Bitget Dialogue Trader H: Lose the money that should be lost, and then stay at the table

In the trading world, speed is often seen as an advantage. But when evaluating a mature trader, is it about how many entry opportunities he can seize, or is it about knowing when to exit?

Today, we invite Bitget VIP user—trader H. He focuses on U.S. stock and contract trading and has experienced a liquidation due to high leverage. Now, he breaks down trading into a clear set of rules: how to enter, how to build positions, and how to exit promptly when making a wrong judgment.

For H, the core of trading is not only about catching the big waves but also about being able to stand on the next wave after the tide goes out.

01 High Frequency, Not Just Fast: Being Present Means Opportunity

H's life revolves around trading.

He is currently a full-time trader, primarily engaged in U.S. stock and contract trading. He monitors the market from day to night, with the most intense periods being around the opening and closing of U.S. markets. He defines himself as a high-frequency trader but emphasizes that high frequency is not about frequent trades; rather, it is due to the abundance of news, and if he does not monitor it timely, opportunities may quickly disappear.

For him, trading first means being present.

This rhythm is not easy, but for him, it is the cost of capturing short-term opportunities. Earnings releases, major news, after-hours movements—these windows are often very short. Low-frequency traders may miss opportunities due to delayed reactions, while high frequency allows him to make quick judgments when opportunities arise.

But high frequency does not mean being casual. On the contrary, H has very specific requirements for trading.

02 No Preference for Long or Short, but Discipline Has Preference

In terms of strategy, H primarily relies on technical analysis. Naked candlesticks and technical indicators are at the core of his judgment, and experience is also crucial. He rarely relies on news or KOL recommendations, preferring to trust the signals given by the price itself.

In terms of trading varieties, he covers all categories. Recently, he has been focusing more on sectors like semiconductors, believing that these sectors are related to AI-driven trends. However, he does not limit himself to any one direction.

Regarding going long or short, H has no obvious preference. In his view, both are essentially the same, based on technical pattern judgments, with no directional bias. What truly matters is not whether to go long or short, but whether one adheres to discipline.

This neutral attitude stems from a profound lesson.

03 A Liquidation: A Turning Point in His Trading Career

In H's trading career, there is an unavoidable turning point.

Last year, during an extreme market condition, he experienced a liquidation due to excessive leverage.

He recalls that he used to employ leverage as high as 15 times. After the liquidation, he actively kept his leverage strictly under 8 times to cope with the extreme volatility risks brought by black swan events. But more important than "reducing leverage" was the change in his understanding of risk management.

H repeatedly mentions a phrase:

|----------------| | "Lose the money that should be lost." |

This phrase sounds somewhat counterintuitive. Traders typically pursue profits, but H believes that what truly matters is acknowledging mistakes, accepting losses, and forcibly closing positions by setting stop-loss points, firmly eliminating the behavior of "holding onto losing positions." He sees this as key to building a trading system from losses.

For him, risk management is not about making trading conservative but about allowing oneself to continue staying in the market, remaining at the table.

04 Slow is Fast: The "Boundary Sense" of Trading

In position management, H adopts a "slowly build positions, slowly close positions" approach to avoid heavy operations all at once. He sets multiple stop-loss and take-profit points instead of betting all hopes on a single judgment.

As a day trader, he usually does not hold overnight positions. If he does hold overnight, he will directly close all positions to avoid post-market uncertainty risks. This approach may seem conservative, but for him, it is a necessary action to control risk.

These rules may not sound complicated, but they are backed by the boundary sense formed after the liquidation.

He also advises this boundary sense to beginners: strictly control leverage, avoid repeating the mistakes of liquidation, and forcibly set stop-loss and take-profit points.

"Be responsible for every trade you make," he says.

05 Under High Frequency, It's Execution and Cost

When discussing the platform experience, H's feedback is very candid.

He appreciates Bitget's interactive interface and user experience, believing the overall design is user-friendly. However, as a high-frequency trader, he is more concerned about what happens at the moment of placing an order: whether the market can accommodate it, whether the execution is smooth, whether the desired trading target is available, and whether costs will be magnified with trading frequency.

During the interview, H also mentioned several specific expectations: continuous optimization of the market depth for some perpetual contracts; speeding up the listing of U.S. stock contracts. Additionally, he mentioned that high-frequency traders pay more attention to transaction cost and hope that VIP users can enjoy friendlier rates or more exclusive activities.

For high-frequency traders, 1 basis point is not an abstract number. The higher the trading frequency, the more significant the accumulation of transaction fees, and the fee rate will directly become part of the strategy cost. Currently, Bitget VIP can enjoy up to a 67% fee discount at the same trading volume level, which is continuously iterated around this logic.

06 Redefining "Winning"

After experiencing that liquidation, H's understanding of "winning" has changed.

From pursuing profits to protecting capital, and then to sustainably staying in the market, this reflects the change in H's wealth philosophy presented during the interview. For him, trading still means seeking opportunities, but now, he cares more about whether he can control himself and manage risks.

"Lose the money that should be lost."

For a full-time trader, perhaps true professionalism lies in knowing when to exit after making a wrong judgment and still being at the table when the next opportunity arises.

++This article is compiled based on the interview content with trader H. The views expressed in the article only represent the interviewee's personal opinions and do not constitute any investment advice. Contract trading carries high risks and may lead to total loss of principal; please make decisions cautiously based on your own risk tolerance.++