From crypto basics to disciplined execution. One complete learning system.

1. Cryptocurrency basics

Crypto assets are digital assets secured by distributed ledger technology. Price is driven by liquidity, demand, narrative, adoption, regulation, token supply and market-wide risk appetite.

• Bitcoin: benchmark crypto asset and dominant liquidity anchor.
• Altcoins: assets other than Bitcoin, often with higher volatility and narrative sensitivity.
• Stablecoins: instruments designed to track fiat value and commonly used as quote assets.
• Spot: buying/selling the underlying asset.
• Futures: derivatives that allow leveraged long/short exposure and carry liquidation risk.

2. Bitcoin, altcoins & dominance

Bitcoin often sets the broader crypto risk regime. Altcoins can outperform during periods of expanding liquidity, but may underperform sharply when Bitcoin volatility increases.

• Watch BTC trend and volatility before altcoin trades.
• Compare asset strength versus BTC and versus USD/USDT.
• Use dominance as context, not as a direct signal.
• Remember that correlations rise during panic.

3. Market psychology & hype

Markets repeatedly cycle through fear, uncertainty, greed and euphoria. Narrative strength can temporarily dominate fundamentals.

• FOMO: entering because price is moving without a plan.
• Confirmation bias: only reading information that supports your position.
• Recency bias: assuming the latest move will continue indefinitely.
• Herd behavior: following crowd positioning without independent analysis.

4. Trend & range

Classify the market first:

• Uptrend: higher highs + higher lows.
• Downtrend: lower highs + lower lows.
• Range: repeated rotation between support and resistance.
• Long-term vs short-term: a local move can oppose the higher-timeframe trend.

1. Support, resistance & levels

• Support: area where buying pressure previously appeared.
• Resistance: area where selling pressure previously appeared.
• Psychological levels: round numbers or widely watched prices.
• Breakout level: prior boundary that price has moved through.
• Retest level: former boundary revisited after breakout.

A level is an area of interest, not an automatic entry.

2. Classical patterns

• Head and Shoulders
• Double Top
• Double Bottom
• Ascending Triangle
• Flag

Patterns gain value when they occur at a meaningful level with supporting structure and volume behavior.

3. Candlestick patterns

• Hammer
• Hanging Man
• Engulfing
• Doji
• Morning Star

The location of a candle matters more than its name. A reversal pattern in the middle of noise is weaker than the same pattern at a major level.

4. Moving Average (SMA 30)

SMA 30 can help visualize short-term direction and dynamic support/resistance. It should not be used alone.

• Price above rising SMA → supportive bullish context.
• Price below falling SMA → supportive bearish context.
• Flat SMA → possible range/noisy regime.

5. RSI

Basic reference zones:

Overbought does not guarantee a drop. Oversold does not guarantee a bounce. Strong trends can remain extended.

6. MACD & divergence

Use MACD to observe momentum shifts and trend acceleration. Divergence can highlight weakening momentum, but it is stronger when aligned with structure and key levels.

• Price higher high + indicator lower high → bearish divergence context.
• Price lower low + indicator higher low → bullish divergence context.

1. Risk per trade

Study example:

This is an educational example, not a universal rule.

2. Stop loss

A stop should be placed where the original thesis becomes invalid, not at a random distance that simply feels comfortable.

• Do not trade without predefined invalidation.
• Do not widen a stop because of fear of taking a loss.
• Position size should adapt to stop distance.

3. Risk / Reward

Study target: minimum 1:2 when the setup supports it, with 1:3 preferred in higher-quality conditions. A high R:R is meaningless if the target is unrealistic.

4. Position size

Always consider contract specifications, leverage and fees for the actual instrument.

5. Managing winners

• Partial profit taking.
• Move stop to break-even when justified by structure.
• Trail behind market structure.
• Do not improvise management because of greed.

6. After a losing trade

• Do not revenge trade.
• Do not immediately increase size.
• Separate bad process from bad outcome.
• Record the loss in the journal.
• Identify whether the rule or the setup failed.

1. Economic calendar

Before trading, check high-impact US macro events such as inflation, labor data, central-bank decisions and major speeches. Crypto often reacts to changes in rates, liquidity and risk appetite.

