Having navigated the crypto world for these years, I gradually realized a harsh truth — the true culprit behind account shrinkage has never been the market itself. Panic selling, greed chasing highs, repeatedly being emotionally hijacked — most people's losses, frankly, are due to losing to themselves.

What do those seemingly savvy traders rely on to survive? The answer is simpler than you think: learning to read the relationship between volume and price to see through the emotional changes behind the scenes.

Common scenarios include: a rapid rise followed by a slow fall indicates the main players are rotating, don’t be easily shaken out; a sharp decline with high volume suggests funds are fleeing en masse, and the subsequent rebound is often a trap; when prices hit new highs but volume doesn’t keep up, it’s a sign of emotional exhaustion — it’s time to clear your positions.

The pitfalls retail investors often fall into are actually just a few. Panic at the first dip, always trying to bottom fish but catching falling knives; greed at a rise, fantasizing about tenfold or hundredfold profits, only to see profits wiped out during a pullback. And the most ridiculous one — refusing to hold an empty position, acting as if not trading means missing out on a billion, when in fact it’s just working for the exchange and paying fees.

Those who truly survive in the crypto market do three things right: they dare to hold cash when the market is unclear, knowing that waiting is not wasting but gaining an advantage; they cut losses immediately when losses exceed expectations, protecting their capital is more realistic than dreaming of recouping; they take profits in stages, avoiding greed for the last penny to secure their gains.

The core of trading is actually battling yourself. When you stop being led by candlesticks and learn to wait, discern, and execute these three steps, the market will instead become your cash machine. A heartfelt final note: the strongest strategy in crypto isn’t about how accurate your predictions are, but about keeping your emotions more stable than 99% of people.