Investment banking elite confession: I see through the macroeconomy, but I was forced to liquidate at the top!

Don’t show off your little bit of financial engineering degree to me, and don’t brag about understanding the Fed’s rate hike logic.

In the crypto world, what you think of as “professionalism” is often the catalyst that leads you to bankruptcy.

Today, I want to share a submission from a fan — former top investment bank analyst “A-K.” From earning a million a year as a financial elite to losing everything and doubting life, then reborn through technology, his experience is worth reading ten times.

From “Research Compliance” to “Hundredfold Myth”

A-K’s entry into the scene was very professional. In 2018, the investment bank he worked for sent him to research the compliance pathways of cryptocurrencies. He initially approached it with a mindset of “spotting scams,” but after deeply reading the white paper, this finance expert was completely brainwashed by the decentralized vision.

At that time, he had resources and vision. Relying on his network built in investment banking, he precisely positioned several private equity projects in the primary market.

In three years, one project yielded him a full 100 times return.

Back then, A-K thought, the crypto world was too simple — wasn’t this just a dimensionality reduction attack? The risk control and valuation models from traditional finance were like beginner’s tools here, just a game for rookies.

The Waterloo: Smart People Die from Being “Too Smart”

In 2022, the Federal Reserve began its rate hike cycle. A-K sat in his office, looking at macro data on his computer, a cold smile on his face.

“Rate hikes, balance sheet reduction, liquidity exhaustion — the crypto market will crash.” This was his professional judgment as a banking elite.

He opened a staggering high-leverage short position on $ETH at a high point. Not only did he bet his bonus, but he also topped it with the profits from his private equity gains. He even wrote a dozens-of-pages report explaining why to short, with airtight logic.

However, the market’s favorite victims are always the “logic freaks.”

The moment the rate hike was implemented, instead of falling, the market experienced a frantic institutional rally. That towering green candle slapped A-K in the face like a loud slap.

That night, he stared at the chart, repeatedly roaring in his mind: “This is unscientific! This defies macro logic!”

But the market doesn’t follow your logic. The price precisely touched his liquidation line, then quickly turned downward.

His millions in assets were liquidated right at the peak. The humiliation of being “targeted and blown up” by the main force left him completely shattered.

Rebirth: Throw Away the Suit, Learn “Killing Techniques”

A-K was depressed at home for a whole month. He realized that the “macro narrative” of traditional finance was just a tool exploited by the main players in this wild game.

He took off his expensive suit and started studying the charts like a rookie. He let go of his so-called elite arrogance and began to obsessively research volume-price relationships (VSA) and order flow tools.

He discovered that what he used to see as “principles” now was about “chips.”

During a volume spike at the bottom of $SOL, he saw signs of main force accumulation. This time, he no longer looked at the Fed’s face but followed the real money on the order book.

Using very tight stop-losses on retracements and precise left-side position building techniques, he recovered everything lost in the subsequent big rebound, even doubling his capital.

Now, A-K no longer blindly trusts any “authoritative forecasts.”

He told me in a post that only top risk managers would say:

“The essence of finance is risk control. If your heartbeat speeds up when trading derivatives, it means your risk control has failed. Don’t use your IQ to challenge the main force’s wallets.”

Remember one thing from the blogger:

In the crypto world, surviving longer is a hundred times more important than earning more.

You think you’re an analyst, but you’re actually just the main force’s opposing trader. If you’re still relying on news to make trades, I suggest you go ahead and book a ticket to the rooftop.

Want to see more real battles inside the scene? Follow the blogger for breakdowns of every move the main force makes.