How to use the marketwatch on Kite

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The marketwatch is the primary instrument panel on Zerodha Kite, displaying live price data, change metrics and market depth for the financial instruments you want to monitor. On Kite web, the marketwatch occupies the left-hand panel and persists across the platform. On the Kite mobile app, the marketwatch is the first tab in the bottom navigation. This guide walks through setting up and using the marketwatch effectively.

Understanding the marketwatch layout

The marketwatch on Kite web is a vertical panel on the left side of the screen. It contains:

  • Watchlist tabs: Up to five watchlists, each represented by a tab at the top of the panel. A plus (+) icon lets you create additional watchlists up to the five-tab limit.
  • Search bar: At the top of the watchlist panel, a text field for searching and adding instruments.
  • Scrip rows: Each added instrument is displayed as a row showing the instrument name, LTP, day change (absolute and percentage).

Step-by-step procedure

Log in to Kite

Open kite.zerodha.com or the Kite mobile app and authenticate with your client ID, password and TOTP.

Create a watchlist or select an existing one

Kite provides a default watchlist, often pre-populated with a sample set of indices and large-cap stocks. You can rename this watchlist by clicking the tab name (on Kite web) or via the options menu (on the app).

To create a new watchlist, click the + tab at the top of the marketwatch panel. A text field appears for naming the watchlist. Type a name (for example, “Nifty 50 largecaps” or “F&O watchlist”) and press Enter. The new empty watchlist is now the active tab.

Kite allows up to five watchlists across both web and app. If you need more than five, consider grouping related instruments within a single watchlist.

Add instruments to the watchlist

Click the search bar at the top of the active watchlist (the Search instruments placeholder). Type the name or symbol of the instrument you want to add:

  • For NSE equity, type the NSE symbol (for example, “RELIANCE”, “INFY”, “TCS”).
  • For BSE equity, type the BSE scrip code or name.
  • For NSE F&O, type the underlying symbol followed by the expiry month and strike for options (for example, “NIFTY 23MAY 18000 CE”).
  • For MCX commodities, type the commodity name (for example, “GOLD”, “CRUDEOIL”).

A dropdown of matching instruments appears. Each result shows the exchange, the instrument type and the current LTP. Click the instrument you want to add. It is added to the active watchlist at the bottom of the list.

You can reorder instruments in the watchlist by dragging and dropping rows (on Kite web). On the mobile app, use the reorder icon that appears when you long-press a row.

Read the scrip row data

Each scrip row in the marketwatch displays:

  • Instrument name: The exchange symbol and the exchange (for example, RELIANCE NSE or RELIANCE BSE).
  • LTP (Last Traded Price): The price of the most recent trade, updated in real time during market hours.
  • Change: The absolute price change from the previous day’s closing price, followed by the percentage change in brackets.
  • Colour coding: Green text or background indicates a positive change (above previous close); red indicates a negative change. The colour updates in real time as the LTP moves.

You can switch between a compact view (scrip name and LTP only) and an expanded view (LTP plus change data) by clicking the toggle in the watchlist options.

Open market depth

Market depth (also called Level 2 data or bid-ask depth) shows the five best buy orders (bids) and five best sell orders (asks) waiting in the exchange order book.

On Kite web: Click the scrip name in the marketwatch row. A market depth panel opens on the right side of the screen, showing:

  • 5 bid levels: price and total quantity at each bid.
  • 5 ask levels: price and total quantity at each ask.
  • Volume, OHLC (open, high, low, close), circuit limits and 52-week high/low.

The market depth also shows the bid-ask spread, which is the difference between the best ask and best bid.

On the Kite mobile app: Tap the scrip in the watchlist. The quote screen opens, showing a simplified view with the LTP and change, OHLC and the top-of-book bid and ask. Scroll down for the full 5-level depth.

Place an order from the marketwatch

Once you have identified the instrument you want to trade, you do not need to navigate away from the marketwatch:

On Kite web: Hover over the scrip row. Two buttons appear at the right edge: a blue B (Buy) and a red S (Sell). Click the appropriate button to open the order ticket.

On the Kite mobile app: Tap the scrip row to open the quote screen, then tap the Buy or Sell button at the bottom.

Customise the watchlist view

Remove an instrument: On Kite web, hover over the scrip row and click the x icon that appears. On the mobile app, long-press the row and select Remove.

Set an alert: Hover over the scrip and click the bell icon (or right-click and select Set alert). See How to add and customise alerts on Kite for the full alert procedure.

Create a GTT: Right-click the scrip row and select Create GTT. See How to place a GTT order on Kite for the procedure.

Open the chart: Click the chart icon on the scrip row or click the scrip name in the market depth panel to open the TradingView-powered chart for that instrument.

Managing multiple watchlists

If you follow different market segments, for example, equity large-cap, equity mid-cap and F&O instruments, maintaining separate named watchlists helps you switch context quickly. Each watchlist is independently sortable and configurable.

To switch between watchlists, click the corresponding tab at the top of the marketwatch panel. The tab shows the watchlist name and the number of instruments in it.

What can go wrong

  • Instrument search not finding a scrip. Some instruments are listed only on one exchange (NSE or BSE). Try the other exchange symbol or check whether the instrument is active. Delisted or suspended scrips will not appear.
  • LTP not updating. During non-market hours, the LTP shown is the previous day’s closing price. During market hours, if the LTP appears frozen, check your internet connection or refresh the page.
  • Watchlist tab limit reached. If all five tabs are used, you must delete an existing watchlist (and its instruments) to create a new one. Export your watchlist instrument list manually before deleting.
  • Instruments not persisting after log out. Watchlist data is stored in your Kite account (server-side), not locally in the browser. Instruments should persist across sessions and devices. If they disappear, contact Zerodha support.

References

  1. Zerodha Support, How to use the marketwatch on Kite, support.zerodha.com.
  2. NSE India, Market depth and Level 2 data, investor guide, nseindia.com.
  3. Zerodha Varsity, Introduction to Kite and the marketwatch, zerodha.com/varsity.

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