Recently, I’ve seen many people get "cut" in the community, or perhaps I am the one who has been "cut." Actually, the term "cutting leeks" has been popular in the stock market for a long time, but it seems many novice investors still don’t quite understand how they become leeks.

Simply put, leeks are retail investors who keep losing money in stock trading. Why are they called leeks? Because leeks grow quickly, and even after being cut multiple times, they can continue to grow. The investment market is similar—after one wave of retail investors gets "cut," a new wave immediately enters, cycle after cycle. Those who "cut" the leeks are usually well-funded market makers and large investment institutions, who use their informational advantage and capital scale to harvest retail investors at high points.

I’ve found that many of the leeks who get "cut" share several common traits. First is blindly following the crowd—buying whatever others buy, with no independent judgment. Second is lacking basic investment knowledge—having only a superficial understanding of how the stock market works, unable to read technical charts or analyze fundamentals. Also, they don’t know how to take profits or cut losses—wanting to make more money when they’re winning, but unwilling to accept losses, resulting in bigger losses. The most typical mistake is buying high and selling low—jumping in when the market is hot, then rushing to exit when it drops.

There are many tactics used to "cut" leeks in the market. The most classic is "pumping and dumping"—market makers quietly accumulate shares at low prices, then create a false sense of activity through buying and selling, combined with media hype of positive news, causing retail investors to fear missing out and rush in to buy in, only for the market maker to unload their holdings, causing the stock to crash instantly. Another tactic is exploiting information asymmetry—market makers get ahead of retail investors, who haven’t reacted yet, and lock in profits. In the crypto space, there are also "air coins"—developers hype up the potential of tokens to attract funds and then run away with the money.

So how can you avoid becoming a leek? I think the most important thing is to have your own investment methodology. Don’t blindly trust so-called expert analysis—learn more, think more, observe more, and ultimately make your own decisions. As Buffett said, "Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful." Controlling emotions is really key in the stock market.

The second point is to know how to take profits and cut losses. Set your goals—like taking profits at 30%, and cutting losses when reaching a certain percentage. Many trading platforms now have stop-loss features that can automatically execute for you.

Third, diversify your investments—don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This way, even if one stock loses, you won’t lose everything at once. You can also consider long and short positions to find opportunities even when the market is falling.

Fourth, stay timely informed about market news. Both technical and fundamental analysis are necessary, but many retail investors only focus on technicals and ignore major news. A single negative piece of news can turn your profits into losses if you’re not careful. Therefore, use financial news, info apps, or tools provided by trading platforms to stay updated on market dynamics in real time.

Lastly, it’s very important to choose legitimate and regulated investment platforms. Never be fooled into small platforms by untrustworthy mentors. Only when your funds are secure and protected does investing make sense.

Honestly, completely avoiding "being cut" is quite difficult, but as long as you master these basic skills, you can greatly reduce your risks. Stock investing is a long-term learning process—don’t be discouraged if you get "cut" once; the key is to learn from it, adjust your mindset, and avoid making the same mistakes next time.