Category: Cryptocurrency Trading

Trading is a fundamental aspect of the cryptocurrency space. As exciting as crypto trading is, it is also highly risky and complex. This section gives an introductory guide to the various aspects of cryptocurrency trading.

  • Ledger Nano S Plus Hardware Wallet Review

    Ledger Nano S Plus Hardware Wallet Review

    The increasing popularity and adoption of cryptocurrency has expanded the wallet market. Now that many well-known traditional and crypto brands accept crypto as a payment option, enthusiasts are constantly on the lookout for safer ways to store their digital assets.

    Ledger remains a leading name in hardware crypto wallets. Since the launch of the Nano S in 2016, Ledger has become a trusted choice for securing digital holdings. Over the years, Ledger has introduced several models, including the Nano S, Nano X, and Nano S Plus. The latest addition, the Ledger Flex, offers an E Ink touchscreen and enhanced security features, making crypto storage even more accessible. The Ledger Nano S Plus is still available and remains an affordable option at US$79.

    CLICK BELOW TO BUY!

    Check out our previous Ledger reviews here:
    Ledger Nano X review
    Ledger Nano S review

    What is the Ledger Nano S Plus?

    The Nano S Plus is Ledger’s third release from its Nano series, a line of pocket-sized hardware crypto wallets. Ledger’s Nano S Plus has all of the features of the original Nano S but with a few unique features and upgrades.

    New features of the Ledger Nano S Plus

    Ledger introduced the Nano S Plus with an exciting list of features and improvements over the two previous releases. Some of the major new features on the Nano S Plus include:

    • NFT & DeFi Support: Users can securely store, send, and receive NFTs through the Ledger Live app and interact with various DeFi applications.
    • Expanded Asset Compatibility: Supports over 5,500 digital assets, allowing users to manage multiple cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based assets.
    • Improved Storage Capacity: With 1.5MB of storage, the device can run up to 100 different cryptocurrency apps simultaneously—significantly more than the original Nano S.
    • Enhanced Display: Features a 128 x 64-pixel screen, similar to the Nano X, making transaction verification easier.
    • Industry-Leading Security: Uses Ledger’s Secure Element chip (CC EAL5+ certification) to protect user funds from phishing and cyber threats.
    • Compact Design: At 62.39mm x 17.40mm x 8.24mm and weighing just 21g, it remains highly portable.
    • Low cost. The Nano S Plus comes at an affordable price of US$79, making it an attractive option for all levels of crypto traders.

    Security features: is the Nano S Plus safe?

    Ledger Nano S Plus continues to provide industry-leading security for cryptocurrency and NFT storage, featuring the following security enhancements:

    • Secure Element Chip (CC EAL5+): This certified security chip protects against hacking attempts, phishing, and unauthorized access.
    • PIN Code & Passphrase Protection: Users must set a secure PIN, and an optional passphrase adds another layer of security.
    • Transaction Confirmation: Every transaction must be manually verified on the device’s screen, preventing remote interference.
    • Anti-Tampering Measures: Ledger hardware wallets are designed to resist physical attacks and unauthorized modifications.
    • Ledger Live Integration: The wallet works seamlessly with Ledger Live for secure asset management, allowing users to interact with DeFi platforms safely.

    To learn more about the security features of the Nano S Plus and Nano X, click here.

    5/5 Security Rating

    Cryptoasset support

    A major Nano S Plus feature is the huge roster of supported crypto assets and apps. The Nano S Plus supports over 5,500 assets and can accommodate up to 100 different apps. Some supported assets include:

    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • ERC-20 tokens
    • Dogecoin (DOGE)
    • XRP
    • BNB
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Polygon (MATIC)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tron (TRX)

    The Nano S Plus has 1.5MB of storage and with that can run over 100 apps simultaneously. On Ledger devices, an “app” refers to the app required to be installed to access a cryptocurrency on the device e.g. in order to access your BTC on the device you need to install the app on the Ledger first. Meaning that, unlike the Nano S which can only run 3 apps simultaneously, users are not required to delete apps in order to access other cryptocurrencies which do not have the apps already installed.

    But what is truly unique about the Nano S Plus is that it is the first Ledger device to offer NFT support. Users of the Nano S Plus can securely hold, send, and receive NFTs via the Ledger Live app. Ledger has made this process user-friendly, as owners can authenticate transactions right from the wallet’s interface.

    Users of the Nano S Plus can also buy, exchange, lend, and stake cryptocurrencies directly via Ledger Live, enhancing accessibility to decentralized finance platforms.

    The NFT support and DeFi app access give the Nano S Plus an even bigger boost in features compared to the Nano S and for that reason, we rank this category even higher than the Nano X.

    4.8/5 cryptoasset support

    Hardware design

    Similar to the Nano S, the Nano S Plus also has two hardware buttons located on the top of the device.

    The Nano S Plus has a much larger screen than its predecessor, which makes usage very easy. Same as the Nano X, the 128 x 64-pixel screen makes operating the device simple and helps users navigate the product’s features. The main benefit of the larger screen is that users can see the entire wallet address clearly displayed as one line on the screen. The screen also blends well into the rest of the device, adding to the Nano S Plus’ aesthetic appeal. And whilst the screen size on the Nano S Plus is the same as the Nano X, the Nano S Plus is a much smaller device overall.

    The Ledger Nano S Plus’ measurements are smaller than the Nano X at 62.39 x 17.40 x 8.24 mm, and weighs in at only 21g. The wallet is about the size and weight of an average USB flash drive and is easy to carry around. It also uses a Type-C USB interface for quick setup and seamless connectivity with computers and Android devices.

    4.5/5 for hardware design

    4.5/5 for ease of use

    What’s in the Ledger Nano S Plus Box?

    The Nano S Plus wallet comes with the following inside the box:

    • The Ledger Nano S Plus hardware
    • A Type-C USB cable to connect the Ledger to a computer
    • An orange box with three notepads for the Secret Recovery Phrase
    • A purple box with the manual instructions
    • A key-holder chain with a Ledger logo

    Final Verdict

    The Ledger Nano S Plus remains an excellent choice for users seeking a secure, reliable, and user-friendly hardware wallet. It continues to provide industry-leading security with a CC EAL5+ certified Secure Element chip, ensuring robust protection against hacking and phishing threats.

    With support for over 5,500 digital assets, including NFTs and DeFi applications, the Nano S Plus is well-equipped for modern crypto users. Its expanded storage capacity allows for up to 100 apps to be installed simultaneously, making it a practical option for managing multiple cryptocurrencies without needing to delete and reinstall applications.

    The affordable price of US$79 makes the Nano S Plus an attractive entry point for both beginners and experienced investors looking to secure their holdings. While Ledger has introduced newer models like the Ledger Flex, the Nano S Plus remains a cost-effective and compact alternative with reliable functionality.

    CLICK HERE TO BUY!

    Ledger Nano S Plus worth it?

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    Product Specifications (Technical Specifications)

    Ledger Nano S Plus Product Specifications:

    Processors
    Compatibility 64-bits desktop computer (Windows 8+, macOS 10.8+, Linux) excluding ARM Processors.Also compatible with smartphones Android 7+.
    Connector USB-C
    Security Certification CC EAL5+
    Size Size: 62.39mm x 17.40mm x 8.24 mm
    Weight: 21g
    Supported assets 5,550+ digital assets plus NFTs and DeFi app access

    Cryptocurrency hardware wallet reviews

    Check out our other hardware wallet reviews:

    Ledger Stax Review: A premium hardware wallet with strong security, a curved E Ink touchscreen, and extensive cryptocurrency support, helping investors protect their digital assets.

    Ledger Flex Review: User Friendly Security – A deep dive into the Ledger Flex, highlighting its intuitive touchscreen and security features.

    Ledger Nano S Plus Review – Covers the affordability and enhanced capacity of the Nano S Plus, making it a great entry-level option.

    Trezor Model T Review: Is It Worth Buying? – Examines the security features and usability of the Trezor Model T, a popular alternative to Ledger wallets.

    Top 3 Cryptocurrency Hardware Wallets: Which One’s Best? – A comparison of the Ledger Nano X, Trezor Model T, and KeepKey, analyzing their security, design, and ease of use.

  • Confirmation vs Deviation (Beginner’s Guide Series Part 3)

    Confirmation vs Deviation (Beginner’s Guide Series Part 3)

    Welcome to the third part of our crypto trading guide series for beginners! In this article, we’ll dive into a critical price action concept: confirmation versus deviation. Understanding how to distinguish between these two patterns at key levels can help you avoid fakeouts, take high-probability trades, and stay disciplined in the volatile crypto market. We’ll break down what confirmation and deviation look like, how to identify them using simple price action rules, and why patience is key to mastering this skill.

    Understanding Confirmation vs. Deviation

    Confirmation and deviation are price action patterns that help you determine whether a breakout or breakdown at a key level is likely to continue or reverse.

    A confirmation signals a high-probability trade setup, where price respects the key level and moves in the expected direction, while a deviation indicates a fakeout, where price briefly breaks a level but reverses, trapping impatient traders.

