From Peaks to Breakdown: Reflections on My Recent BTC Trades

Over the past few months, Bitcoin’s price action has felt like a test of both strategy and emotional discipline. From the strong rally earlier in the year to the sharp multi-week breakdown after October, this journey has forced me to re-examine market cycles—and more importantly, revisit a core question:

Is investing an emotional practice, or a strategic one?

In this recent round of trading, I did something my past self might never have done: I started trimming positions during strength, stayed calm when the market was euphoric, and turned decisively bearish at the first signs of structural weakness.

Starting from above 115K, I gradually reduced my long exposure. When momentum shifted, I opened short positions with clear stop-loss and take-profit levels. Fortunately, most of those shorts hit their targets smoothly—many even earlier than expected as BTC dropped toward the 90K area.

But this wasn’t about “predicting correctly.”It was the realization that survival in the market usually depends not on being right, but on accepting that you might be wrong.

As BTC broke below 104K, then 100K, and eventually 90K, many continued insisting that “it will rise long-term,” while others rushed to bottom-fish out of fear. Yet both technically and emotionally, the market was signaling one clear message:

— The uptrend had broken

— Volume structure deteriorated

— Bears were in control

— Every rebound was just a dead cat bounce

Through this volatility, I learned something important:

Price is not the enemy. Stubbornness is.

After most of my shorts took profit, I knew the move wasn’t finished. The larger market structure still pointed toward deeper support zones. A real buying opportunity doesn’t appear in the middle of a fall—it appears when the market capitulates, when sentiment collapses, and when the structure forms a complete cycle.

So I lowered the remaining take-profit levels on my small short exposure and shifted into patience mode, waiting for the next moment when value density becomes truly high.

Someone asked me, “How do you know what to do? Is it technical analysis or intuition?”

I believe mature trading is a combination of skill, discipline, and the wisdom earned from being humbled by the market many times:

Follow the trend—don’t try to guess tops or bottoms.

Take profit when it’s time—don’t get greedy.

Cut losses when necessary—don’t hesitate.

Wait when required—don’t rush into trades.

Investing is not a battlefield; it is a mirror.The more volatile the market becomes, the more clearly we see our desires, fears, and attachments.

Through this experience—from the peak to the breakdown—I’ve come to understand:

Great traders don’t win fast. They lose less.They don’t capture every move. They capture the moves that belong to them.

Looking ahead, I will continue to stay patient. The market may remain choppy, but true bottoms rarely form when everyone is still talking about BTC. They form quietly, when most people no longer care.

And I am willing to wait—for a level where long-term conviction aligns with risk and reward.

Investing is a journey, and every trade is a lesson.I hope this experience helps you find your own rhythm amid the market’s ups and downs.

— VinceEFM Financial Intelligence Space · Market Edge