What it is
A meaningful deepening of a protocol's total value locked over a day or a week, measured as the dollar liquidity added rather than the headline percentage.
Why it matters
Liquidity is the depth of the water. When it rises, slippage falls, larger positions can move without lurching the price, and the protocol becomes a safer place to sail. A rising tide often precedes attention, not the other way around.
How we read it
We rank by the absolute dollars that actually moved, not by percentage, so a quiet 4% deepening on a large venue outranks a loud 200% spike on a tiny one. The reading links straight to the protocol page so you can check the curve yourself.
What it cannot tell you
TVL can rise simply because the price of the locked asset rose, not because new units arrived. Treat a tide as a question to investigate, never a buy signal.