"Another liquidation." In the first half of 2023, I almost said this every week. As a novice retail investor, I was dazzled by the high returns of the crypto market but had no concept of the risks. Following influencers' trades, chasing signals in group chats, my account shrank by 300,000 in just six months. Watching my balance become more and more tragic, I finally understood a cruel truth— in this market, if retail investors don't have their own survival rules, losing money is only a matter of time.

During that period, I frantically studied more. Consulted professional traders, read papers, analyzed data, reviewed trading records. Gradually, I summarized three life-saving ironclad rules. Now I not only make steady profits but also have friends around me asking how I operate.

**Ironclad Rule 1: Let the data speak, forget feelings.** What is the most deadly habit of retail investors? Making decisions based on feelings and gossip. I used to do that—thinking a certain coin would rise, so I rushed in, only to face a fall. Later, I learned to look at the market through data. Fear and greed index below 20? The market is in panic, and it's often a good time to buy. Index soaring above 80? Greed is about to explode, time to clear out. Want to see the real heat of a project? Check on-chain data directly—active addresses, daily transaction count, funds locked—these numbers don't lie and can truly reflect how active the ecosystem is. Track what the big players are doing—pay attention to the holdings of large investors, monitor the inflow and outflow of funds on exchanges, and you'll basically get a pulse of the market.

Earlier this year, when the fear index dropped to 15, I noticed through on-chain data that institutions were quietly accumulating Bitcoin. Without hesitation, I bought in directly. A month later, the market confirmed my judgment.