What a liquidity trap is
A liquidity trap happens when the order book appears deep enough to absorb flow, encouraging traders to act, but that liquidity is withdrawn or re-layered as soon as pressure arrives. The result is worse fills than expected.
How it differs from normal volatility
In normal volatility, depth changes but generally remains executable. In a trap, the pattern is adversarial: displayed liquidity systematically disappears when it would need to absorb real orders.
Practical interpretation
Treat high liquidity-trap readings as a warning that quoted depth quality is poor. If the signal persists, execution strategies that rely on passive queue position can underperform compared with calmer regimes.