2026-01-03 09:23:00

After eight years of crypto market analysis, the deepest insight I’ve gained is: retail investors’ anxiety is always the best trading signal.

A few days ago, a friend complained that ETH rose from 2900 to 3120. Watching the influencers in the group shouting, he immediately moved his working capital from the factory to buy in. I only replied, "This isn’t getting on the train, it’s moving closer to the sickle."

In fact, this process is quite typical. When the price bottomed at 2900, the whole network was bearish, saying "the bear market isn’t over," and no one dared to buy the dip. When it surged to 3120, it instantly turned into cheers of "the bull is returning"—that’s the market’s false face. That big bullish candle from 3000 straight up to 3149? It’s just a shakeout. The purpose is nothing more than twofold: to shake off the short-sellers and to stir up the FOMO among those who missed out, using the expectation of a reversal.

The current stalemate is even more interesting—stuck at 3120, unmoving, with many people shouting on their phones, "adding fuel to the fire," but this is precisely the carefully planned trap by the layouters. The less it moves up, the more uneasy people become, and the easier it is to make wrong decisions driven by emotion. The story of catching the top every year keeps repeating.

The biggest enemy of retail investors is never the market itself, but the anxiety that’s always ready to be triggered.

ETH0,42%

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liquidation_watcher

· 01-05 23:51

It's the same old trick again, anxiety is just trading volume.

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GateUser-afe07a92

· 01-03 17:22

Exactly right, the guy around me is the same. He was dead at 2900, shouting the loudest at 3120, and now he's stuck inside and still stubbornly insisting "just a correction." It's really anxiety being tightly controlled.

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MoonMathMagic

· 01-03 09:52

Ha, it's the same old story. No one dares to move at the bottom, screaming to buy at the top, always the same routine. Anxiety is indeed a signal, but most people use this signal to operate in the opposite direction, which often results in quicker losses. Honestly, seeing through these is not enough; the key is whether you can withstand the restlessness in your heart. This might be a hundred times harder than analyzing the market. I understand the feeling of being stuck at 3120, but it's precisely this "holding back" state that is most likely to cause trouble. Eight years of experience summarized in one sentence, plus this: knowing that anxiety is a trap doesn't mean you can escape it. The scythe is not scary; what's scary is that you insist on taking that blow.

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MoneyBurnerSociety

· 01-03 09:48

I just want to ask, how is your friend doing now? Are they still waiting for that lifesaving straw to escape the predicament? Haha

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SilentObserver

· 01-03 09:39

Oh no, it's that same manipulation trick again, always the same every time.

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RektHunter

· 01-03 09:39

That hits too close to home. My friend was just like that, getting liquidated, and he's still shouting "wait for the rebound." --- The metaphor of the sickle is perfect; they always use this trick on us retail investors. --- Anxiety is the biggest killer, more deadly than the price drop. --- I totally relate to the part where it stalls at 3120; I was really itching to act. --- After eight years of experience, what I say sounds painful to hear. --- I already took a screenshot when the big V was shouting, but now they've deleted it. --- Daring to move the working capital, this guy is really out of line. --- A single phrase "lean on the sickle" explains everything. --- It's always the same routine; when will I learn not to fall for it? --- The game of shakeouts is played year after year. How can anyone still believe in "bulls returning quickly"? --- I totally understand that restless feeling, holding my phone, afraid of missing out on something. --- Retail investors' biggest fear isn't losing money, but watching prices rise while they didn't get in. --- This move is textbook-level perfect; the strategist's tactics are truly brilliant.

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