#美联储重启降息步伐 Last year, a friend of mine had $2,700 and told me he wanted to recover his previous losses. I didn't talk to him about complicated indicators like moving averages or MACD; I just shared three survival rules I've learned the hard way over the years. He followed this approach for three months, and his account grew to $50,000, without a single liquidation during that period. Honestly, how much these three rules can help depends entirely on how much respect you have for the market.

**Rule 1: Split your money into three parts—survive first, then make money**

I told him to divide his $2,700 into three parts of $900 each. Not a single cent can be moved around. This is a hard lesson I learned from getting fully liquidated and losing sleep at night.

The first part is only for short-term trades, with a maximum of two positions opened per day. Once you're done, close the app. Even looking at it for a second longer will make you vulnerable to greed. The second part is for following the trend. Unless the weekly chart shows a bullish alignment and a breakout on strong volume, just stay put. Trading recklessly in choppy markets is, frankly, just giving money to your counterparty. The third part is your last lifeline. If the market suddenly crashes and you're about to get liquidated, you can use this part to add to your position, at least giving yourself a chance to stay in the market. If you get liquidated, at most you lose a finger; lose all your capital, and it's like getting your head chopped off—no more money, no more opportunities.

**Rule 2: Only take a bite out of the trend—be a turtle at all other times**

Early on, I got burned too many times in choppy markets—at least nine out of ten trades would end badly. Eventually, I narrowed it down to only three entry signals. If the daily moving averages aren't aligned in a bullish pattern, stay out of the market. Don't always worry about missing out. The real opportunity comes when the market breaks out above previous highs on strong volume, and the daily close holds that level—only then do I enter with a small position.

When you make a 30% profit on your principal, cash out half of the profit right away. For the rest, set a 10% trailing stop. Realized profits are the only ones that matter—never try to capture the entire move. The market is always there, but if your capital is gone, no amount of opportunities will help you.

**Rule 3: Lock down your emotions—mechanical execution brings long-term returns**

Before entering a trade, write down your trading plan clearly, then stick to it no matter what. Set your stop loss strictly at 3%. If it hits, close the position automatically—don't keep hoping things will turn around. When your profit reaches 10%, move your stop loss to your entry price. Any gains beyond that are just a bonus from the market.

Every night at midnight, shut down your computer—no matter how tempting the candlesticks look, don’t keep watching. If you really can’t sleep, just uninstall the app altogether. The longer you stare at the market, the more likely your emotions will break down, and when that happens, nothing good ever comes of it.

There are trading opportunities every day, but if your capital is gone, you truly have nothing left. Master these three rules first, then look into Elliott Wave Theory or indicator combinations. After all these years of trading, this is what I believe in.