    For beginners, learning to spot these patterns can prevent costly mistakes and build confidence in your trading decisions. We’ll focus on identifying confirmations and deviations for both long and short setups.

    Identifying a Confirmation for Long Trades

    A confirmation for a long trade occurs in 5 steps and they have to be in order:

    1. Price breaks above a key level (a significant resistance)
    2. Price retests the key level
    3. Price forms a new high
    4. Price retests the former high as support
    5. Entry at former high and place stop loss below key level, targeting the next key level

    This sequence confirms the breakout’s validity, signaling a strong entry point.

    Figure 1. Long Confirmation Setup

    Example: SOL Long Confirmation (April to May 2025)

    Take for example Solana’s price action during the period of late February to May 2025 (figure 2). $135 was a significant key level for 4 weeks acting as support, until price completely broke below the key level in early March which then acted as resistance. The sequence of the long confirmation setup is as follows:

    1. Price broke above $135 resistance in mid April reaching $141.96
    2. Price retested the $135 key level
    3. Price made a new high at $152.3, confirming the $135 key level as support
    4. Price retested the former high at $141.96
    5. Enter at $141.96, place stop loss below the $135 support level and target the next key level at $176.48
    Figure 2. SOL Long Confirmation Setup (February to March 2025)

    Identifying a Confirmation for Short Trades

    A confirmation for a short trade occurs in 5 steps and they have to be in order:

    1. Price breaks below a key level (a significant support)
    2. Price retests the key level
    3. Price forms a new low
    4. Price retests the former low as resistance
    5. Entry at former low and place stop loss above key level, targeting the next key level

    This sequence confirms loss of momentum from buyers, signaling a strong entry point.

    Figure 3. Short Confirmation Setup

    Example: BTC Short Confirmation (Feb to April 2025)

    Take for example Bitcoin’s price action during the period of February to April 2025 (figure 4). $90,500 was a significant key level for BTC acting as support since December 2024. Price made a new low once the daily candle closed below the key level on February 25. Price continues to make new lows, so there are multiple points to take into account. In this type of situation, marking out the candle body closes is very helpful. The sequence of the short confirmation setup is as follows:

    1. Price breaks below the $90,500 support and closed at $88680.4 on Feb 25. Price continues lower the next day and closed at $84,250.09
    2. Price retests the $90,500 key level and closed above on March 2 but completely reversed the next day
    3. Price forms a new low at $78,595.86, confirming the $90,500 key level as resistance
    4. Price retests former low 2 and former low 1
    5. DCA entry from former low 2 to former low 1 (shown in the green box) and place stop loss above the $90,500 key level, targeting the new low or previous key levels below
    Figure 4. BTC Short Confirmation Setup (Feb to April 2025)

    Spotting a Deviation and Avoiding Fakeouts

    A deviation occurs when price breaks a key level but fails to confirm with a retest, new high/low, and subsequent retest, often forming a semicircle pattern that signals indecision. This leads to a reversal, trapping traders who enter too early. Deviations are generally risky because price can move very quickly in either direction. However, deviations can still be traded if price distributes slowly.

    Identifying a Deviation for Long Trades

    A valid deviation for a long trade occurs in 6 steps and they have to be in order:

    1. Price breaks below a key level (a significant support)
    2. Price reverses and close above the key level
    3. Price retests the key level
    4. Price forms a new high
    5. Price retests the former high as support
    6. Entry at former high and place stop loss below key level, targeting the next key level

    Notice how it is basically a confirmation sequence/pattern but with an extra step – the deviation!

    Figure 5. Valid Deviation for Long Setup

    Example: $S Long Confirmation off of Deviation(Jan to Feb 2025)

    Take for example Sonic’s price action during the period of January to February 2025 (figure 5). $0.5008 was a significant key level for $S acting as both support and resistance in January. As you can see, there were multiple deviations that occurred where price action was indecisive, hence why deviations are risky. Selecting the right one to trade requires waiting for confirmation. The sequence of the long confirmation setup off of the deviation is as follows:

    1. Price breaks below the $0.5008 key level
    2. Price reverses and closed above the key level at $0.5685
    3. Price retested the key level
    4. Price made a new high at $0.6197
    5. Price retested the former high
    6. Enter at former high, place stop loss below the $0.5008 support level and target the next key level at $0.7809
    Figure 6. $S Long Confirmation off of a Deviation

    Identifying a Deviation for Short Trades

    A valid deviation for a short trade occurs in 6 steps and they have to be in order:

    1. Price breaks above a key level (a significant resistance)
    2. Price reverses and close below the key level
    3. Price retests the key level
    4. Price forms a new low
    5. Price retests the former low as resistance
    6. Enter at former low and place stop loss above key level, targeting the next key level

    Based on my experience, this is especially prevalent for altcoins where buyers get trapped on the break above the resistance, thinking it is a confirmation for a breakout.

    Figure 7. Valid Deviation for Short Setup

    Example: SUI Short Confirmation off of Deviation(April to June 2025)

    Take for example Sui’s price action during the period of April to June 2025 (figure 8). $3.6936 was a significant key level for SUI acting as resistance in late April and support in mid May. Price made a new low once the daily candle body closed below the key level on May 23, confirming the entire price action above the key level as deviation. The sequence of the short confirmation setup off of the deviation is as follows:

    1. Price breaks above the $3.6936 key level
    2. Price reverses and closed below the key level at $3.5360
    3. Price retested the key level
    4. Price made a new low at $3.1701
    5. Price retested the former low
    6. Enter at former low, place stop loss above the $3.6936 support level and target the next key level at $2.7825
    Figure 8. SUI Short Confirmation off of a Deviation

    Key Takeaway

    The most important principle is to wait for the full setup—breakout, retest of the key level, new high/low, retest of the former high/low—before taking a trade, ensuring you’re entering high-probability setups while avoiding fakeouts. This analysis avoids assumptions or bias, focusing on the observable behavior of buyers and sellers through candlesticks and the economic principles of supply and demand at key levels.

    Notice in the images they all form a higher high, higher low structure for longs and lower high, lower low structure for shorts. Yes! This is how you correctly enter at pullbacks in combination with key levels. You are essentially buying high, selling higher for longs and selling low, selling lower for shorts.

  • Solana Bribe and Transaction Mechanics explained

    Solana Bribe and Transaction Mechanics explained

    This article explores the intricate relationship between transaction prioritization, validator incentives, and Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) on the Solana blockchain, with a particular focus on how these mechanisms impact sniper bot operations and overall network dynamics.

    Priority Fees: Solana’s Transaction Prioritization Mechanism

    Structure and Implementation

    Priority fees on Solana represent an optional fee mechanism that allows users to incentivize validators to include their transactions in blocks more quickly. Unlike the fixed base fee of 5,000 lamports per signature, priority fees are dynamic and market-driven, priced in micro-lamports per compute unit.

    The priority fee is calculated using the following formula:

    Priority Fee = Compute Unit Limit × Compute Unit Price
    

    Where:

    • Compute Unit Limit: The maximum number of compute units the transaction can consume
    • Compute Unit Price: The amount (in micro-lamports) the user is willing to pay per compute unit

    Technically, priority fees are implemented through the Compute Budget Program, which allows developers to:

    1. Set the compute unit limit for a transaction
    2. Specify the price per compute unit they’re willing to pay

    This creates an economic incentive for validators to prioritize transactions with higher fees per compute unit, especially during periods of network congestion.

    Economic Impact on Validators

    Priority fees have significantly altered the validator economics on Solana:

    1. Additional Revenue Stream: Validators now receive income beyond the standard inflation rewards and base transaction fees.
    2. Competitive Prioritization: Validators are economically incentivized to include transactions with the highest fee per compute unit first, creating a market-based mechanism for transaction ordering.
    3. Validator Behavior Modification: The introduction of priority fees has led validators to optimize their transaction selection algorithms to maximize fee revenue.

    Recent governance proposals have sought to adjust the priority fee structure to reward validators with 100% of the fees collected (rather than burning a portion), ensuring validators are appropriately incentivized to maintain network security and performance.

    Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) on Solana

    Understanding MEV in the Solana Context

    Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) refers to the value that can be extracted by validators and network participants through the strategic ordering, inclusion, or exclusion of transactions within blocks. On Solana, MEV manifests differently than on Ethereum due to the blockchain’s unique architecture:

    1. Parallel Transaction Processing: Solana’s ability to process non-conflicting transactions in parallel changes how MEV can be extracted.
    2. Sub-Second Block Times: With slots occurring approximately every 400ms, the window for MEV extraction is much narrower than on other blockchains.
    3. Leader Schedule Predictability: Solana’s deterministic leader schedule allows MEV extractors to target specific validators.

