Last week, I received a message from an old fan celebrating: starting with 2000 capital, it grew to 38,000 in 3 months. When I asked for details, they said they wanted to copy his strategy. But I have to pour a bucket of cold water first—his secret is not about 'catching the bull coins,' but rather embedding 'how to survive' into his operations.
Too many retail investors just focus on 'how much can I earn' as soon as they enter the market. They flip the candlestick charts more diligently than anyone else but haven't even drawn their own account's 'death line.' You must understand that in the crypto market, you should first calculate 'how much can I lose at most' before talking about 'how much can I earn.' Today, I'll share my top 3 real trading risk control strategies with you, each one tested with real money, and you can use them right after reading.
1. Short-term trading: stop losses must be faster than 'cutting losses'.
When trading mainstream coins on short lines, don't 'fall in love' with the market. My own rule is: under 5-7 times leverage, target profits are 6-8 points, and stop losses must be set at 2-3 points. If it exceeds this stop loss line, no matter how reluctant, exit immediately.
Last month, I traded mainstream coins on short differentials, entering with 8000 principal. I would cut losses immediately when losing around 200, and would stop when I made enough 500-600. Some laughed at me for 'making small money', but do the math: 12 trades in two weeks, with 6 small gains and 4 small losses, netting 4200. This kind of 'fragmented profit' may seem slow, but it can avoid 90% of short-term explosive risks—after all, short-term trading is not about 'windfall profits', but about 'survival rate'.
2. Spot Band: The trend is the best 'safety cushion'.
If you want to eat 30%-40% band profits, you have to withstand a normal pullback of 5%-8%. I never randomly set stop losses; I only target 'trend anchor points': either the recent low of the consolidation range or the daily MA50 moving average. As long as it doesn't break this anchor point, hold firmly; once it breaks, no matter how bad I feel that day, I will not hesitate.
Taking profits requires more caution: when it rises to 30%, first take half of the position to secure the profit, and set a 'trailing stop loss' for the remaining position—such as automatically clearing when it drops back 7% from the high point. Don't always think about 'selling at the peak'; there are no 'fortune tellers' in the market. Being able to take most of the profit at the high point has already surpassed 90% of greedy retail investors.
3. Position Management: Light positions are the 'first principle of risk control'.
With the same 10,000 principal, different positions yield vastly different outcomes. I have seen too many people pour over 7000+ principal into a single target, panicking all night with a stop loss set at 2 points; while for my own trades, I never exceed 2000 in a single stock position, even with a stop loss set at 8 points, I can still sleep soundly.
Remember: the heavier the position, the lower the fault tolerance. Many people are not 'crushed' by the market; they are 'scared' by their own heavy position mentality—failing to withstand small fluctuations leads to erratic operations, ultimately turning small losses into big losses. Not stopping losses with heavy positions is like riding a motorcycle without a helmet; it's not a matter of whether an accident will happen, but when it will happen.
Finally, let me share a lesson from my 10 years of watching the market: Stop loss is not 'losing money'; it's buying 'insurance' for the account; taking profits is not 'earning less'; it's 'locking' in profits. The market is never short of opportunities, but if the principal is gone, even the strongest bull market has nothing to do with you.
By the way, do you usually find mainstream coin shorting or quality targets band trading easier? Share your trading habits in the comments, and I will select 3 fans to customize exclusive take profit and stop loss plans based on your trading style, giving you more confidence when entering next time~
