One night in 2024, on the balcony of a youth hostel in Kunming, I looked at the number of 4 million assets on my phone and suddenly remembered myself moving deliveries in the dormitory hallway during college. At that time, the 50,000 capital was all my savings from being a Taobao agent, brushing orders, and filling in APPs, but now it has grown into a number that changes my fate like a snowball. The most dramatic part is that I have never bought a car or a house in any city, and I keep my monthly expenses under 1,500— for me, true financial freedom is not the right to squander, but the freedom to choose a lifestyle. I. Why is the cryptocurrency market the last opportunity for ordinary people? On the day of my college graduation, I looked at my classmates who received job offers and suddenly realized: a step-by-step life may be stable, but it is difficult to achieve a class leap. When I first encountered Bitcoin in 2017, I was immediately attracted to this 24-hour operating market — it has no educational barriers, no networking barriers, and as long as you can understand K-lines, you can compete on the same track as Wall Street elites. Later, I realized that behind this fairness lies a brutal elimination rate: 90% of retail investors will lose all their capital within 3 years, but for those who survive, this is indeed the 'last ticket to change destiny.' Wild trader's primitive accumulation My 50,000 capital came with extreme difficulty:
Taobao agent: Sending coupons in QQ groups, earning 0.5 yuan per order, saving 8,000 in 3 months
Order brushing part-time job: Waking up at 3 AM to grab orders, fingers cramping from typing, saving 12,000 in half a year
Delivery agent: Riding an electric bike around campus in winter, frostbite in -10 degrees Celsius weather, finally saving up 50,000
When I entered the market in 2018, Bitcoin was priced at $15,000, which I thought was too expensive, so I turned to focus on Ethereum. At that time, the price of ETH was $800, and I went long with 2x leverage, experiencing the taste of doubling for the first time. But what truly propelled my assets was the DeFi wave in 2020—I discovered an undervalued altcoin on Uniswap, heavily invested for 3 months, and reaped a 20x return. Upon reviewing later, I found that these gains were not due to luck, but rather hitting the core profit logic of the crypto world: choose the right track, manage your position well, and then sleep soundly in the trend.
II. The Core Strategy from 50,000 to 4 Million: The 22 Golden Rules of Bollinger Bands
(1) The four patterns of Bollinger Bands arrangement
① Bullish arrangement: All three bands are upward, stock price climbs between the middle and upper bands
During Bitcoin's rise from 30,000 to 60,000 in 2021, I discovered through Bollinger Bands that BTC was consistently moving between the upper and middle bands. This pattern lasted for 45 days, and any pullback during this period was an opportunity to add positions. Remember: when the stock price rises along the upper band, the lower band is the strongest support level.
② Bearish arrangement: All three bands are downward, stock price declines between the lower and middle bands
Before the collapse of LUNA in 2022, Bollinger Bands showed a standard bearish arrangement, with the middle band dropping 2% daily. After discovering the lower band was effectively broken, I decisively shorted and made a profit of 60% in 3 days. Key points: After breaking the lower band, a rebound to the middle band is the best shorting point.
③ Box arrangement: All three bands are parallel, and stock price oscillates between the upper and lower bands
In 2023, when ETH oscillated between 1,500-2,000 dollars, I repeatedly operated with the strategy of 'buy at the lower band and sell at the upper band', making 17 short trades within 3 months, with a win rate of 82%. Note: In box arrangements, the middle band is the dividing line for bullish and bearish; breaking the middle band means breaking out of the box.
④ Divergence arrangement: The upper and lower bands form a 'V' shape and then gradually converge
In 2024, a certain DeFi token's Bollinger Bands showed a typical divergence arrangement:
Contraction phase (January): The upper and lower bands move closer to the middle band, I observed that the middle band is upward and the stock price bullish candle breaks the middle band, decisively buying
Rising phase (February): The upper and lower bands form a 'V' shape, and the stock price rises along the upper band; I hold my positions steady
Divergence phase (March): When the stock price leaves the upper band and consolidates, I sold on the 3rd day after leaving the upper band, making a profit of 120%
Contraction phase (April): Back to the starting point, waiting for the next opportunity
(2) Three major buying methods in Bollinger Bands practical
① Lower band buying method
In November 2022, when Bitcoin dropped below 16,000 dollars, the lower Bollinger Band was effectively broken, and after consolidating for 3 days, the stock price left the lower band. I bought on the 4th day, and although it consolidated for another 20 days, I eventually sold at 30,000 dollars in 2023, making a profit of 87%. Remember: after breaking the lower band, it must consolidate and leave the lower band; otherwise, it may continue to fall.