    Common MEV strategies on Solana include:

    • Front-running trades on decentralized exchanges
    • Sandwich attacks (placing orders before and after a large trade)
    • Arbitrage between different liquidity pools
    • Liquidation sniping in lending protocols

    MEV’s Impact on Network Performance

    According to research by Jito Foundation, MEV activities have had a significant impact on Solana’s network performance:

    • Over 30% of transactions on Solana are from arbitrage bots
    • In some epochs, 60% of block compute resources are consumed by arbitrage transactions
    • More than 98% of arbitrage transactions fail, meaning validators waste approximately 58% of their processing time on failed MEV attempts

    This inefficiency creates network congestion, increases transaction failures for regular users, and degrades the overall user experience during periods of high volatility.

    The Bribe Economy: How Transactions Get Prioritized

    Direct Validator Incentives

    The term “bribes” in the Solana ecosystem refers to the economic incentives provided to validators to prioritize certain transactions. These incentives take several forms:

    1. Priority Fees: The official, protocol-level mechanism for transaction prioritization.
    2. Direct Validator Payments: Some high-frequency traders establish relationships with validators and pay them directly (off-chain) for preferential treatment.
    3. Specialized MEV Infrastructure: Services like Jito Labs provide infrastructure that allows validators to capture MEV and share the profits with stakers.

    A notable example of the scale of these incentives occurred during the launch of the TRUMP token in January 2025, when validators reportedly received over 100,000 SOL (worth millions of dollars) in priority fees and MEV rewards over just two days of active trading.

    Transaction Bundles and MEV Extraction

    To address the inefficiencies of the current MEV landscape, specialized infrastructure has emerged:

    1. Jito-Solana: A fork of the Solana validator client optimized for efficient MEV extraction, which supports “bundles” that allow traders to specify the exact ordering of their transactions.
    2. BloXroute’s Order Flow Relay (OFR): A system that injects transactions directly to validators without exposing them to public mempools, reducing the risk of front-running.
    3. Searcher-Validator Relationships: Advanced MEV extractors (“searchers”) develop direct relationships with validators to gain priority access to block production.

    These mechanisms create a more efficient market for transaction ordering, potentially reducing the spam and failed transactions that currently plague the network.

    Implications for Sniper Bots

    Competitive Advantage Through Fee Optimization

    For sniper bots, understanding and optimizing around Solana’s priority fee and MEV landscape is crucial:

    1. Dynamic Fee Calculation: Sophisticated bots implement algorithms that adjust priority fees based on network congestion, potential profit, and competitor behavior.
    2. Validator Targeting: Some bots specifically target transactions to validators known to be running specialized MEV infrastructure.
    3. Bundle Strategies: Advanced bots utilize transaction bundles through services like Jito to ensure precise ordering of their transactions.
    4. Private Mempools: Top-tier sniper operations use private transaction routing to avoid having their strategies front-run by competitors.

    The Arms Race Dynamic

    The relationship between sniper bots, validators, and MEV infrastructure creates an ongoing arms race:

    1. Increasing Sophistication: As basic strategies become commoditized, bots implement increasingly complex approaches to maintain an edge.
    2. Infrastructure Investment: The most successful operations invest heavily in low-latency connections, private RPC nodes, and direct validator relationships.
    3. Fee Escalation: During high-value opportunities (like token launches), priority fees can spike dramatically as bots compete for inclusion.
    4. Specialized Validator Selection: Some bot operators stake to (or run their own) validators to gain advantages in transaction processing.

    Future Outlook and Ecosystem Evolution

    Governance and Protocol Changes

    The Solana ecosystem continues to evolve in response to MEV and priority fee dynamics:

    1. Fee Distribution Proposals: Recent governance proposals have suggested adjusting how priority fees are distributed to better align validator incentives with network health.
    2. MEV-Aware Protocol Design: New protocols are increasingly designed with MEV considerations in mind, implementing mechanisms to reduce harmful extraction.
    3. Validator Specialization: The validator ecosystem is likely to continue specializing, with some validators optimizing specifically for MEV capture.

    Balancing Efficiency and Fairness

    The challenge for the Solana ecosystem is balancing the efficiency gains of market-based transaction ordering with concerns about fairness and accessibility:

    1. User Experience Considerations: Ensuring that regular users can still access the network during high-congestion periods without paying exorbitant fees.
    2. Validator Decentralization: Preventing MEV extraction from centralizing the validator set around a few highly-optimized operators.
    3. Sustainable Economics: Developing fee and MEV capture mechanisms that provide sustainable economics for validators without excessive extraction from users.

    The evolution of these mechanisms will significantly impact the future landscape for sniper bots, traders, and all participants in the Solana ecosystem.

    References and Further Reading

    1. BullX Neo Documentation – Fees and Gas
    2. Solana Documentation – How to Use Priority Fees
    3. Jito Network – MEV Infrastructure for Solana
    4. BloxRoute – Solana Order Flow Relay
    5. Jupiter – Slippage and Price Impact
    6. Solana Cookbook – Compute Budget
    7. Maestro Bot – Official Documentation
    8. Trojan Bot – Telegram Channel
    9. YouTube – BullX Neo Gas Settings Tutorial
  • Risk Management and Psychology in Trading (Beginner’s Guide Series Part 2)

    Risk Management and Psychology in Trading (Beginner’s Guide Series Part 2)

    Welcome to the second part of our crypto trading guide series for beginners! In this article, we’ll tackle two critical pillars of successful trading: risk management and trader psychology. Mastering these skills ensures you can trade with consistency, avoid emotional pitfalls, and protect your capital for the long term. We’ll break down how to manage risk effectively, maintain emotional discipline, and understand the psychological journey of a trader.

    Understanding Risk Management and Psychology

    Risk management is about protecting your capital by controlling how much you’re willing to lose on each trade, while trader psychology focuses on managing your emotions to stay disciplined and consistent. Together, they form the backbone of profitable trading.

    Without proper risk management, even the best setups can wipe out your account, and without psychological discipline, fear or greed can derail your strategy. For beginners, we’ll focus on the following concepts:

    • 1% Risk Rule
    • Risk-to-Reward Ratios (RR)
    • Win Rates

    The 1% Risk Rule and Position Sizing

    The cornerstone of risk management is the 1% risk rule: never risk more than 1% of your portfolio on a single trade. This keeps losses small, allowing you to survive losing streaks and stay in the game long enough to profit. Let’s see how to apply this with an example.

    Example: BTC Trade Setup (May 8 2025)

    Let’s say we have a $10,000 portfolio, so our 1% risk is $100. On May 8, BTC has broken above previous Friday High and we’re looking to take a long at the retest of that key level at $97,868 while placing our stop-loss at previous Friday Low at $96,306.9 (1.6% drop from our entry).

    The first thing we should do is to calculate our position size.

    • Position Size = Risk Amount ÷ Stop-Loss Percentage

    In our example, that would be $100 ÷ 0.016 = $6,250. Our position size is $6,250, meaning we can buy $6,250 worth of BTC at $97,868.

    If the stop-loss hits at $96,306.9, we lose $100. If the take-profit hits at $100,000, we make $136.59. You can use TradingView or Bybit to calculate this!

    Figure 2. TradingView Long Position Tool
    Figure 3. Bybit Spot Order

    Different trading tools and exchanges will likely have different names for “portfolio” and “position size” on their interface. Just so that you are not confused with the terminologies:

    • “Account Size” on TradingView and “Available Balance” on Bybit refers to your portfolio.
    • “Lot Size” on TradingView and “Order Value” on Bybit refers to your position size.

    Using Leverage for Trading

    When your calculated position size exceeds your portfolio, leverage becomes a tool to bridge that gap, enabling you to take the trade without risking more than your 1% rule allows.

    In other words, if your account size is smaller than the position size needed for a trade, leverage lets you borrow funds to meet that position size. Let’s see how to use leverage effectively by determining the right leverage amount based on your account size and position size.

    Figure 4. SOLUSDT.P on Bybit

    Let’s say we have a $10,000 portfolio, so our 1% risk is $100. We’re looking to go long on SOL at $162.34 while placing our stop-loss at $161.34 (0.62% drop from our entry). This means our position size is $100 ÷ 0.0062 = $16,129.03. Since our position size is larger than our account size ($16,129.03 > $10,000), we will need leverage to take this trade.

    To determine the leverage needed, divide the position size by the account size: $16,129.03 ÷ $10,000 = 1.61x leverage.

    This means we can use 1.61x leverage on our $10,000 to achieve the $16,129.03 position size. Bybit is a strong choice for leveraged trades, as the platform allows you to customize your leverage settings with precise adjustments, such as 3.5x or 8.33x, helping you achieve your position size with accuracy.

    Alternatively, we could use a smaller portion of our account, say $5,000 (half of our portfolio), at a higher leverage to achieve the same position size: $16,129.03 ÷ $5,000 = 3.23x leverage. Either way, any leverage setting we use would still result in a $100 loss if our stop-loss at $161.34 is hit. This also means the profit would be the same in any leverage setting.

    This is the correct way to use leverage for trading. At the end of the day, it does not matter how high or low the leverage setting is as long as our risk is managed properly!