2. Market-wide crypto news

• Regulatory decisions
• ETF / institutional flow news
• Exchange incidents
• Security exploits
• Stablecoin stress
• Major liquidation events

3. Project fundamentals

• Problem solved
• Token utility
• Supply and unlock schedule
• Development activity
• Users / adoption
• Partnerships
• Competitors
• Liquidity

4. News cascade

1. Unexpected news or macro data appears.
2. Large players reduce or increase risk.
3. Key levels break.
4. Stops trigger.
5. Futures liquidations accelerate movement.
6. After liquidity is taken, price may stabilize or reverse.

1. POI — Point of Interest

A POI is a price area worth monitoring because a meaningful reaction or strong displacement previously occurred there. Treat it as a zone for observation, not a blind entry.

2. Order Block

Study definition: a candle or compact price area associated with strong displacement. Quality improves when the move breaks structure and creates imbalance.

3. Liquidity

• Equal highs / equal lows
• Previous swing highs / lows
• Obvious breakout points
• Clusters of stops around clean structure
• Liquidity sweep before reversal/continuation

4. Imbalance

Fast directional movement can leave an inefficiently traded zone. Price may later partially or fully revisit it. An imbalance is a context tool, not a promise of a fill.

5. BOS & CHOCH

• BOS: break of structure that supports continuation.
• CHOCH: change of character suggesting the previous structure may be weakening.

Always define the swing points consistently.

6. Supply & Demand

Demand: area from which price left strongly upward.
Supply: area from which price left strongly downward.

Execution rule: zone → confirmation → trade, not zone → instant entry.

1. Fibonacci retracement

Use Fibonacci to map potential retracement zones after a clear directional move. It works best when it overlaps with existing structure, liquidity or supply/demand.

• Draw from clear swing to swing.
• Do not force the anchor points.
• Look for confluence rather than one exact ratio.
• Wait for price confirmation.

2. Wyckoff logic

Focus on behavior inside ranges:

• Accumulation
• Distribution
• Expansion
• Re-accumulation / redistribution

Observe failed breakouts, liquidity grabs and the transition from balance to directional movement.

3. Effort vs result

One useful Wyckoff idea is to compare effort with result. Large effort with little price progress may suggest absorption; strong result with clean displacement may show imbalance.

4. Combining tools

Example confluence:

• Higher-timeframe demand
• Liquidity sweep
• Fibonacci retracement zone
• CHOCH on lower timeframe
• Defined stop below invalidation

Two-scenario planning

Bullish scenario: what must happen to validate a long?
Bearish scenario: what must happen to validate a short?

Set alerts and let price come to your conditions instead of chasing movement.

Demo account progression

1. Use a demo account.
2. Take a small sample of planned trades.
3. Record every trade.
4. Review 20–30 trades before changing the strategy.
5. Change one variable at a time.

1. What to record

• Date and ticker
• Long / Short
• Timeframe
• Setup
• Entry, stop, target
• Position size
• Screenshot
• Emotion
• Entry thesis
• Exit reason
• Lesson

2. Process vs outcome

Classify every trade:

• Good process / good outcome
• Good process / bad outcome
• Bad process / good outcome
• Bad process / bad outcome

A profitable rule-breaking trade is still a process failure.

3. Psychology

Common emotional risks:

• Greed
• Fear
• FOMO
• Impatience
• Overconfidence
• Revenge trading

If emotion is too strong, the correct decision may be no trade.

4. Weekly review

• Win rate
• Average R
• Profit factor
• Average win / loss
• Best setup
• Most common mistake
• Rule violations
• Emotional mistakes
• A+ setup screenshots

5. Reading notes

Personal study from Alexander Gerchik's trading literature focuses on:

• trend and levels,
• trading systems,
• stop loss / take profit,
• liquidity,
• long / short mechanics,
• risk management and discipline.

The central idea: a trading system is setup + risk + execution + discipline + review.

6. Using AI responsibly

AI can help summarize the trade, challenge the thesis and identify inconsistencies. It should not be treated as a guaranteed signal generator.

• Use AI as a second opinion.
• Keep your original thesis.
• Compare AI comments with actual outcomes over time.
• Never outsource risk decisions blindly.