Yield Analysis

Yield Analysis — DeFi Yield Evaluation & Comparison

DeFi yields are often misleading. A pool advertising 200% APY may deliver negative real returns once you account for impermanent loss, gas costs, and emission token depreciation. This skill provides the framework to decompose, evaluate, and compare yield opportunities accurately.

Why Yield Analysis Matters

Most DeFi yield dashboards show nominal yield — the headline number. Real yield requires decomposing that number into its components and subtracting all costs. Without this decomposition:

• LPs chase high-APY pools that destroy capital through IL
• Emission-driven yields collapse as reward tokens lose value
• Gas and rebalancing costs eat into thin margins
• Opportunity cost is ignored (you could be staking SOL at ~7%)

Yield Components

Every DeFi yield breaks down into one or more of these sources:

1. Trading Fee Income

Swap fees earned by liquidity providers. This is the most sustainable yield source because it comes from real economic activity.

fee_apr = (daily_volume * fee_rate / tvl) * 365
your_daily_fees = daily_volume * fee_rate * (your_liquidity / total_liquidity)

For CLMM pools (concentrated liquidity), fee income is amplified by how tightly you concentrate your range. See the lp-math skill for CLMM mechanics.

2. Token Emissions / Incentives

Protocol reward tokens distributed to LPs. Often the largest component of advertised yields, but frequently unsustainable.

emission_apr = (daily_emission_tokens * token_price * 365) / tvl

The critical question: will the emission token hold its value? If everyone farms and dumps, the token depreciates and actual USD yield is much lower.

3. Lending Interest

Interest earned from lending protocol deposits (Marginfi, Kamino, Solend). Driven by borrowing demand — more sustainable than emissions but fluctuates with utilization.

4. Staking Rewards

Validator staking yield (~7% APR on Solana) or liquid staking token (LST) yield. The baseline risk-free rate for the Solana ecosystem.

Real vs Nominal Yield

Real Yield Formula

real_yield = fee_apr
           + emission_apr × (1 - emission_depreciation)
           - il_cost
           - gas_cost
           - rebalancing_cost

Where:

• fee_apr: annualized fee income as fraction of position value
• emission_apr: annualized emission income at current token price
• emission_depreciation: expected decline in emission token price (0.0 to 1.0)
• il_cost: expected impermanent loss as annualized rate (see impermanent-loss skill)
• gas_cost: transaction fees for deposits, withdrawals, claims, compounds
• rebalancing_cost: for CLMM positions, cost of rebalancing out-of-range positions

Example: SOL-USDC Pool

Nominal APY displayed:    45%
Decomposition:
  Fee APR:               18%
  Emission APR:          30%  (RAY token rewards)
  Emission depreciation: 40%  (RAY down 40% over 30d)
  Effective emission:    18%  (30% × 0.6)
  IL cost (estimated):   12%  (SOL volatile against USDC)
  Gas + rebalance:        1%

Real yield = 18% + 18% - 12% - 1% = 23%

The 45% nominal yield is really 23% after accounting for all factors.

Fee APR Calculation

Constant-Product Pools

fee_apr = fee_rate * daily_volume / tvl * 365

For a pool with 0.25% fee rate, $2M daily volume, and $10M TVL:

fee_apr = 0.0025 * 2_000_000 / 10_000_000 * 365 = 18.25%

Concentrated Liquidity (CLMM) Pools

CLMM fee income depends on your position range relative to trading activity:

# Simplified — see lp-math skill for full CLMM math
fee_apr = fee_rate * daily_volume_in_range / position_liquidity * 365

Tighter ranges earn higher fees per dollar deployed but go out of range more frequently, requiring rebalancing.

Per-LP Share

your_share = your_liquidity / total_pool_liquidity
your_daily_fees = total_daily_fees * your_share

Emission Sustainability

The Death Spiral Pattern

1. Protocol launches with high emission rewards → attracts LPs
2. TVL grows → yield per LP drops → protocol increases emissions
3. LPs farm and dump emission tokens → token price drops
4. Lower token price → lower USD-denominated yield
5. LPs leave → TVL drops → protocol increases emissions further
6. Spiral continues until emissions stop or protocol fails

Sustainability Metrics

# Protocol P/E ratio
pe_ratio = fully_diluted_valuation / annual_protocol_revenue

# Revenue-to-emission ratio (> 1.0 is sustainable)
sustainability = annual_revenue / annual_emission_value

# Token velocity (high = lots of sell pressure)
velocity = daily_emission_selling / daily_token_volume

Interpretation:

• P/E < 20 and sustainability > 1.0: Likely sustainable yield
• P/E 20-100 and sustainability 0.3-1.0: Moderate risk
• P/E > 100 or sustainability < 0.3: Emission-dependent, high risk