Why are so many people losing money in the crypto world? It's not because they don't understand stop-losses, but because greed—the fierce beast—always lurks in the shadows.

When they lose, they want to hold on to their positions; when prices drop, they hope for a rebound—everyone has heard these excuses, and they've said them themselves. But when it’s time to watch the charts closely, the floating loss numbers flicker before their eyes, and rationality is instantly shattered. The phrase "wait a bit longer" sounds like persistence, but in reality, it's greed choking you.

I used to be among those chasing gains and panicking at drops, staying up late watching the charts was more exhausting than working, and in the end, I lost everything. The turning point came from what seemed like the dumbest method—only trading signals I truly understood, and avoiding anything else, no matter how tempting. Over the years, I’ve invested my hard-earned money into the market and distilled my experience into these five rules:

**Rule 1: After 9 PM is the golden trading time**

During the day, news is everywhere, and the market swings with the wind, like a headless fly bumping around aimlessly. In the evening, emotional tides recede, and the market’s true temperament reveals itself. The trend becomes clearer, the direction more obvious, and decision-making becomes more accurate.

**Rule 2: Trust indicators, don’t rely solely on feelings**

Feelings are the biggest liars. Before entering a trade, you must check three things—none can be missing: Is there a MACD golden or death cross? Is RSI in extreme overbought or oversold territory? Is the Bollinger Band narrowing or breaking out? When at least two of these indicators give the same signal, consider following through; your success rate doubles immediately.

**Rule 3: Learn to "bring your stop-loss to life"**

Have time to watch the charts? Then, after each profit wave, move your stop-loss up one step, turning profits into a safety cushion gradually. No time to monitor? Set a fixed stop-loss—like a 3% drop—then exit, leaving no room for black swan events to catch you off guard.

**Rule 4: Two key points in candlestick analysis**

For short-term trading, wait until at least two consecutive candles in the 1-hour chart point in the same direction before following the trend. Can't find a direction? Switch to the 4-hour chart and reassess, focusing on key support and resistance levels. When approaching these levels, take action.

**Rule 5: Stay away from coins driven purely by emotion**

Some coins can skyrocket wildly, and when they fall, they do so ruthlessly. You think you're bottom-fishing, but in reality, you've long become someone else's pawn. In this kind of gamble, the real winners are often those who get in first and get out fastest, while you usually end up holding the bag.

After all these years in the crypto space, my biggest realization is this—more difficult than admitting mistakes is giving up on unrealistic fantasies.

Greed can cause you to lose an entire month’s profit in one go. But decisively cutting losses can often protect three or even six months of effort. Truly skilled traders are not famous for earning the most, but for losing the least and surviving the longest.