Recently checking the blockchain, everyone keeps tossing around “arbitrage opportunities.” But really, when you click that swap, it may just amount to topping up someone else’s trading fees. The sandwich setup isn’t that mysterious either: someone watches your intent, cuts in line, pushes the price up, then flips the trade back—so the slippage you end up getting is basically their profit ledger. The more you chase hot pools, the more you rush in just to follow the trend, the more it feels like you’re handing over control of your trades.

And there’s that kind of narrative that tightly links ETF fund flows, U.S. stock market risk appetite, and crypto price swings. It sounds persuasive, but when it comes down to your one market order, you’re still the one getting squeezed. In any case, I’d rather make fewer moves now: use limit orders, split the orders, and keep slippage small. If you’re not sure, don’t go grabbing that “spread.” Opportunities exist—but first ask yourself: am I actually trading, or am I just paying someone else’s fees?