    Using Risk-to-Reward Ratio (RR)

    The risk-to-reward ratio (RR) measures the potential profit of a trade relative to its potential loss, expressed as a ratio. For example, a 2R trade (or 2:1) means you’re risking 1 unit of loss to potentially gain 2 units of profit—such as risking $100 to make $200. In the BTC trade example above, you can see that it was a 1.37R trade where we are risking $100 to make around $137 and in the SOL leveraged trade example as well where it was a 4.87R trade, risking $100 to make $487.

    In this guide, we use R to represent 1% of your portfolio, so a 2R setup risks 1% to gain 2%, and a 3R setup risks 1% to gain 3%.

    The rule of thumb in trading is to aim at least for a 1R setup. Focus on higher RR setups.This ensures that even with a lower win rate, your winners outweigh your losers. However, there are different strategies to go about this which we will discuss in the next section.

    Win Rate Strategies

    Figure 5. Risk:Reward & Win-Rate Cheatsheet by QuantVue (Source: TradingView)

    Win rates determine your long-term profitability, but they’re often misunderstood, especially by beginners who think a high win-rate means success. While a high win rate (e.g., 70%–80%) might seem like the key to profitability, it’s not the only factor. Your risk-to-reward ratio (RR) plays a crucial role in balancing your strategy.

    A high win rate with a low RR (e.g., 1R) can lead to smaller gains that don’t cover losses over time, while a lower win rate with a high RR (e.g., 3R or higher) can make you profitable even if you lose more trades. Refer to figure 5, if you are targeting for 1R setups only, you will need more than 50% win-rate to be profitable. On the other hand, if you are targeting for 3R setups only, you only need a 30% win rate.

    Different traders prefer different strategies based on their risk tolerance and trading style: some aim for a high win rate with 1R setups, focusing on consistency and frequent small wins, while others target 3R or higher setups with a lower win rate, prioritizing larger gains per trade to offset more frequent losses.

    The Psychological Journey: Loss Aversion

    Trader psychology is a rollercoaster, and for beginners, one of the biggest challenges is dealing with losing streaks, especially when trading live. Loss aversion—a powerful cognitive bias—makes the pain of losing feel twice as intense as the joy of winning, according to behavioral finance research by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in their Prospect Theory. This bias can lead beginners to hold onto losing trades too long, hoping for a reversal, or to exit winning trades too early out of fear of losing gains, resulting in poor risk-reward outcomes.

    Imagine you’re a beginner with a $5,000 portfolio, following the 1% risk rule, risking $50 per trade. You take 10 trades, but hit a losing streak of five trades in a row. After the first loss, your account drops to $4,950, and the sting of that $50 loss hits hard—emotionally, it feels much worse than a $50 gain would feel good. By the fifth loss, your account is down to $4,754.95, a total loss of $245.05. Despite the 1% rule keeping your financial risk small, the emotional toll of losing streak after losing streak can be overwhelming.

    Research shows that 70%–80% of traders experience heightened emotions during market volatility, often leading 40% of retail traders to exit trades prematurely due to fear, according to a 2025 study on forex trading psychology. This stress can cause beginners to question their strategy, even when it’s statistically sound, and may push them toward impulsive decisions like revenge trading—taking larger positions to “make back” losses—or quitting altogether.

    In live trading, even with good risk management, the stress of a losing streak can test your mental fortitude. The key question is: do you have the mental fortitude to continue trading through the inevitable losses, trusting your strategy’s edge over time, or will loss aversion derail your journey?

    Conclusion

    Risk management and psychology are about consistency, not perfection. The most important principle is to always risk the least to make the most, using the 1% rule, high RRR setups, and hedging to keep losses small and profits significant. Psychologically, accept that you’ll go through cycles—losing streaks will test your mental fortitude, but with discipline, you can become a full-time trader. Start with small risks, like $50 on a $5,000 portfolio, and focus on learning through real trades. Stay tuned for the next part of our series on confirmation vs. deviation!

  • Identifying Key Levels in Price Action Trading (Beginner’s Guide Series Part 1)

    Identifying Key Levels in Price Action Trading (Beginner’s Guide Series Part 1)

    Welcome to one of the most essential skills in price action trading: identifying key levels. These are specific price points on a chart where the market tends to react, either by reversing, consolidating, or breaking out. For beginners, mastering key levels means you can make smarter trading decisions with just a few simple lines on your chart. In this guide, we’ll break down what key levels are, how to identify them, and how to use them with recent examples from Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Let’s dive in!

    4 Types of Key Levels

    Before we start, let’s understand the four types of key levels you’ll encounter:

    1. Technical Key Levels: These are based purely on technical analysis (TA) and price action—your bread and butter as a trader.
    2. Weekly Levels: These are tied to weekly market sessions, specifically Monday highs, Monday lows, Friday highs, and Friday lows, reflecting the opening and closing of traditional stock markets.
    3. Psychological Levels: These are round numbers that retail traders focus on, like $100,000 for BTC or $4,000 for ETH. They’re popular because they’re easy to spot and often trigger buying or selling.
    4. Event-Based Levels: These are tied to major market events, like Federal Reserve announcements or crypto-specific news (e.g., ETF approvals). They’re less common but can influence price action.

    For beginners, we’ll focus on technical key levels and weekly session key levels in this article, as they’re the most reliable and practical for everyday trading. We’ll also use recent BTC and ETH examples to show how these levels work in real markets.

    Identifying Technical Key Levels

    Technical key levels are price points where the market has shown significant reactions—think strong bounces, rejections, or breakouts. To find them, you’ll create ranges on your chart, which consist of three main components: range low, range high, and mid-range. Here’s how to spot them:

    • Range Low: This is a swing low where the price bounces strongly after a dump. It acts as support.
    • Range High: This is a level where the price faces resistance, often rejecting or breaking out after a rally.
    • Mid-Range: Defining a mid-range is not necessarily the halfway point between the range low and range high, but rather a “loose” S/R level where price often finds reactions. Price action is almost always volatile around this key level and requires careful analysis.

    Let’s walk through a step-by-step process using a recent BTC example. I will also be referring to specific dates in the images below. But since I do not want to clutter the chart, you can open your TradingView to refer to those dates if you want to follow along without any confusion!

    Example: Bitcoin’s Technical Key Levels (February-May 2025)

    Figure 1. BTCUSDT.P on Bybit (1D Timeframe)

    From February to May 2025, BTC was trading in a range between $78,210.5 (range low) and $95,058.7 (range high). Now I know what you’re thinking: price has dumped to as low as $74,456.2 and pumped to as high as $97,868 (marked by the yellow semi circles), but how are those price points not considered as range low and range high? These are called “deviations” and we will explain this in the next article (you don’t need to know this yet as they are for actual trade executions, whereas identifying key levels is generally the strategy part).

    Range Low ($78,210.5): From February 24 to February 28, BTC dumped from $96,536.3 to $78,210.5 with almost no sustaining buying pressure. But from February 28 to March 2, BTC bounced sharply from $78,210.5 to $95,058.7. This strong bounce confirms $78,210.5 as the range low, acting as support.

    Range High ($95,078.7): Shortly after BTC rallied to $95,078.7, price failed to go any higher and rejected strongly the following days. What makes this an even stronger range high is the fact that price nearly retested the $96,536.3 price point on February 24 which triggered the sharp dump in the first place.

    Mid-Range ($87,178): The middle of this range, around $87,178, saw choppy price action. It primarily acted as a “mini resistance” from March 7 to April 20 where price rejects every time it retested $87,178. But on April 21, the daily candle closed above the mid-range which showed buying strength, and the following day BTC pumped to as high as $94,000 after retesting the mid-range on market open. From there on, the mid-range acts as a support if price reverses from the range high. This is also known as a higher time frame (HTF) support/resistance (S/R) flip region, as it’s significant on both 4-hour and daily charts.

    The Tricky Thing about Mid-Range

    Mid-ranges can change as price action develops over time. Look at the chart below and you will see that there was another mid-range at $85,023.4 (marked by the yellow dotted line). Price found its way there after the rejection off of range high and had another strong bounce to $92,781.6 before reversing to the downside again and retesting the range low.

    Figure 2. BTCUSDT.P on Bybit (1D Timeframe)

    The yellow dotted line was the S/R region before April 21. But after the breakout on April 21 and more importantly the strong continuation on April 22, we now see the bigger picture – there is an imbalance of liquidity created by the buyers on April 21 and 22. At some point in the future, it is likely those areas will get filled which overlaps with the current mid-range (white dotted lines).

    Anyways, the most important principle you have to remember is the more reactions the key level have seen, the more valid they are as a key level, and this is especially applicable to mid-ranges. The current mid-range of BTC as shown above still saw multiple rejections same as the previous mid-range.

    What Happens If Price Breaks Out of Range?

    Figure 3. ETHUSDT.P on Bybit (3D Timeframe)

    From January 22, 2024 to March 3, 2025, ETH was trading in a range between $2,167.17 and $4096.21. For the longest time, the range low held strongly as an HTF support – price had bounced sharply from the range low 3 times. But on March 9, 2025, price has completely broken below the range low and failed to reclaim it the following week. This means the yellow-lined ranges are no longer in play.

