I fell into the bear trap... three times.

[niko]

I can't take this any more. Over the past six days I sold three times expecting a correction, only to get hurt and call a stop-loss at 2%-4% above. The second time I actually got it right, but changed my mind and bought back after the Mega tweet. Sure enough, the price briefly fell ~5% within a day, right through my deleted bids.

All in all, I quit. All my coins go into paper wallets, and I focus less on charts and more on preparing for the newborn, which is due in a few weeks.

Oh, and this being the speculation thread - expect a big correction any moment after I've gone all paper, followed by a continued rise. The correction simply due to trigger-happy, anxious speculators, the rise due to great-looking fundamentals.

Yours truly,

niko 

[humanitee]

I can't take this any more. Over the past six days I sold three times expecting a correction, only to get hurt and call a stop-loss at 2%-4% above. The second time I actually got it right, but changed my mind and bought back after the Mega tweet. Sure enough, the price briefly fell ~5% within a day, right through my deleted bids.

All in all, I quit. All my coins go into paper wallets, and I focus less on charts and more on preparing for the newborn, which is due in a few weeks.

Oh, and this being the speculation thread - expect a big correction any moment after I've gone all paper, followed by a continued rise. The correction simply due to trigger-happy, anxious speculators, the rise due to great-looking fundamentals.

Yours truly,

niko 

Wisdom!

Good luck with your newborn!

[DeathAndTaxes]

Sounds painful.

At least it didn't end like the bear trap scene from the Walking Dead video game.  

[Piper67]

Two years from now, we're all early adopters and we're laughing at the difference between buying BTC at 20 and at 40 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

You are not the only one that has been fooled by this market...

[lebing]

Congrats on your wisdom. Everyone has to learn the hard way it seems (myself included... I lost at least 10% of my coins in 2012). Now I just look at the fundamentals and these days - hold.

[niko]

Thank you all for the kind words. Really, this was the bitterest way of wising up, according to Confucius:

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

[Luno]

We have all been through that experience.

The only solution is to stick to your strategy. Daytrading in a rocket is impossible, so go long on a percentage of your holdings, Less than 50% I would imagine, and pinch your eyes.

You can't feel a dump before it happens, such a trick belongs to inside traders.

I have bought back higher a mutitude of times, no sweat, I still make money.

Rest assured that you both have cash and BTC to catch the unexpected.

[RodeoX]

At least your losses aren't devastating. Look at how many times new users buy at say $10, then when the price drops a dollar they panic and liquidate. Next morning they wake up to $12 bitcoins. My favorite was the guy who did this and came here threating to "sue bitcoin" over his losses. classic.   

[molecular]

All in all, I quit. All my coins go into paper wallets, and I focus less on charts and more on preparing for the newborn, which is due in a few weeks.

A good decision...

EDIT: I've been thinking about doing this before. The only thing that keeps me from abstaining from trading is my fucking greed! It's this hope that I could acquire even more coins. It never works out, though and I would've made much more money just working and putting the resulting fiat into bitcoin (or working directly for bitcoin). Thanks for giving me a kick. Maybe I can do it now.

[samson]

I have the opinion that BTC will rise well into the 30's and in the long term beyond that. I have no doubt there will be 10% fluctuations in both directions along the way with mini corrections.

Each time it dips a couple of dollars I've purchased a bunch. When it rises a few more I've been selling and waiting for the a 'bear trap' to buy them back.

I'm only using small amounts of money though. I purchased 90 BTC a couple of hours ago at $28.61250 which was just before it started rising again.

I'm only playing around but it's kind of fun and I'm making a few BTC in the process.

[ajk]

You want to be an efficient trader? here is the best advice that I have taken from trading throughout my time as one

1) When in doubt Just sit out

This is the greatest trading advice Ive ever received, if you have no clear vision of what the market is going do not make a trade, Accept your decision that you didnt want to partake in the market and make a trade when you have more information

2) During rallies or uptrending markets Buy during the downsings, During Downtrending or bear market sell during the rallies, during stable times find another financial vehicle to trade.

prime examples of this would be the last significant sell offs we've seen, since we are uptrending these should be sought as buying opportunities,

Day trading is seriously the biggest headache, Good day traders should except to be right about 50-60% of the time, this alone turned me off to day trading when i first started in markets (not to mention that I was wrong alot). but I think that TA used along side with Fundamental analysis gives you better insight than those who advocate only one,

No one in the world is the same, Those who are good at day trading are tailored to this type of trading, there is no 1 winning trading strategies and more times than not its just being at the right place at the right time,

instead of following the FUD around speculation step back and take a real look at what bitcoin is, its a Digital Financial Asset that many are starting to accept as a form of currency,

I dont know about what everyone else thinks but this world is moving to the digital age, it makes some sense at least in my mind that bitcoin could be the next best thing since sliced bread (who knows though I could be totally wrong I dont care though I believed in bitcoin a year ago and it has progressed so far now the sky is the limit)

Unless you like to day trade, I would recommend trying different things til you find what works for you

[malevolent]

At least your losses aren't devastating. Look at how many times new users buy at say $10, then when the price drops a dollar they panic and liquidate. Next morning they wake up to $12 bitcoins. My favorite was the guy who did this and came here threating to "sue bitcoin" over his losses. classic.   

Care to provide a link? Not that I don't believe you, but would love to read that.

As for the OP

[evolve]

Stop trading emotionally.

I've said it a million times...Go into your trades with a plan. Have a clear entry and exit point on both the top end (profit taking) and bottom end (which needs to be low enough to account for daily volatility, but high enough to preserve profits).  Stick to the plan and don't buy or sell on emotion.  Most of all, if you cant tolerate risk, stay out of the market.

Despite common belief, it really isn't that hard to make money trading in this market.

[SaintFlow]

daytrading is for daytraders
swingtrading takes longer windows of action into account.

account for your trading style by expierence.

[Melbustus]

...
and I focus less on charts and more on preparing for the newborn, which is due in a few weeks.
...

Ah, I was in that boat a year ago. Is it your first? If so, you won't even *think* about bitcoin for weeks...(and that's a good thing).

[niko]

...
and I focus less on charts and more on preparing for the newborn, which is due in a few weeks.
...

Ah, I was in that boat a year ago. Is it your first? If so, you won't even *think* about bitcoin for weeks...(and that's a good thing).

Yep, it's the first one, and your description is pretty much what I'm expecting. No speculation there

[phelix]

I can't take this any more. Over the past six days I sold three times expecting a correction, only to get hurt and call a stop-loss at 2%-4% above. The second time I actually got it right, but changed my mind and bought back after the Mega tweet. Sure enough, the price briefly fell ~5% within a day, right through my deleted bids.

All in all, I quit. All my coins go into paper wallets, and I focus less on charts and more on preparing for the newborn, which is due in a few weeks.

Oh, and this being the speculation thread - expect a big correction any moment after I've gone all paper, followed by a continued rise. The correction simply due to trigger-happy, anxious speculators, the rise due to great-looking fundamentals.

Yours truly,

niko 

Wisdom!

Good luck with your newborn!

+1!

[byronbb]

Getting margined out on bitcoinica was my lesson. I had the general trend correct but the trixy market makers ran a squeeze on me and my ilk, and took of with my coins.

[crazy_rabbit]

It takes a real man to admit it.