In the trading world, speed is often regarded as an advantage. But when evaluating a mature trader, is it based on how many entry opportunities they can seize, or on their ability to know when to exit?

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

For H, the core of trading is not only riding the big waves but also having the ability to stand on the next wave after the tide recedes.

01 High frequency is not just fast: Being present means having opportunities

H's life revolves around trading.

He is currently a full-time trader, primarily trading US stocks and contracts. He monitors the market from day to night, with the most intensive periods around the opening and closing of US stock markets. He defines himself as a high-frequency trader but emphasizes that high frequency is not about trading frequently, but rather due to the abundance of news; if he doesn't pay attention timely, opportunities may quickly vanish.

For him, trading primarily means being present.

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

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

02 No preference for long or short, but discipline has preferences

In terms of strategy, H primarily uses technical analysis. Naked candlesticks and technical indicators are at the core of his judgment, with experience also being very important. He seldom relies on news or KOL recommendations and prefers to trust the signals given by the price itself.

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

Regarding long and short positions, H has no obvious preference. In his view, both are fundamentally the same, based on judgments of technical patterns, with no directional preference. What truly matters is not whether to go long or short, but whether to adhere to discipline.

This neutral attitude comes from a profound lesson.

03 A liquidation: The turning point of a trading career

There is an unavoidable turning point in H's trading career.

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

He recalls that he used to use leverage of up to 15 times. After the liquidation, he took the initiative to strictly control his leverage to within 8 times to cope with the extreme volatility risks brought by black swan events. But more important than "reducing leverage" was his changed understanding of risk control.

H repeatedly mentions a phrase:

“Take the losses you should take.”

This phrase sounds somewhat counterintuitive. Traders typically pursue profits, but H believes that what's truly important is acknowledging mistakes, accepting losses, and forcing liquidation by setting stop-loss points, resolutely eliminating the behavior of "holding on to the position." He views this as the key to building a trading system from losses.

For him, risk control is not about making trades conservative, but about enabling oneself to remain in the market, staying at the table.

04 Slow is fast: The sense of "boundary" in trading

In position management, H adopts a "gradual entry and gradual exit" approach, avoiding one-time heavy operations. He sets multiple stop-loss and take-profit points instead of placing all bets on a single judgment.

As a day trader, he usually does not hold overnight positions. If holding a position overnight, he would liquidate it directly to avoid post-market uncertainty risks. This handling may seem conservative, but for him, it is a necessary action for risk control.

These rules may not sound complex, but they stem from the sense of boundaries formed after experiencing a liquidation.

He also advises this sense of boundaries to newcomers: strictly control leverage, avoid repeating the mistakes of liquidation, and force the setting of stop-loss and take-profit points.

“Take responsibility for every trade you make,” he says.

05 Under high frequency, it’s about execution and cost

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

He recognizes the interaction interface and user experience of Bitget, believing the overall design is user-friendly. However, as a high-frequency trader, he is more concerned about what happens the moment an order is placed: can the order book accommodate it, is the transaction smooth, is the target for trading available, will the cost be amplified with trading frequency?

During the interview, H also mentioned several specific expectations: continuous optimization of the order book depth for some stock contracts; accelerating the listing speed of US stock contracts. Additionally, he mentioned that high-frequency traders pay more attention to fee costs and expect VIP users to have friendlier rates or more exclusive activities.

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

06 Redefining "winning"

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

From pursuing profits, to protecting capital, and then to being able to sustainably stay in the market, this reflects H's wealth philosophy change presented in the interview. Trading, for him, still means seeking opportunities, but now, he is more concerned about whether he can control himself and manage risks.

“Take the losses you should take.”

For a full-time trader, perhaps true professionalism is knowing when to exit after making a wrong judgment and still being able to stay at the table when the next opportunity appears.

This article is based on an interview with trader H, and the views expressed do not constitute any investment advice. Contract trading carries extremely high risks and can lead to the total loss of principal; please make decisions cautiously based on your own risk tolerance.