maintaining a high collateral ratio relative to the rest of the CDP's in the system. Remember: The riskiest CDPs (i.e. lowest collateralized CDPs) are first in line when a redemption takes place.