Many people ask me how to turn around a losing position. The core is actually one sentence: only by staying alive can you have a chance to make money.
**The Survival Rule for Small Funds**
Traders with less than 100,000 yuan in capital should not expect a big market move to turn things around. The reality is, you have to get through each day. Catching one good trend each day is enough; never go all-in and gamble everything—this is the first bottom line for survival. My position size never exceeds 50%, and the remaining bullets are used for adding to positions and avoiding sharp reversals. Remember the 2024 ETH waterfall? I only used 5% of my position to short, earning 30 times in 3 hours—very satisfying, but I didn’t increase my position out of greed. People who trade more than three times a day with high-frequency methods tend to lose control; I’ve seen too many.
**The Other Side of Good News Is the Grim Reaper**
This goes against human nature but is true: major positive news is a warning to escape the top. When policies are announced or project financing is disclosed, if you don’t sell on the same day, then a gap up the next day means you should sell everything. I call this "news landing turning into a sickle," and many people get caught here.
**The Calendar Is More Important Than Technicals**
On the 10th of each month, when US CPI data is released, I reduce my positions in advance. 48 hours before Chinese New Year and 48 hours before US Thanksgiving, I completely clear my contract accounts. This isn’t superstition; it’s the bloody lesson from the FTX crash day in 2023, when over 90% of full-position traders got liquidated.
**Long-term Holding Is the Key to Lazy Profits**
My BTC dollar-cost averaging position only accounts for 3% of my account, but my annualized return beats 90% of heavy traders. How can a 5% position dominate the market? Set stop-loss 5% below support, take partial profits at 50% floating gains, and refuse greed. Light positions and guerrilla tactics are the way to survive the longest.
**The 15-Minute K-Line Strike Zone**
Short-term trading is simple and brutal: the best entry point is when the 15-minute K-line forms a KDJ golden cross. Short when RSI > 70, go long when RSI < 30—this is a contrarian harvesting technique. But the most critical point—during sideways periods with less than 2% daily volatility—I choose to be flat. Being flat isn’t cowardice; it’s top-level discipline.
**Slow Rises Like Snails, Falls Like Avalanches**
The market has a hard rule: a slow upward trend, once it pulls back, will break previous lows—this is a signal to short. Conversely, a sharp decline often rebounds but cannot surpass previous highs. In January 2025, SOL’s rapid drop—40% in one hour—was followed by an 18-minute rebound before continuing downward. I watched this rhythm and waited for the rebound to sell short, clean and decisive.
**Dignity Is More Valuable Than Money**
If the direction is wrong, cut immediately. Hesitating for a second can cost you 10% more. My rule is that 3% of the principal is the absolute red line; if losses exceed this, I stop trading for the entire day. There’s also a dynamic stop-loss method: once floating profits reach 50%, if there’s a 20% pullback, I must exit. Greedy traders always die here.
A bloody example is in 2024, when I held a long ADA position for 3 days and lost half a year’s profit. Since then, I use the 15-minute chart + KDJ combination as a "microscope." When KDJ forms a golden cross with volume breakout, I go full position; when MACD shows divergence with decreasing volume, I exit faster than a reporter.
**In Crypto, It’s About Cognition; Losses Are About Emotions**
If I lose more than 5% in a single day, I immediately leave the trading interface. Profitability doesn’t equal strength; it might just be luck. This market is increasingly lonely if you go solo. Those who can band together and support each other tend to survive longer.
This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.
15 Likes
Reward
15
7
Repost
Share
Comment
0/400
MevWhisperer
· 6h ago
Wow, that's why I live longer than people who go all-in with full positions. Really, stop-loss can save your life.
View OriginalReply0
HappyMinerUncle
· 8h ago
As long as you're alive, there's a chance. This really hits home. I've seen too many people go all-in and get eliminated immediately—it's really not fun.
---
90% liquidation rate for full positions? I feel like that number should be even higher, haha.
---
Greed kills people. I've fallen for ADA's tricks too and almost couldn't recover.
---
Not holding a position isn't being cowardly—I stand by that. Compared to losing money, feeling disciplined is really satisfying.
---
The good news is that the "Death" logic is brilliant—so many people see the news and go all-in, only to become victims the next day.
---
ROI is there, but I still think the risk is too high. Maybe I'm just too inexperienced.
---
Light position guerrilla trading sounds simple, but it requires such a strong mindset to do it. Most people can't hold up.
---
I still don't dare to go all-in after the FTX incident; the psychological shadow is really deep.
---
I'm also using the 15-minute chart with KDJ, but I always feel like something's missing. Seeing you guys making such good profits makes me a bit envious.
---
Is a 3% stop-loss too harsh? Or is this just the price of survival?
View OriginalReply0
SellTheBounce
· 8h ago
Living is indeed valuable, but it sounds more like talking about how to stay alive without dying... These stop-loss red lines and position limits ultimately boil down to betting on the market suddenly collapsing one day. Outperforming 90% of heavy traders with a 5% position annualized return? I believe it, because the living can always see the next lower point.
View OriginalReply0
AirdropDreamer
· 8h ago
This guy's words hit too close to home. In 2024, I almost got caught on the "news landing turns into a sickle" trap and almost got liquidated.
View OriginalReply0
ContractHunter
· 8h ago
Wow, this guy is really a tough person. Those who go all-in with full positions definitely need to wake up.
That part about ADA really hits home. Holding through three days of resistance and losing half a year's gains—I've seen that happen way too many times.
Winning with a 5% position compared to 90% heavy traders? It sounds a bit crazy at first, but thinking about it carefully, it's actually the logic of the longest-lasting winners.
