Author: CryptoPunk
Many crypto traders have experienced the same letdown: a strategy that looks stable and profitable in backtests, but when actually deployed, returns shrivel rapidly, even turning from profit to loss. The problem often isn't "getting the direction wrong," but underestimating trading costs, especially slippage.
In the crypto market where bull-bear switches are faster, volatility more intense, and order books more fragmented, slippage isn't an insignificant decimal point—it's the critical threshold determining whether a strategy survives. A deviation of 2 bps or 3 bps, when applied to high-turnover strategies, is enough to completely consume the paper alpha.
This article is based on long-term backtests of BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT, attempting to answer a very practical question: to what extent will slippage erode strategy returns, and which strategies are most susceptible to being killed by slippage.
1. Introduction: Why Slippage