A friend asked me, how can you survive longer and still make money in the crypto world? My answer is straightforward—learn to read trading volume and establish trading discipline.

Seven years ago, I was still renting a place in Shenzhen, and my monthly salary first went to cover rent. Seeing friends around me talking about getting rich quickly, I couldn’t sit still anymore. I invested the 190,000 yuan I had saved up. Over those years, I’ve been through all kinds of pitfalls and paid a lot of tuition fees. Looking back now, the account figures gave me real confidence—not because I got rich overnight, but because I found a steady way to make money in this market.
**Accumulation and topping out, don’t confuse them**
When I first entered the circle, my mentality was very fragile. Once, a shanzhai coin I bought suddenly surged 20%, then started to fall. I panicked and sold everything immediately. What happened next? It rose another 50%. At that moment, I realized that a sharp rise followed by a slow decline doesn’t necessarily mean the market is over; it’s very likely market manipulation or a shakeout.
How to distinguish? Look at trading volume. It’s the most honest indicator. What is a truly dangerous signal? A sudden crash after a volume surge. I remember watching ETC—its single-day surge of 30% was followed by a flash crash. I didn’t hesitate and sold everything immediately. Later, it dropped another 40%. During the shakeout phase, trading volume gradually shrinks, but key support levels are not broken; topping out is different—usually characterized by high volume downward movement, with support levels being penetrated as if made of paper.
**High-level silence is more dangerous than excitement**
There’s another easily overlooked signal in the crypto world—sudden drop in trading volume at high levels. This "silence" is more terrifying than any sharp decline.