Liquidations in Alchemix v3 are a system-wide safety valve that activates only when the Mix-Yield Token loses backing. Because loans and collateral are like-kind, with ETH backing alETH and USDC backing alUSD, a move in the price of ETH or USDC does not force positions to close.
Price volatility in ETH or USDC alone cannot trigger a liquidation. Only a fall in the value the MYT reports, such as an exploit, a strategy reporting negative returns, or an oracle-priced strategy (a liquid staking token, for example) trading below its underlying, can push your LTV toward the fixed 95% liquidation threshold. Day-to-day, most users will never encounter one.
When liquidation does not occur
What can trigger liquidation
Reading the health bar
The colored bar in the vault UI gives an at-a-glance view of your position. Keep your current LTV well below the liquidation marker. If MYT ever records a loss, the Liq marker slides left to reflect reduced backing.
In a normal liquidation, any earmarked debt is first repaid from your collateral, then only enough additional collateral is taken to restore the position to the target ratio, at or below the 90% maximum. The rest of your position is untouched. If a position’s debt is at or above its collateral value, or the whole Alchemist has fallen below its global minimum collateralization, the position is liquidated in full. Collateral taken in a liquidation is sent to the Transmuter, where it backs redemptions, while the liquidator receives only the fee, currently 1.50%. In a partial liquidation that fee is charged on the position’s surplus collateral, the value above the debt, and comes out of the position. In a full liquidation it is charged on the debt instead, and, as with any fee the position cannot safely cover itself, it is paid from a separate fee vault that the DAO or anyone can fund.
Day-to-day most users will never see a liquidation. If MYT vaults experience a loss, these mechanisms ensure losses are covered in a transparent and proportional way.
Review the MYT strategy breakdown and risk categories before choosing your LTV. The DAO sets a maximum percentage of the MYT that may be allocated to Aggressive and Moderate risk categories, which gives you a basis for calculating a safe LTV below the liquidation threshold.