That night, Old Li stared at the candlestick chart on the computer screen, the ashtray piled high with cigarette butts and the shocking red numbers in his account reminded him of that chilling statistic in (The Realm of Clarity) — 99% of retail investors holding positions ultimately walk towards the grave of liquidation.
This is by no means an exaggeration. Have you ever realized, when you open the trading software for the 101st time in the middle of the night:
▶ The stop-loss orders you gritted your teeth and cut off have a 98.8% chance of coming back to life within two weeks.
▶ The take-profit orders you secured early have a 91.3% probability of rising to new heights.
This magical reality unfolds every day: the ETH long position you just stopped loss on last Friday shot up 30% on Monday; the BTC position you greedily didn't take profit on yesterday broke through the previous high again in the morning today. At such times, who doesn't want to smash the keyboard in the face of the main force and curse?
But the real fatal devil lies in the details — let us restore this thrilling cycle of death with the trading diary we built with blood and tears:
The 1st time holding a position: looking at the 5% unrealized loss position, you took a sip of Red Bull. "Just a minor fluctuation," and sure enough, three days later the account turned green, you proudly took a screenshot and sent it to the group: "Pattern determines height."
The 3rd time holding a position: the SOL long position with a 15% unrealized loss, you calmly added to your position. Three weeks later, when you closed with a 30% profit, you sneered at the trading records: "Those stop-loss cowards just don't understand trading."
The 5th time holding a position: When DOGE suddenly plummeted 30% and broke through the support level, you trembled as you adjusted the leverage. Two months later, when you cut your losses, the 32,800U you earned from the previous four times holding positions, along with your principal, turned to ashes.
The 10th time holding a position: facing the SHIB's waterfall-like decline, you crazily mortgaged your property to add to your position. It was not until the forced liquidation text message rang that you realized you were not 'value investing', but playing Russian roulette — and the chamber was already full of bullets.
The cruelest truth is: this market never needs to prove you wrong 99 times. When you retreat unscathed using 'holding position faith' through 100 fluctuations, the 101st one-sided market will drop like a guillotine. Just like that old trader who was liquidated during the 312 crash said: 'You think you are holding a position, but in fact, the market is carrying you to the execution ground.'
At this moment, it's worth looking at your own account: are those losing positions the darkness before dawn? Or the countdown of the abyss gazing back? Remember, in this 24-hour wealth meat grinder, staying alive is more important than anything — after all, a liquidated account doesn't even have the chance of 'next time for sure.'