② Contraction buying method
In 2024, a certain Layer 2 token showed a contraction pattern:
Middle band upward (20-day line moving up 0.5% daily)
Stock price bullish candle breaks the middle band (closing price above middle band by 3%)
After the upper and lower bands contract, they begin to diverge in a 'V' shape
I bought on the 2nd day after the contraction ended and sold 15 days later, achieving a 95% return. Key point: the middle band must be upward, and the breakout must be a bullish candle.
③ Box lower band buying method
In 2023, while DOT oscillated between 6-8 dollars, every time it fell to the lower band, it would rebound. I bought at the lower band price of 6.2 dollars and sold at the middle band of 7.1 dollars, repeating the operation 4 times, accumulating a profit of 36%. Key point: The box must be horizontal and not tilted downwards.
III. The Five Survival Disciplines of Wild Traders
(1) Trading is a Practice: Honestly face every loss
In 2019, I lost 20,000 on a certain altcoin, and my first reaction was to delete the trading record. But later I forced myself to conduct a detailed review:
Reasons for loss: Believing in community rumors without independent analysis
Improvement measures: Establish a 'Rumor Filter List', and do not trust any news that is not supported by on-chain data
Execution effect: No losses due to rumors in the following 3 years
(2) Rules are the lifeline: Violating the rules incurs a penalty
I Set Strict Trading Rules for Myself:
Single position not exceeding 10% of total funds
Stop loss not exceeding 3% of the cost price
No more than 3 trades per week
Violating once incurs a fine of 2,000 yuan; these fines will be transferred to a special 'error account' to remind oneself not to make the same mistakes again.
(3) Patience equals compound interest: Waiting for the best hitting point
In the entire year of 2023, I only made 4 trades but achieved a 150% return. Because I know: 80% of the time in the cryptocurrency market is in consolidation, and real opportunities only arise a few times a year. Just like a baseball player, the important thing is not the number of swings, but waiting for the best pitch.
(4) Thinking equals evolution: 1 hour of deep review every day
I have a thick review notebook recording every transaction:
Reasons for opening an order (technical / fundamental / financial)
Take profit and stop loss setting logic
Actual execution situation
Improvement plan
Every week I also conduct a panoramic review, using Bollinger Bands to reanalyze the market conditions at that time and see if there are better operational strategies.
(5) Restraint equals freedom: Reject fantasies of getting rich quickly
My monthly consumption habit of 1,500 yuan allows me to remain absolutely calm amidst market fluctuations. When others chase high prices out of fear of missing out, I can always patiently wait because I have no financial pressure. This freedom brought by restraint is more precious than the numbers in my account.
IV. From Liquidation to Doubling: Building Your Own Trading System
(1) Three questions for opening an order: Avoid emotional trading
What is the reason for opening an order? (Must have technical or fundamental support)
Can profitable trades turn into losses? (Set trailing take profit)
Can holding positions lead to liquidation? (Calculating maximum loss tolerance)
(2) Four key elements of the system:
Coin selection logic: Leading coins + potential altcoins (80% mainstream coins + 20% altcoins)
Position management: Single position 10%, floating profit 50% add 5%
Risk control settings: Stop loss 3%, take profit 10% (can be done in batches)
Trading frequency: no more than 3 times a week
(3) Practical case study: Trading a certain DeFi token in 2024
Choosing coins: TVL ranked in the top 20, coin price dropping 80% from issuance price
Opening an order: Bollinger Bands contraction, middle band upward, buy 10% position when a bullish candle breaks the middle band
Add position: increase by 5% after floating profits of 50%
Take profit: First target at the upper band, take profit 50%; second target at historical high, take profit 30%; set trailing stop loss for the remaining 20%
Result: Total profit of 180%, maximum drawdown of 5%
V. Heartfelt Words to Future Traders
The cryptocurrency market is like a primeval forest, filled with legends of overnight wealth, but also traps with countless corpses. As a wild trader who walked from 50,000 capital, I want to tell you:
Always trade with spare money; this is the prerequisite for survival.
Do not believe in any 'hundredfold coin' promises; real opportunities are hidden in patient waiting
A trading system is not a holy grail, but a map to help you avoid traps
Only when you start pursuing stable returns do you truly enter this market.
Finally, I want to share a set of data: Out of my 4 million assets, 75% came from 5 key trades. This means that most of the time, I was waiting. The cryptocurrency market is not short of opportunities; what it lacks is the patience to resist temptation.