    In such situations, we will need to look further back to identify previous pivot points and establish our new key levels.

    Figure 4. ETHUSDT.P on Bybit (1W Timeframe)

    Going all the way back to January 2022, we have marked out previous pivot points and used those areas as our new key levels for ETH.

    New Range Low ($877.7): Price dumped from $3,581 to $877.7 and then strong bounce from there to $2,029.4. Remember, the first swing low often serves as the range low.

    New Range High ($3,581): Marked from the initial dump at $3,581 in April 2022. You can also use the previous range high at $4,096.21 (figure 4) as the current range high – there’s nothing wrong with that! However, if you look closely, you will notice the price action above $3,581 are “swing failure patterns” which you will learn in the next article along with “deviations”.

    New Mid-Range ($2,155): Notice how the previous range low (figure 3) coincides with our new mid-range. Yes! More often than not, new mid-ranges come from previous range lows (if bearish) and previous range highs (if bullish).This is because it is in the nature of mid-ranges to play the critical role of S/R flip regions. Look closely and you will see that before January 2024, $2,155 was a strong resistance for ETH until it flipped support from there on until the collapse on March 9, 2025.

    Now let’s bring up both the yellow and white ranges and you will see the full picture.

    Figure 5. ETHUSDT.P on Bybit (1W Timeframe)

    So in terms of our current play for ETH, until the current mid-range at $2,155 is reclaimed, there is a possibility that the range low, though not guaranteed, will be retested.

    Identifying Weekly Session Key Levels

    Weekly levels are based on significant price points from the start and end of the trading week—specifically Monday highs, Monday lows, Friday highs, and Friday lows. These levels reflect the opening and closing dynamics of traditional markets and are often respected in crypto trading as well. They’re excellent for short-term trades, helping you set precise entry points, stop-losses, and take-profit targets. Plus, they can act as liquidity zones where market makers might target stop-losses, so you’ll need to watch for potential traps.

    Let’s look at a real-world example using Bitcoin (BTC) on a 4-hour chart from early May 2025. The chart marks key weekly levels from the previous week and the start of the current week, giving us a clear framework to work with.

    Figure 6. BTCUSDT.P on Bybit (4H Timeframe)

    Previous Friday High ($97,868.0): This was the highest price on the last trading day of the previous week (May 2). It acts as a resistance level.

    Previous Friday Low ($96,306.9): The lowest price on that Friday, serving as a support level.

    Monday High ($95,149.0): The highest price on Monday, May 5, 2025, acting as a potential resistance or target.

    Monday Low ($93,460.2): The lowest price on Monday, serving as a key support level.

    Here’s how these levels played out and how you can use them in your trading:

    • Friday Levels as a Range: The Previous Friday High ($97,868.0) and Low ($96,306.9) form a range that price often respects. On May 2, the price reached $97,868.0 but rejected sharply, dropping to $95,500.0 by May 3. This rejection confirms the Friday High as a strong resistance. The price then consolidated near the Friday Low ($96,306.9) on May 4, showing that this level acted as support during the decline.
    • Monday Levels as Support/Resistance: On Monday, May 5, the price dropped to the Monday Low ($93,460.2) early in the session, marking a significant support level. It then bounced sharply, rallying to the Monday High ($95,149.0) later that day. The Monday Low held as support when the price retested it on May 6, bouncing to $94,500.0. Meanwhile, the Monday High ($95,149.0) acted as resistance on May 7, where the price wicked above but rejected back down to $94,300.0.
    • Trading Application: Let’s say you’re looking to trade on May 6 after the price bounces from the Monday Low ($93,460.2). You could enter a long position at $93,600.0, targeting the Monday High ($95,149.0) or even the Previous Friday Low ($96,306.9) for a higher reward. Place your stop-loss just below the Monday Low, around $93,300.0, to protect against a breakdown. This setup gives you a high reward-to-risk (RR) ratio: the distance to $96,306.9 (2,706.9 points) is much larger than your risk (300 points), yielding a 9:1 RR.
    • Liquidity Traps: Notice the wick below the Monday Low ($93,460.2) on May 5, dropping briefly before bouncing. This is a classic liquidity grab—market makers likely pushed the price below to hit stop-losses before reversing. Similarly, the rejection at the Previous Friday High ($97,868.0) on May 2 trapped breakout buyers. Be cautious around these levels, as wicks often signal traps.

    How to Use Weekly Levels in Practice?

    If the price holds above the Monday Low ($93,460.2), look for longs targeting the Monday High ($95,149.0) or Previous Friday Low ($96,306.9). If it breaks below, consider shorts targeting the next support, like $92,500.0 (a recent swing low). For stop-losses, place them just outside the weekly levels—below the Monday Low for longs, or above the Friday High for shorts—to avoid being caught in liquidity grabs.

    Tips for Weekly Levels

    • Mark the Levels: Use UTC timezone to identify Monday and Friday key levels. On the chart, draw lines at the highs and lows of those candles. For example, the Monday High ($95,149.0) and Low ($93,460.2) on May 5 are clear markers for the week.
    • Watch for Reactions: Look for rejections, bounces, or breakouts at these levels. The rejection at $97,868.0 (Previous Friday High) and the bounce from $93,460.2 (Monday Low) show how price respects these zones.
    • Combine with Other Levels: Weekly levels work best when paired with technical levels (like mid-ranges or HTF S/R flips). For instance, if the Monday Low aligns with a mid-range, it’s an even stronger support.

    Ever since ETFs for BTC and ETH have been approved, large institutional players have become involved with trading BTC and ETH. This makes weekly levels a powerful tool for short-term trades. They give you clear targets and stop-loss zones, but always be mindful of liquidity traps, as seen with the wicks around these levels.

    Conclusion

    The most important principle to take away from identifying key levels in price action trading is that the more reactions a key level has seen, the more valid and reliable it becomes. Whether it’s a range low, range high, mid-range, or weekly level, the significance of a price point grows with each bounce, rejection, or breakout it experiences, as these reactions reflect the market’s memory and the involvement of both retail and institutional players.

    Key levels give you clarity by giving structure to the market’s historical data. But remember, this is just the planning part. Even if you have mastered this part at identifying key levels, the actual trade executions can be very different. We will cover this in the next article.

  • How to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early

    How to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early


    Solana ($SOL) meme coins have gained significant popularity amongst cryptocurrency traders due to their playful and often humorous nature. Most importantly, there have been some cases where if you are early into buying a Solana memecoin, you could stand to make huge gains. This is because you have entered the market and bought up some of the coins before others enter, saturate the market and increase the price of the memecoin. Therefore, one of the main objectives in playing with Solana memecoins is that you need to be early. Here’s our guide on how to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early.

    Check out our video guide!

    How To SNIPE Solana Memecoins BEFORE They Explode & AVOID RUGS

    What is a Solana ($SOL) memecoin?

    Solana meme coins are fun and humourous cryptocurrencies on the Solana blockchain. They often lack serious utility but thrive on community engagement and social media buzz. These meme coins are also usually inspired by internet memes, jokes or cultural references.

    Solana meme coins are popular because they attract passionate communities. Their appeal lies in the fun and lighthearted nature of memes, which encourages active participation. The coins also gain traction through platforms like Twitter, Discord, and Reddit. Memes, jokes, and creative content drive interest and engagement. The fact that the Solana blockchain has high-speed and low-cost transactions, also makes Solana an attractive platform for meme coins. This is because users can trade and participate without hefty costs.

    Learn more about Solana ($SOL) HERE

    Here are some of the most popular Solana meme coins on the market right now:

    1. Dogwifhat ($WIF)
    2. Bonk ($BONK)
    3. Book of meme ($BOME)
    4. BananaCat ($BCAT)
    5. Myro ($MYRO)

    You can see a full list of Solana meme coins and their details on Coingecko HERE

    Coingecko Solana meme coin list

    How to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early

    Here’s a guide on how to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early

    1. Understand your risk tolerance.

      Meme coins are based on short-term jokes or cultural references. As mentioned previously, they generally do not have an actual utility and are mostly just for fun. However, you will be using real funds when trading these memecoins, so it is very risky. Therefore, you should understand your risk tolerace. For example, if you have very little funds, you may want to reconsidering putting all your funds into one memecoin.

    2. Set up alerts

      Set up alerts on platforms like CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko, or any other tracker that offers new token listings. By doing this, you will be among the first to know when a new meme coin is listed, giving you a head start.

    3. Get Solana ($SOL) tokens

      You will need Solana ($SOL) to swap for Solana memecoins. You can obtain Solana ($SOL) tokens on most major exchanges such as Bybit, BingX or Binance.

      Sign up for Bybit here!

    4. Research the memecoin community

      Before buying a memecoin, you should research the project and its community. Look for projects backed or created by credible names or those with active and positive community feedback. See if the memecoin is constantly posting and marketing themselves. You can research the memecoin by typing the coin ticker symbol or token address on Twitter. Look for strong, active engagement on social media platforms such as Twitter, Discord, and Telegram. Teams that are communicative and communities that are passionate often indicate a promising project.

