I have summarized a set of survival rules suitable for retail investors based on my actual trading experience. Throughout the process of turning 1,000 USD into 300,000 USD, I have never broken these principles.

**The core logic is simple—capture one wave per day, never full position.**

When the principal is less than 100,000 USD, there's no need for frequent trading. As long as you seize one major market move each day, you can live comfortably. Conversely, trading more than three times a day will inevitably lead to losing your composure, and your account will follow suit.

Taking the 2024 ETH waterfall market as an example, I used a 5% position to short, earning 30 times in 3 hours. It’s not about heavy positions, but about precise directional judgment.

**Good news turning into bad news—that’s a trap everyone who has stepped in understands.**

If a major positive announcement is made and you don’t sell, then the next day’s gap up requires you to exit. During the FTX crash last year, over 90% of full-position traders were liquidated immediately. Also, learn to read the calendar—reduce positions 48 hours before US CPI data releases, and clear contracts before Chinese New Year and Thanksgiving. There are too many lessons.

**Mid-to-long-term relies on light positions and guerrilla tactics.**

Use 5% of your capital to trade, set stop-loss 5% below support levels, and take partial profits at 50% unrealized gains. My BTC dollar-cost averaging position is only 3%, yet it outperforms 90% of heavy traders in annualized returns. For short-term trading, be quick, precise, and disciplined—use 15-minute K-line + KDJ golden cross as the best entry point, short when RSI exceeds 70, go long when below 30. During sideways periods, with daily volatility under 2%, just shut down and avoid trading.

**Understand the volatility patterns: rise like a snail, fall like an avalanche.**

In slow-rising markets, short immediately if a pullback breaks previous lows. After a sharp decline, if the rebound doesn’t break previous highs, that’s a signal. In January 2025, SOL plummeted 40%, and the rebound took only 18 minutes. Stop-loss is the bottom line—if the direction is wrong, cut losses immediately. Hesitating by even a second costs 10%. Set a fixed stop-loss at 3% of your capital, or if unrealized gains reach 50%, and then a 20% pullback occurs, you must exit.

Regarding my long ADA position in 2024, I lost half a year’s profit, and I still remember it.

**These are the core tools for technical traders.**

15-minute chart + KDJ, golden cross with volume breakout can be followed with heavy positions. MACD divergence with decreasing volume means you should exit immediately. Ultimately, there are four secrets to turning small funds around: strict discipline, tight position control, precise take-profit and stop-loss, and closely following market rhythm.

All of these are accumulated from real trading, not just theory. If you want steady profits, stop wandering blindly in the crypto world.