2026-01-17 05:23:04

Where is the logical flaw in chasing highs and selling lows? An example will make it clear.

Suppose you hold a certain asset long-term, and it has a good increase over half a year, but then it falls back. In the end, your account returns to the original point, which is essentially a wasted effort. At this moment, you might regret—why didn't you sell at the high point?

But here’s the problem. Can you really chase the high during an uptrend? Are you confident you can exit in time before a sharp decline? This requires two skills: precise market timing and absolute psychological resilience—being able to avoid panic selling at high prices and missing out on gains, as well as not regretting selling too early due to missing the peak.

Honestly, if someone truly masters these skills, making consistent profits is not a problem at all. Such people are no longer retail investors. Conversely, the reason most retail investors struggle in the market is because they always think about chasing highs and selling lows to make big money. As a result, frequent trading accelerates account shrinkage. Those who truly survive and do well are often those who give up on the illusion of perfect timing.

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GasWrangler

· 5h ago

tbh the whole timing the market thing is just demonstrably false for 99% of retail... you either hodl or you don't, there's no in-between that actually works. the math simply doesn't support chasing pumps lol

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ChainComedian

· 12h ago

This is self-deception. It sounds nice to call it "timing the market," but it's actually just gambling. Frequent trading can really accelerate shrinkage, and I am a living example. The biggest enemy of human nature is oneself. Abandoning the illusion of market timing sounds easy, but in practice, who isn't DCA-ing while regretting it?

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ImpermanentPhilosopher

· 12h ago

Basically, it's a mindset issue. No one can consistently time the market perfectly. I've seen too many people ruin themselves because of their own cleverness.

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LiquidationKing

· 12h ago

You fucking explained it too clearly, it's just frequent operations draining my blood.

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PanicSeller

· 13h ago

That really hits home. I am the negative example of someone who frequently manipulates their account into shrinkage. Timing the market is indeed a false proposition. I used to believe it too, but what was the result? Abandoning the illusion of timing is the key to doing well. Why did it take me so long to realize this? Thinking every day about chasing gains and selling at a loss to make a big profit, but in the end, you can't even recover the transaction fees. No one can consistently and accurately time the market. All the hype is just selling anxiety. Holding coins out of boredom and trading your way into poverty—I’ve finally understood this.

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SeasonedInvestor

· 13h ago

That's so true, that's exactly how I got cut. I keep thinking about selling high and buying low every day, but the more I hold, the fewer accounts I have. Now I just can't hold on anymore.

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