Recently, I’ve seen many people in the community struggling with how to operate; actually, the core issue is whether you prefer left-side trading or right-side trading.

My understanding is that left-side trading, simply put, is predicting the bottom in advance during a decline and then starting to position yourself. It sounds very appealing—low cost, high potential returns—but in practice, it really tests your psychological resilience. Because you never truly know if the bottom you think you see is really the bottom, it’s easy to buy in halfway up the mountain, leading to long waits and mental torment. Warren Buffett’s phrase “Be greedy when others are fearful” describes this strategy, which is suitable for patient long-term value investors.

On the other hand, right-side trading means waiting until the bottom has already formed and the price has started to rise before following in. The advantage of this approach is higher certainty and relatively manageable risk because you are following the trend, making decisions based on technical signals (like moving averages, volume breakthroughs, etc.). The downside is that the cost can be higher, and you might miss the cheapest part of the bottom.

Honestly, there’s no absolute good or bad between left-side and right-side trading; it mainly depends on your style and risk tolerance. If you are a short-term or swing trader, right-side trading might be more suitable. But if you truly believe in the long-term value of an asset and are willing to buy in gradually (buying more as it dips), then left-side trading can help you lower your average cost.

The most practical advice is not to insist on choosing one or the other; often, combining both strategies works best. The key is to understand your trading cycle and goals clearly, then adjust flexibly according to market conditions.