Last year, a guy, after doubting life due to losses, finally had an epiphany.

In the past, he was like most people—chasing after rising prices and selling when they fell. Today he would buy this based on news, and tomorrow he’d be snatching that because someone in the group shouted about it. The numbers in his account would bounce up and down like an ECG, making profits but afraid to take them, stuck in losses but refusing to sell. Later, while we were drinking and chatting, I casually mentioned a few survival rules I learned from paying tuition with my own experience. At that time, he scoffed, thinking I was just putting on airs.

I didn't expect that a few months later he would come running to say that these few broken rules had saved him several times.

**Don't panic and run during a surge, often it's a false peak**

I remember there was a time when Bitcoin suddenly surged, rising several points in just 15 minutes. He was so nervous watching the candlestick chart that his hands were shaking, thinking about cashing out for safety. He asked me what to do.

I said don't move yet. If there is a small bearish candle right after this violent surge, it is highly likely that large players are acting to scare off retail investors and distribute their chips. If you run away at this moment, you'll end up being the big loser.

He was skeptical and didn't move, but the next day it surged again, and the numbers in his account rose to a point where he felt embarrassed to tell me. Later he sighed: "It turns out that what the manipulators fear the most are those who are like a dead pig and aren't afraid of boiling water."

**Don't rush to catch falling knives during a sharp decline; a weak rebound is just a trap**

There was also a market flash crash, and his eyes turned green. He rushed in to buy the dip, but ended up buying halfway down the mountain. The price bounced for a moment and then softened, continuing to plummet.

I told him that a drop is not scary; what is scary is when the rebound is like a deflated balloon—there isn't even a decent rally, indicating that there are no main players willing to take over, and it's all retail investors stepping on each other. At such times, reaching out is just asking for death.

**The top signal is not a volume explosion, but suddenly no one is saying anything**

Many people stare at the high volume at the top and think a crash is imminent, but the real danger is when the coin price slowly declines while the community is as quiet as a ghost town.

I asked him to observe the market sentiment: just because everyone is making a fuss doesn't necessarily mean it's a peak; it's only when even the trolls disappear that something really is about to happen.