Recently, I’ve seen many novice investors in the community getting wiped out, and I’ve been thinking, a lot of people actually don’t understand what “stock chives” really mean, and they rush into the market without knowing.

The term “chives” has long been popular in the investment circle; basically, it describes retail investors who are repeatedly harvested by the market. Why call them chives? Because chives are resilient, they can regrow after being cut, one batch after another. The investment market is the same: after a group of retail investors loses money, a new batch comes in, cycle after cycle.

I’ve observed many cases of being “harvested,” and found that chives usually share a few common traits: lack of independent judgment, blindly following the crowd, and not understanding the basic logic of the market. They are often precisely targeted by the market manipulators (also known as those well-funded big players and institutions). These manipulators hold the informational advantage, first accumulating shares at low prices, then artificially boosting the stock price to create a false sense of activity, enticing retail investors to jump in seeing others making money, and finally selling at high prices, leaving retail investors holding the bag.

The most common methods of “harvesting chives” in the market I’ve summarized include a few. The most classic is “pumping and dumping”: the manipulators quietly set up positions first, then artificially push up the stock price, using FOMO psychology to attract retail investors to follow, and after the shares are transferred, they quickly offload, causing the stock to crash instantly. There’s also “scam schemes” with fraudulent intent, where scammers pose as “authoritative mentors,” post fake profit screenshots, and lure victims to invest large sums on unregulated platforms, then run off with the money. In the crypto space, there are also air coins, wash trading, and other specific tactics.

It’s not hard to judge whether you’ve become a chive. Following the trend to buy, lacking fundamental analysis skills, not understanding how to take profits or cut losses, chasing highs and selling lows—these are typical signs. I’ve seen too many investors wanting to make more when they’re making money, missing the selling point, and when losing money, they’re reluctant to cut losses, leading to bigger losses.

So how to avoid it? My experience is: first, develop your own investment methodology. Don’t blindly follow so-called expert analysis; learn more, think more, observe more, and ultimately make your own decisions. Second, always set take-profit and stop-loss levels; decisively exit when reaching your target profit, and cut losses promptly when hitting your preset ratio. Many trading platforms now offer automatic stop-loss features—make full use of them. Third, don’t put all your funds into one asset; diversification is crucial to risk management.

There’s also an often-overlooked point: keep up with market information in a timely manner. Both technical and fundamental analysis are necessary, especially major news; being even a little slow can turn profits into losses. Many trading platforms now have built-in tools like economic calendars, real-time news, and sentiment indices, which are much faster than filtering information online yourself.

Finally, a particularly important point: choose legitimate and regulated trading platforms. Never invest based on recommendations from unknown “mentors” on small, unregulated platforms—that’s just giving away your money. Be sure to select large, well-regulated platforms with good reputations to ensure the safety of your funds.

Honestly, it’s impossible to completely avoid being “harvested,” but mastering these principles can greatly reduce risks. There are no shortcuts in investing; continuous learning and practice are essential. If you’ve already been “harvested,” the most important thing is to reset your mindset, review your trades, and avoid making the same mistakes next time.