I once saw a real-life case that made me even more in awe of the market.

There’s a trader in my WeChat Moments who turned 100,000 USDT into just 5,000 USDT last year. This isn’t a rare case—to be honest, most people who lose money go down a similar path.

Reviewing his trading records, several fatal problems stood out:

He was addicted to high-frequency trading, opening dozens of positions a day. The fees alone ate up a good chunk of his principal. Even scarier was his “hold to the end” mentality—firmly believing a bull market would inevitably return, only to watch his account balance shrink further and further.

FOMO was another killer. Seeing others post profit screenshots, he’d FOMO in with his entire account, only to wake up and find his balance cut in half.

During that period, he was in a terrible state—watching the charts at 3 a.m., ashtray piled high, slumped in his chair, joking to himself, “I’m just the market’s ATM.”

Later, he came to me with his remaining 5,000 USDT to talk. I told him the hard truth: If you want to make a comeback, you have to learn to be a sniper, not a machine gunner.

So how exactly do you do that? Three principles:

**Only trade high-certainty opportunities**
Don’t look at 1-minute candles—only focus on breakout signals on 4-hour or higher timeframes. It’s better to miss ten opportunities than get one trade wrong. Limit daily trades to no more than three. If you’re itching to trade, go exercise instead—don’t touch the charts.

**Strict position management**
The first position should never exceed 10% of total funds (which, for him, was 500 USDT). Only add to the position after a winning trade. Take half profits immediately after a 20% gain; set a trailing stop for the rest. If a loss hits 5%, exit immediately—don’t hope for a turnaround, and absolutely don’t average down.

**Stop-loss is your lifeline**
After two consecutive stop-losses, shut down and take a break. This is to prevent emotional revenge trading. Review your trades after each day’s close: figure out why you lost on bad trades, and summarize why you won on good ones.

He followed this approach for a while, and his account steadily recovered. Once he asked me, “Why did no one tell me this before?”

I smiled and said, “Because most people would rather blow up their accounts than admit they’re gambling.”

In this market, surviving is far more important than making quick money. Before your capital is wiped out, you must master stop-loss. Discipline isn’t a restriction—it’s a lifesaver. Those who blow up their accounts, 99% die from the wishful thinking of “just a bit longer and I’ll break even.”

Open your own trading records and really see how you lost money. That action is more useful than anything else.