Just remembered a crazy moment with UNFI that perfectly illustrates how a pump is a phenomenon that can wipe out your portfolio in just a few hours.

You see, exchanges announced the delisting of a coin, and most traders logically thought — if the coin is removed from the exchange, it's a sure short. Massive short positions started to form, everyone was preparing for a drop. But then something crazy happened — within an hour, the price surged by 480% and then dropped just as sharply. A classic exit pump.

This is exactly the phenomenon where a pump isn't just a rise, but an organized manipulation. A group of traders creates artificial demand by placing huge buy orders, causing panic and FOMO among other participants. The price shoots up, and at that moment, those who initiated the pump start selling en masse. New buyers who jumped in at the peak suffer catastrophic losses.

I've fallen for these schemes so many times that now it's my red flag. It's especially dangerous when you're in a short position. You think you understand the market logic, but suddenly a pump changes the game entirely within minutes. That's why I always say — if you're in a short, always set a stop-loss. When the price rises by 500-600%, that's not strategy, that's manipulation, and your stop should trigger.

Most importantly — don't believe in quick money. When you see such wild price movements, it's not luck, it's a trap. Stay calm, stick to your trading plan, and always remember that behind every pump is someone's profit and someone's huge losses.