Is it still contracts or spot? This question has become outdated by 2026.

The real watershed lies in whether you have learned swing trading.

Looking back over these years, many once-effective strategies have all become invalid. The most typical example is the theory of "not fearing spot"—countless people hold onto spot assets stubbornly, only to suffer losses of 80%-90%. In the past, some advised only trading spot and staying away from contracts because, over time, you could always make money. But the market has changed now.

The market is becoming more mature, and it's no longer the era of "holding to make money."

Whether contracts or spot, the core competitive advantage now is swing trading ability. Don't expect to find coins that multiply by dozens of times anymore. There are hundreds of coins on exchanges, but only one or two might increase by 1-3 times, and the chance of catching them is painfully low. The current strategy is to take profits quickly—getting 10%-30% returns is already good.

Some traders I know insist on holding spot assets stubbornly, and they are now basically down 90%. Want to break even? You’ll have to wait for the coin price to increase tenfold. Honestly, this situation hardly leaves any room for a turnaround.

In the future, the crypto market will increasingly resemble traditional financial markets—volatility will shrink, and dividends will fade. There are only two ways to make money: large capital and big swings. In the past, during a bull market, coins could reach thousands or hundreds of times their value, but such phenomena are now very rare in the secondary market.

So don’t hold onto illusions. The key to success in 2026 isn’t whether you choose contracts or spot, but whether you master the rhythm of swing trading. Small wins lead to big wins—that’s the rule for survival.