    5. Look at token metrics

      When deciding whether or not to trade a memecoin, we look at various token metrics. One metric is holder distribution, for example, on pump.fun, you can see the holder distribution statistics on the bottom right hand side of the page. If only the developer is holding the token, there is a strong risk that they may rug pull once you buy. You can also look at the replies underneath the token chart to get a general idea of what the community feels about the memecoin. Another metric to consider is whether the memecoin unique. This is because if the memecoin is a secondary version of a meme, or it is not humourous, then people may not be that interested in buying it.

    6. How to buy the dip

      Buying on dips can be used for speculation or simply to secure better entry points for a long-term position. Keep a watch list of strong tokens ready so you can quickly secure a profit during any market drop.

    7. Find tokens tied to trending narratives

      Tokens tied to trending narratives like AI, AI agents, DPin, or AI agents are often the first to recover after a dip. Investors return to projects that align with current market trends. Examine how the price has reacted to past dips and assess the current level of interest.

    8. Find memecoins with high liquidity

      Memecoins with higher liquidity ensures that a token can be bought or sold easily without significant price slippage, which is crucial for profit-taking. Check trading volumes on major exchanges. Low liquidity makes it harder to exit positions, especially in volatile markets. You can consider exploring memecooins with a market cap between 10 million and 500 million to balance risk and reward.

    9. Look for whales or funds accumulating a token

      If whales or funds are accumulating a token, it increases trust within the project because smart money typically avoids weak projects. You can track whale wallets using tools like GMGN.AI for significant transactions.

    10. Trade meme coin

      According to the website, Pump.fun is a meme coin trading platform that aims to prevent rug pulls by attempting to make sure that created tokens are safe. Each meme coin on their platform is a fair-launch without presale or team allocation. That means that no team members of the coin can hold the coin before its public launch. This also means there are no team members who can quickly trade the coin immediately after the public launch, thereby giving them an advantage over the public.

      How pump.fun works is that once you find a meme coin that you would like to buy, you buy the coin on the bonding curve. You can also sell the meme coin at any time if you wish to lock in your profits or losses. When enough people buy the meme coin such that it reaches a market capitalization of US$69k, US$12k of liquidity will be deposited into Raydium and burned. The effect of this is that the token supply would be reduced, making the token scarcer and potentially pushing the coin price upwards.

    11. Monitor price action after any dips

      Price dips when trading memecoins are inevitable. However, strong tokens recover quickly after dips, signaling market confidence and sustained interest. Monitor the price action after a dip. Rapid recovery often indicates strength and resilience in the token.

  • BullX tutorial: Memecoin trading and strategies guide

    BullX tutorial: Memecoin trading and strategies guide

    BullX is the fastest advanced DEX trading system that is currently deployed on 6 different chains (Solana, Base, Ethereum, Blast L2, Binance Chain, Arbitrum). They are one of the most powerful trading bots for trading meme coins and may have a potential airdrop! Here is our BullX tutorial for memecoin trading!

    For a guide on how to get the BullX token airdrop, check out our BullX token airdrop guide.

    Check out our BullX tutorial!

    BullX Tutorial: Full Memecoin Trading and Strategies (part 1)

    What is BullX?

    BullX is a cutting-edge trading platform that revolutionizes memecoin trading on the Solana network. It offers a range of advanced features designed to cater to both novice and experienced traders. Here are some of BullX’s main features:

    1. Multi-Chain Support: BullX supports various EVM chains, including Solana, Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, and Arbitrum.
    2. Advanced Charts and Stats: The platform provides live market data, interactive charts, and comprehensive analytics to help traders make informed decisions.
    3. Limit Buy/Sell Across All Chains: Users can set custom trading strategies with ease.
    4. Telegram-Web Interface: BullX integrates seamlessly with Telegram, allowing users to manage trades, monitor updates, and receive alerts in real-time.
    5. Fast Indexing: The platform processes blockchain data at lightning speed, ensuring real-time trading updates.
    6. Realtime Security Audit: BullX offers advanced security features, including AES-256 encryption and private key management.
    7. Multi-Wallet Management: Users can manage and trade across multiple wallets without constant logins.
    8. Pump Vision: This feature helps users track pump tokens and trends, staying ahead of Moonshot opportunities.

    BullX tutorial: How to trade memecoins on BullX?

    Here is a tutorial on how to trade on BullX.

    1. Connect Telegram account

      Go to https://bullx.io/ and connect your Telegram account. You will need to do this step as BullX integrates with your Telegram account.

    2. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)

      Enable 2FA and back up your private keys. It is suggested to store your private keys in a safe location offline in case your computer is hacked. Never share your private keys with anyone and note that customer service will never ask you for your private keys. Also, ensure that your Telegram account is secure, as your BullX wallet information is generated and stored there.

    3. Fund your BullX trading wallet

      To fund your BullX trading wallet, go to the Wallet Manager in your BullX account. Then, click “Add Funds” and follow the instructions to deposit cryptocurrency from an external wallet or exchange. You will find your funds in the “Wallet Manager” page.

    4. Select a token

      Go to the “Explore” feature (i.e the compass button on the left bar). There, you can organise tokens based on features such as Trending, Gainers, Losers or Recents. You can also choose the timeframe by clicking on the time buttons on the right hand side. By doing this, you can for example find the tokens with the most gains in the last 1 hour. You can also choose a token to trade by searching its name or pasting its contract address on BullX.

    5. Buy token

      Click on the token you wish to trade, then make sure you are on the “Buy” tab. Select the amount you want to buy in and click “Buy”. To adjust your buy settings, click on the amount of gas being charged and you can select options such as Buy Priority Fee, Buy Slippage Limit, Buy MEV Protection and Buy Bribe. The first and last of these options are the ones you would most likely adjust, especially when the network is congested, and you want your transaction to be processed faster.

    6. Check progress

      After confirming to buy the token you can check the transaction progress by looking at “Orders” and checking its progress. Once the transaction has completed you will see a tick mark next to the order.

    7. Check Market Trades information

      On the “Market Trades” section at the bottom of the screen you can see all of the recent trades for that token. A star emoji next to the user under the “Maker” column shows that it is a new wallet or user doing this trade. Whilst the animal icons also show much these users have traded. The largest trades are shown by a whale icon, followed by dolphin, fish and shrimp.

    8. Check Holders

      Click on the “Holders” tab to see what percentage of holdings is being held by how many people. For instance, it will indicate the total percentage of tokens held by the top 10, 50 or other holders. This is valuable information particularly for new tokens.

    9. Check Top Traders

      Click on the “Top Traders” tab to see which users have made the most money on a specific token.

    10. Check trade statistics

      Click “Stats” on the right hand side to see the percentage of trades that have happened in the past 5 minutes, 1 hour, 6 hours or 24 hours.

    11. Check Security Audit information

      Click the “Checks” tab on the right hand side to see basic security information. For example, who has done the Security Audit for a token, if the Owner Address has been renounced, the percentage of tokens belonging to the token owner. You can also see if the token contract is open-sourced. A closed-source token contract could potentially be a red flag as traders are not able to see the token contract and potentially identify any security issues.

    12. Check life position

      Click “My Position” on the right hand side. This section will tell you your holdings of a specific token and the Unrealised PnL. The Unrealised PnL means how much you would gain/lose if you sold this token immediately.

    13. Set Limit Orders

      To set a Limit Order, click “Limit” on the top right hand side. Set when the limit order should be processed on the graph, and then the amount of tokens to buy on the “Buy” section. Once you have confirmed to buy the token, the transaction will execute when the token reaches the price you had specified. Note you can also cancel your order before it is executed if you change your mind.

  • Four.meme review: Everything you wanted to know

    Four.meme review: Everything you wanted to know

    Four.meme is the first memecoin launchpad on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) network. The platform aims to be a streamlined and low-cost pathway to bring more meme tokens into this world. Here is our Four.meme review.

    Check out our video Four.meme review and guide!

    Four.meme Guide: BSC Memecoin Fair Launch like Pump Fun

    What is Four.meme?

    Four.meme is the first memecoin fair launch platform on Binance Smart Chain (BSC). Here are the main features of Four.meme:

    1. Fair Launch: Every meme coin launched on Four.meme uses a fair launch mechanism. This ensures there will be no pre-sale, seed round, or team allocation. As a result, this creates a level playing field for all participants.
    2. Community-Driven: Four.meme is built around the power of community, empowering creators, traders, and opportunists in the BNB Chain ecosystem.

    Four.meme fees

    Here are some of the fees for using the Four.meme platform as a memecoin creator or trader:

    • Launching fee: To launch a memecoin, you will only need to pay for the transaction fee which is around 0.005 BNB.
    • Seeding fee: Once your memecoin project reaches 100% of the bonding curve (approximately 24 BNB), the seeding process begins. The platform will then set up a liquidity pool on Pancake paired with 24 BNB.
    • Trading fee: Memecoin traders will need to pay a transaction fee the platform a 0.5% trading fee (minimum 0.001 BNB).