However, I still think there's some absoluteness in the news landing. Sometimes, good news really is good news; the key is whether you can hold on to it.
View OriginalReply0
OnchainUndercover
· 8h ago
Really, just being alive means winning, and this phrase really hit home. I just didn’t take stop-loss seriously; last time I held against the trend for three days, and I’m still regretting it.
---
This guy’s saying "news landing turns into a sickle" really resonates with me. How many times have I been tricked?
---
Having no position is truly top-level self-discipline. I still can’t control my hands; as soon as I see sideways movement, I want to do something.
---
A 5% position with an annualized return beating 90% of heavy positions? No way, that must be very stable.
---
The details of SOL’s 18-minute rebound that day still scare me a bit; one wrong move and it’s all gone.
---
The key is to stay alive; if you die, you lose everything. This principle is simple, but no one really listens.
---
Listening to you, I realize that day I lost more than 5% and still kept holding, which was really irrational.
---
What happened to those who went all-in with full positions? They’re probably all in Sichuan now, haha.
---
Is the calendar more important than candlestick charts? I never thought about this before. Next time, I’ll have to check CPI data in advance.
View OriginalReply0
TradingNightmare
· 8h ago
Damn, the story of 5% position with 30x leverage... I've heard it too many times, now these kinds of people are everywhere
---
Really? Every time, the day after the news comes out, it opens high and then crashes. I've been liquidated too many times
---
I agree with the 3% stop-loss rule, but who can really stick to it in practice?
---
15-minute KDJ golden cross... this technical indicator has been overused, can you still make money now?
---
That day at FTX was indeed terrifying. Full position liquidation was really tragic, and I was one of them
---
Light position guerrilla trading sounds good, but with small funds, earning this much daily, what's the point?
---
The biggest fear is the mentality of wanting to greed when floating profits reach 50%. I always get caught by this
---
Agree with waiting on the sidelines for opportunities, but staying out too long can easily mess with your mindset
---
Losing all profit on that ADA trade for half a year, that must be really painful... I can understand that kind of despair
---
As long as you're alive, there's a chance. I only truly understand this now
Many people ask me how to turn around a losing position. The core is actually one sentence: only by staying alive can you have a chance to make money.
**The Survival Rule for Small Funds**
Traders with less than 100,000 yuan in capital should not expect a big market move to turn things around. The reality is, you have to get through each day. Catching one good trend each day is enough; never go all-in and gamble everything—this is the first bottom line for survival. My position size never exceeds 50%, and the remaining bullets are used for adding to positions and avoiding sharp reversals. Remember the 2024 ETH waterfall? I only used 5% of my position to short, earning 30 times in 3 hours—very satisfying, but I didn’t increase my position out of greed. People who trade more than three times a day with high-frequency methods tend to lose control; I’ve seen too many.
**The Other Side of Good News Is the Grim Reaper**
This goes against human nature but is true: major positive news is a warning to escape the top. When policies are announced or project financing is disclosed, if you don’t sell on the same day, then a gap up the next day means you should sell everything. I call this "news landing turning into a sickle," and many people get caught here.
**The Calendar Is More Important Than Technicals**
On the 10th of each month, when US CPI data is released, I reduce my positions in advance. 48 hours before Chinese New Year and 48 hours before US Thanksgiving, I completely clear my contract accounts. This isn’t superstition; it’s the bloody lesson from the FTX crash day in 2023, when over 90% of full-position traders got liquidated.
**Long-term Holding Is the Key to Lazy Profits**
My BTC dollar-cost averaging position only accounts for 3% of my account, but my annualized return beats 90% of heavy traders. How can a 5% position dominate the market? Set stop-loss 5% below support, take partial profits at 50% floating gains, and refuse greed. Light positions and guerrilla tactics are the way to survive the longest.
**The 15-Minute K-Line Strike Zone**
Short-term trading is simple and brutal: the best entry point is when the 15-minute K-line forms a KDJ golden cross. Short when RSI > 70, go long when RSI < 30—this is a contrarian harvesting technique. But the most critical point—during sideways periods with less than 2% daily volatility—I choose to be flat. Being flat isn’t cowardice; it’s top-level discipline.
**Slow Rises Like Snails, Falls Like Avalanches**
The market has a hard rule: a slow upward trend, once it pulls back, will break previous lows—this is a signal to short. Conversely, a sharp decline often rebounds but cannot surpass previous highs. In January 2025, SOL’s rapid drop—40% in one hour—was followed by an 18-minute rebound before continuing downward. I watched this rhythm and waited for the rebound to sell short, clean and decisive.
**Dignity Is More Valuable Than Money**
If the direction is wrong, cut immediately. Hesitating for a second can cost you 10% more. My rule is that 3% of the principal is the absolute red line; if losses exceed this, I stop trading for the entire day. There’s also a dynamic stop-loss method: once floating profits reach 50%, if there’s a 20% pullback, I must exit. Greedy traders always die here.
A bloody example is in 2024, when I held a long ADA position for 3 days and lost half a year’s profit. Since then, I use the 15-minute chart + KDJ combination as a "microscope." When KDJ forms a golden cross with volume breakout, I go full position; when MACD shows divergence with decreasing volume, I exit faster than a reporter.
**In Crypto, It’s About Cognition; Losses Are About Emotions**
If I lose more than 5% in a single day, I immediately leave the trading interface. Profitability doesn’t equal strength; it might just be luck. This market is increasingly lonely if you go solo. Those who can band together and support each other tend to survive longer.