#BuyTheDipOrWaitNow?

#BuyTheDipOrWaitNow?
This question usually shows up when the easy part of the market is over.
When price is trending cleanly, nobody debates timing. Decisions feel obvious. Confidence is high. But once volatility returns, everyone starts looking for permission — to buy, to wait, to do something that feels right.
The truth is, dips don’t mean the same thing in every environment. In strong trends, they’re pauses. In fragile markets, they’re warnings. Treating them the same is how people get trapped.
I’m paying more attention to behavior than headlines. How price reacts at key levels matters more than the levels themselves. Fast bounces tell one story. Slow, heavy reactions tell another. The market is always communicating — most just don’t like what it’s saying.
Risk comes before conviction.
If the downside isn’t defined, the upside doesn’t matter.
Buying the dip without accepting you might be early isn’t confidence — it’s denial. Waiting for perfect confirmation without a plan to act isn’t patience — it’s avoidance. Both feel safe in the moment. Neither is free.
What makes this harder is that doing nothing can be just as active a decision as entering a trade. Cash gives flexibility, but only if you know when and why you’ll deploy it. Otherwise, it slowly turns into regret.