Break-even and a target price differ by one profit term
Break-even requires the net proceeds to equal the investment exactly, so only the investment appears in the numerator.
To also make a target profit, add that profit to the numerator. Selling the same quantity must then return more cash, which requires a higher price.
Formulas
investment × (1 − fee rate) ÷ buy priceinvestment ÷ [coins received × (1 − fee rate)], equivalent to buy price ÷ (1 − fee rate)²(investment + target profit) ÷ [coins received × (1 − fee rate)]target profit price ÷ buy price − 1Worked example (recompute it yourself)
Buy at 30,000 USDT, invest 10,000 USDT, 0.1% fee on both sides, target profit 500 USDT:
Coins received = 10,000 × 0.999 ÷ 30,000 = 0.333.
Break-even price = 10,000 ÷ (0.333 × 0.999) ≈ 30,060.09 USDT, a required gain of about +0.20%.
Target profit price = (10,000 + 500) ÷ (0.333 × 0.999) ≈ 31,563.09 USDT, a required gain of about +5.21%.
So +0.20% only gets you back to flat; actually banking 500 USDT needs a move of roughly +5.21%.
Notes
The target profit is net of the fees on both sides, so the numerator adds the 500 USDT you want to keep, not a pre-fee amount.
The convention still covers trading fees only. Slippage and withdrawal fees would push the target price higher.
A target price is the price at which a given profit would be reached. It does not imply the price will get there.
FAQ
How do the target price and the break-even price relate?
The target price is the break-even price plus the price move that generates the target profit. Here break-even is about 30,060 USDT and the target is about 31,563 USDT, the difference coming from the 500 USDT profit.
Why is the target gain (5.21%) so much larger than the break-even gain (0.20%)?
The 0.20% only covers fees; the rest produces profit. A 500 USDT profit on 10,000 USDT of capital is 5%, and fees add roughly 0.21 points on top.
What if I set a much larger target profit?
The price rises proportionally: the numerator goes from 10,000 to 10,000 plus profit, so the target price scales linearly with the target. That is arithmetic, not a statement about achievability.