August’s market move didn’t materialize until November, while my positions had long since dwindled to zero. My favorite crypto market taught me a crystal-clear lesson with two slaps, one from each side. Looking back over these five years, I put more than 4,000 U into it all told—which is nothing compared with the heavy losses some guys have taken. But I did reach a peak, so I just can’t shake that lingering sense of regret. Whether on the other exchange or OK, I briefly made it onto the trading leaderboard. Back then, I was genuinely proud of it, thinking I could at least prove to the market that I wasn’t a terrible trader.

When I returned to crypto last year, I thought I’d already sorted out my approach. My trading system had been updated, and I’d worked on my mindset, too. From June to August this year, friends who’ve followed me for a while know that I went from 700 to around 30,000 three times in a row. My account peaked at over 5,000 U, and that June run briefly hit 3,200%. The later runs were actually about the same multiple, but perhaps due to the way it was calculated, the return rate didn’t show up.
I’ve said all this, and I’m still not sure what I’m trying to say. Before the August rally, I was actually betting on a decline—I studied macroeconomics and was certain the US would raise interest rates, and at the time I was buried in research on US inflation. But crypto, and Bitcoin in particular, had its own rhythm.
All I could do was admit defeat after getting liquidated. Then, when I thought it was about to break out into an independent rally and started building a long position, I got it wrong again. By this point, I was truly out of options. The moment I ran out of bullets, I wrote these words down to document yet another version of myself failing. $BT

Risk warning: The above is solely a personal experience shared for informational purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Contract trading carries extremely high risks; please carefully assess your own risk tolerance.