    What is the Four.meme token?

    Four.meme has not announced its own token yet. However, they currently have an airdrop campaign where you can receive Four.meme Points. These Four.meme Points are redeemable for rewards. For example, you can exchange Four.meme Points for USDT and memetokens such as $FOUR and $WHY, which are strategic partners of Four.meme. The type of token redeemable and exchange ratios will be announced after the end of the airdrop campaign. Four.meme Points can also be redeemed for special airdrop packages of meme tokens and exclusive NFTs.

    Check out our Four.meme ($FOUR, $WHY) token airdrop guide!

    How does Four.Meme work?

    Time needed: 15 minutes

    Four.meme has a launchpad which allows creators to make their own meme coins and tokens efficiently. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to launch your own project on Four.meme:

    1. Configure Your Token

      Set up your token’s name, symbol, and other key details. Then, use the user-friendly interface to configure these settings efficiently.

    2. Launch Your Project

      Launching requires no technical skills and takes only a few seconds. Developers can purchase a portion of their token supply to protect against snipers. To launch your project, simply confirm the transaction to complete the launch.

    3. Pay fees

      Launching Fee: Only the transaction fee (~0.005 BNB).
      Trading Fee: 0.5% per trade (minimum 0.001 BNB).
      Seeding Fee: Once the project reaches 100% of the bonding curve (24 BNB), a liquidity pool is established on PancakeSwap.

    4. Optional settings

      You can set the start time for trading, as well as limiting the maximum buy-in per user (e.g., 10,000,000 tokens = 1%).

    Is Four.Meme safe?

    Four.meme is the first memecoin fair launch platform on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC). Here are some key points to consider:

    1. Fair Launch: Every meme coin launched on Four.meme uses a fair launch mechanism, ensuring no pre-sale, seed round, or team allocation. This aims to create a level playing field for all participants.
    2. Community-Driven: Four.meme emphasizes community involvement. Users should assess their financial situation, risk tolerance, and do their own research before trading in any meme coins on the platform.
    3. Hacks and exploits:  While the Four.meme platform itself hasn’t been hacked or exploited yet, remember that investing in highly volatile meme tokens carries risks, so users may want to always be cautious.

    Therefore, while Four.meme aims to provide a fair and transparent environment, remember that all investments carry inherent risks.

    Conclusion: Pros and Cons of Four.meme

    In conclusion, here is a review of some pros and cons of the Four.meme platform:

    Pros

    1. Fair Launch: Every meme coin on Four.meme uses a fair launch mechanism, ensuring no pre-sale, seed round, or team allocation. This promotes a level playing field for all participants.
    2. Community-Driven: Four.meme empowers creators to launch meme coins directly, connecting with their audience. It fosters community engagement and support.
    3. Integrated Trading Tools: The platform plans to integrate with trading bots and AI-powered market analysis services, enhancing utility and informed investment decisions.
    4. Built on Binance Smart Chain (BSC): BSC offers fast transactions, low costs, liquidity, and security.

    Cons

    1. Risk: As with any investment, meme coins carry inherent risks. Users should exercise caution and conduct due diligence.
    2. Market Volatility: Meme coins can experience extreme price fluctuations due to market sentiment and trends.
    3. Short-Lived Relevance: Some meme tokens may lose relevance quickly, impacting their value.

    Further reading

    Check out our other memecoin platform reviews:

    SunPump ($SUN) review: Everything you wanted to know

    Learn how to trade memecoins and get an early advantage!

    How to snipe Solana ($SOL) memecoins early

  • Maximize Your Profits: Strategies for Trading Solana ($SOL) Memecoins!

    Maximize Your Profits: Strategies for Trading Solana ($SOL) Memecoins!

    Solana memecoins are a type of cryptocurrencies that have gained popularity due to their humorous or meme-related themes. A lot of people have benefited from this popularity and managed to profit from trading Solana memecoins. We at Boxmining have been trading Solana memecoins for almost a year. And from our own experiences, have discovered some personal strategies which have helped us maximize our profits trading Solana ($SOL) memecoins.

    Check out our guide!

    How I FOUND a Profitable System Trading Solana Memecoins

    Nevertheless, while many have profited from trading Solana memecoins, it is essential to recognize that the crypto market can be highly volatile. Some individuals have experienced substantial gains, while others have faced losses. As with any investment, it’s crucial to conduct thorough research, stay informed, and exercise caution.

    Most importantly, if you are considering trading memecoins, remember that prices can fluctuate rapidly, so always invest what you can afford to lose. 

    What are Solana ($SOL) memecoins?

    Solana memecoins are a category of cryptocurrencies that have gained popularity due to their humorous or meme-related themes. These coins often playfully reference internet culture, animals, or other entertaining concepts. Here are some notable Solana memecoins:

    1. Dogwifhat (WIF): A trending Solana memecoin with a current price of approximately $3.72. It has seen significant gains in the last 24 hours.
    2. Bonk (BONK): Another memecoin on Solana, priced at around $0.00004144. It has experienced positive growth recently.
    3. Cat in a dogs world (MEW): Priced at approximately $0.004275, this coin has gained attention among meme enthusiasts.
    4. Jeo Boden (BODEN): With a price of about $0.2715, Jeo Boden is also part of the Solana memecoin scene.

    Strategies for trading Solana ($SOL) memecoins

    Here are some of the strategies we use for maximizing our profits when trading Solana ($SOL) memecoins!

    Develop and stick to a risk management strategy

    A risk management strategy that we developed is to decide how many Solana ($SOL) tokens you would only put into a particular memecoin. This is because in the event that you do lose that predetermined amount, you may get emotional and want to put in more Solana to recoup the losses. And who knows, if you hold onto the memecoin, it may suddenly recover and go back up again.

    Be the first to get into a Solana memecoin by sniping

    Use trading points to snipe Solana memecoins before the liquidity pool for it has launched. For example, Sol Trading Bot on Telegram is a helpful and free bot to help you snipe. However, there are more serious Solana memecoin traders that have their own nodes or trading bots set up. This however requires a lot of resources and a high barrier to entry. For example, some very efficient bots with a high number of Transactions Per Second (TPS) could cost around 43 $SOL (around US$7,370). How these trading bots work is that they would spam many transactions in the hopes their transaction would go through. This, however, would mean that a lot of transaction fees would be spent. But for these traders, they consider this cost worthwhile.

    Unfortunately, it would be very difficult to compete against these traders by simply using free trading bots. But nevertheless, it could still help you turn a profit.

    For more tips on how to snipe Solana memecoins early, check out our guide HERE.

    Learn how to use Photon

    Photon is a platform that allows you to snipe and sell Solana tokens. To find a good Solana token to buy on Photon, you would want to look at token pairs that will launch soon. Token pairs that may be worth considering would have passed an audit, have mint authorisation, disabled free authorisation and disabled LP burned. These factors tend to suggest a lesser chance of the token being rug pulled. You should also look at the list of top 10 holders of a token because you would want the token to be as decentralized as possible. This is because if the token supply is mostly in 1 persons’ hands, it gives them a lot of power and they may potentially sell large amounts of the token at once, pushing the price down to your detriment.

    One other tip to using Photon effectively is to use with the PIRBViewBot. PIRBViewBot is a telegram bot that can give you more details on the spread of token holders compared to Photon.

    Find other successful traders as reference

    To find other successful Solana memecoin traders, you can go to Dexscreener and look at specific token pairs. Then, look for those wallets which have bought and sold a lot of the token. Afterwards, check their wallet and transaction history on Solscan. If that wallet has been trading a lot of memecoins, that is a good sign as it means they are active. On the other hand, a fresh wallet that has only been trading that 1 memecoin would not be worth looking at becuase it may mean it is a member of the memecoins’ development team or an insider.

    Once you have identified the wallet of a potentially good trader, paste their address into Birdeye. Birdeye analyses the transactions in the wallet and by the default displays their PNL in 1 week. You can also track the activities of the wallet over time using Cielo. To use Cielo, add them on Telegram and add the wallet you wish to track. For these large holders, it may be a good idea to also sell when they are also selling. This is because they may push down the price of the token.

    Disclaimer: Cryptocurrency trading involves significant risks and may result in the loss of your capital. You should carefully consider whether trading cryptocurrencies is right for you in light of your financial condition and ability to bear financial risks. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile and can fluctuate widely in a short period of time. As such, trading cryptocurrencies may not be suitable for everyone. Additionally, storing cryptocurrencies on a centralized exchange carries inherent risks, including the potential for loss due to hacking, exchange collapse, or other security breaches. We strongly advise that you seek independent professional advice before engaging in any cryptocurrency trading activities and carefully consider the security measures in place when choosing or storing your cryptocurrencies on a cryptocurrency exchange.

  • Upcoming Crypto Airdrops: These have the HIGHEST potential!

    Upcoming Crypto Airdrops: These have the HIGHEST potential!

    Blockchain projects frequently rely on crypto airdrops to raise awareness, grow their community, and increase the value of their products. After all, the survival of a project depends on its ability to attract and grow its user base. Users, of course, have nothing to complain about. After all, who doesn’t love free stuff? In this article, we look at the rumoured upcoming crypto airdrops. We also look at how you can sign up and receive free airdropped tokens.

    But before you rush out there to sign up, check out our article to learn more about crypto airdrops, and how to protect yourself against airdrop scams.

    Vela Exchange ($VELA) Airdrop: Airdrop coming 26th June 2023!

    Vela Exchange is a digital asset trading platform.

    Vela will be doing an airdrop and mainnet launch on 26th June 2023. So far, they have hinted on Twitter that maximizing your trading volume is the key to a max airdrop. Also, participating in their Flash Trading Competition will not only give you a chance to win their prizes but may also give you more airdropped tokens. The first competition ended with a prize pool of 10,000 $USDC and 2,000 $eVELA rewards. Vela will do a second flash contest, which will be adjusted to support traders of all sizes. However, the main event will be their Grand Beta Trading Competition, which Vela promises will offer major prizes.

    For more details, check out our Vela Exchange ($VELA) Token Airdrop Guide

    Polygon zkEVM ($MATIC) Token Airdrop

    Polygon zkEVM ($MATIC) is a Layer-2 scaling solution for Ethereum that leverages the scaling power of zero-knowledge proofs while maintaining Ethereum compatibility. Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, strongly hinted on Twitter that there will be a huge MATIC airdrop for zkEVM users. The best way to get the potential airdrop is to interact with the Polygon zkEVM mainnet. To do this, add Polygon zkEVM to MetaMask. Then, bridge to Polygon zkEVM either via the native bridge or a third party bridge such as Orbiter Finance. Finally, interact with QuickSwap, which is currently the only active dApp deployed on Polygon zkEVM.

    Learn more with our Polygon zkEVM (MATIC) Token Airdrop Guide.

    Blur NFT Marketplace: Season 2 delayed

    Blur ($BLUR) calls itself the “Fastest NFT Marketplace” providing users with a decentralized marketplace for trading Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). They aim to stand out by giving users the ability to sweep across multiple NFT marketplaces, faster access to NFT reveals, and improved user experience.

    Blur’s airdrop Season 1 ended on 14th February 2023. Blur have announced they will airdrop over 300 million $BLUR in Season 2, which was scheduled for April 2023 but is currently delayed.

    To participate in Blur’s Airdrop Season 2, users can connect their wallet to Blur’s platform and begin bidding on collections here. Airdrops are given on a point-based system. This system rewards bids on NFT collections based on their 24-hour volume. Participants can also maximize their $BLUR token airdrop by earning more points with loyalty.

    For Season 2, Blur has also launched Blend (short for Blur Lending). Blend is a peer-to-peer perpetual lending protocol for NFTs and allows NFT holders to borrow ETH against their NFTs without needing to sell them. With the launch of Blend, the Blur team also introduced Lending Points, which are doubled for certain NFT collecions.

    Learn how to get Blur token airdrops and maximize your gains: Blur Airdrop Guide: How to Get Season 2 Rewards?

    Sei Network ($SEI) Airdrop: Confirmed!

    Sei Network is a layer-1 blockchain built with Cosmos SDK. Its aim is to become the preferred chain for decentralized exchanges (DEXs) in DeFiNFTs, and GameFi. Sei Network is planning to launch its $SEI token after its mainnet launch in the coming months. They have also confirmed that 1% of its total supply will be allocated to airdrops. The best way to receive a potential $SEI airdrop is to interact with their Seinami Incentivized Testnet by completing their tasks. Check out our Sei Network ($SEI) Token Airdrop Guide.

    zkSync ($ZKS) Airdrop: TBC

    zkSync is a ZK Rollup that aims to provide scaleable and low-cost transactions on the Ethereum blockchain. This is by submitting validity proof to an Ethereum smart contract along with transactions that are bundled.

    zkSync Era Mainnet Alpha is now open to public. The team has said they will launch a native token in the future, leading to hopes that some of the tokens will be airdropped then. There is speculation that to be eligible for the zkSync Airdrop, users should: (1) Add zkSync Era Alpha Mainnet on MetaMask; (2) interact with zkSync Lite and zkSync Era Mainnet Alpha; (3) Complete quests on zkSync’s Crew3 ;and (4) interact with the zkSync ecosystem such as Orbiter Finance or ZigZag. The last option is also particularly worthwhile since some zkSync dApps may not have launched their token yet. So you may get a chance to earn double airdrops!

    For a full tutorial check out zkSync ($ZKS) Token Airdrop Guide: How to Earn Double Rewards!

    My MetaTrader ($MMT) Airdrop: Second Round CONFIRMED!

    My MetaTrader (mTrader) is a DEX built on Arbitrum with GPT-3. It offers low trading fees, a wide range of trading pairs and leveraged trading up to 150x on cryptocurrencies, 1000x on forex & commodities, 100x on stocks, and 35x on indices. Their $MMT token was listed on SushiSwap on 21st February 2023, with 5% of its total supply of 5 million tokens being allocated towards airdrops.

    My MetaTrader have announced their airdrop is divided into two rounds. The first round is already over, but the date of the second round is yet to be announced. The second round will have the most tokens available for airdrops- 890,000 $MMT! To be eligible for their second round of airdrops, obtain special roles on their Discord channel and complete different tasks on Galxe and Crew3.

    Learn more with our My MetaTrader ($MMT) Token Airdrop Guide

    StarkNet ($STRK) Token Airdrop: Potential second round?

    StarkNet is a decentralized Validity-Rollup (or “ZK-Rollup”) that works on top of Ethereum, providing unlimited computational capacity to decentralized applications without sacrificing security or compatibility. It utilizes STARK, a secure and scalable cryptographic proof system, to ensure that transactions are secure and reliable. StarkNet is permission-free, meaning anyone can use it without needing to be approved by a third party. StarkNet’s alpha v0.11.0 has just gone live on Testnet, and the mainnet upgrade is expected to follow soon after.

    The best way to receive a potential StarkNet $STRK token airdrop is to interact with their testnet. Also, there are a few protocols on StarkNet that do not have a token yet. So using their DApps could put you in a position to receive their airdrops as well, allowing you to earn double rewards!

    Check out our StarkNet ($STRK) Token Airdrop Guide.

    MetaMask ($MASK) airdrop: TBC

    MetaMask is a popular browser extension that allows users to store their Ethereum (ETH)/ ERC-20 tokens as well as interact with other decentralized exchanges. It is highly popular for users that use ETH and/or its tokens often. This is because it is secure and allows users to have quick access to their funds.

    Check out our MetaMask Guide: How to set up an account? Plus tips and hacks for advanced users.

    On 16th March 2022, it was announced that MetaMask intends to launch its own token. Although there are few details of when the token would be launched, it was teased that the token’s ticker would be $MASK.

    Details of how to be eligible for MetaMask ($MASK) token airdrop have not been released. However, it is speculated that using the wallet for DeFi activities, swapping tokens, and bridging assets might entitle you to a MetaMask ($MASK) token airdrop when it happens.

    Learn more about MetaMask ($MASK) Token Airdrop Guide: Earn $4000 for Free

    Shardeum ($SHM) Airdrop: Details TBC

    Shardeum is a smart contract platform built on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Although it is similar to other state-sharding platforms like HarmonyElrond and NEAR Protocol, Shardeum stands out by using dynamic state-sharding.

    Shardeum has not officially announced their $SHM token airdrop yet. However, Shardeum recently launched their betanet, and protocols on there also have incentives for early users. So the best chance to receive Shardeum token airdrops would be to interact with their testnet.

    For a full guide on how to potentially receive Shardeum ($SHM) token airdrops: Shardeum ($SHM) Token Airdrop Guide: Earn $1500 for Free

    LayerZero ($ZRO) Airdrop: TBC

    LayerZero ($ZRO) is an omnichain interoperability protocol that can be used for lightweight messaging across chains. They are able to provide authentic and guaranteed message delivery with configurable trustlessness. It is currently live on most major blockchains including Ethereum, Avalanche, Polygon, BNB Chain, Aptos, Fantom, Arbitrum, and Optimism.

    LayerZero has not launched its token yet but the team have referred to a $ZRO token in their documentation. However, it is hoped that when they do, they will airdrop the token to users of their dApps. Here are some suggestions for participating in any potential airdrop:

    1. Stake and Vote $STG on Stargate Finance
    2. Use the Stargate, USDC, Aptos and LiquidSwap bridges
    3. Use SushiSwap Cross-Chain Swap
    4. Use BitcoinBridge
    5. Interact with other dApps on LayerZero
    6. Get roles on the Stargate Guild

    However, do note that there is no official announcement regarding airdrops from the LayerZero team. So any suggested participation methods are speculation only.

    Learn more about LayerZero and details on how to be eligible for any future airdrops.