Travis, it’s a pleasure to have you as our first “Trader of the Month.” Can you start by giving us a brief introduction about yourself, your background, and how you got into crypto trading?

T: The honor is truly mine. Thank you for shining a spotlight on my journey.

I’m currently residing in the bustling metropolis of London, but I’m originally from Canada and moved here around 6 years ago. My day job is actually a CrossFit coach and personal trainer, which is a totally different industry from Crypto and trading! That being said, there are plenty of transferable skills I have brought over to trading—attention to detail, pattern recognition, and a knack for deciphering complex systems—that have aided my foray into trading.

I originally got into Crypto through Web 3 gaming! I was fascinated with the idea of digital asset ownership of gaming items and potentially making an additional income playing. But as I dove deeper, I recognized that the infrastructure for earning a reliable income from gaming was in its very early stages and will probably be years before any reliable income could be made from it. Which led me to Crypto day trading, this also provided a means to make additional income but was much more accessible to get started.

Journey into Crypto Trading

Every trader has a unique story about their journey into the world of cryptocurrencies. Can you share your experience and what drew you towards automated trading?

T: The inception story—equal parts fascination and frustration. Like all of us who get started trading, it seems like such an easy way to make money “buy low, sell high” and the inverse. But in reality, it’s the easiest and hardest way to make consistent money!

It was very frustrating at first winning and losing without knowing the framework or root cause of why it was happening, this led me to a long personal education journey.  I studied hundreds of hours of charts, studied and learned from top traders across multiple social media platforms.  Practiced through too many Coinrule demo rules to count!

“It was very frustrating at first winning and losing without knowing the framework or root cause of why it was happening, this led me to a long personal education journey.”

Over time, my knowledge increased and led to a well-rounded perspective on how the market and price action work.

The appeal of automated trading was born out of sheer necessity. Juggling a 60-hour workweek while searching for trade opportunities became unsustainable. Automation, via Coinrule, became my force multiplier in the market, allowing me to achieve efficiency without sacrificing efficacy.

Influences & Mentors

Are there any particular traders or thought leaders in the cryptocurrency space that have greatly influenced your trading philosophy?

T: Absolutely! Crypto Face and the Market Cipher team were instrumental in shaping a major part of my early development, especially in understanding market dynamics and the psychology that drives them. Another notable mention would be Crypto Neuvo and his simple explanations on how to read candles and in particular “Wick Strategy”.

About Your Strategy

You’ve achieved impressive results with your trading rules. Could you shed some light on the core principles or philosophies behind your strategy?

T: Thank you; it’s an accumulation of all the hard work and long hours I have put in.

Strategy wise I am a contrarian trader at heart! (Against the trend)- Just as a disclaimer, I wouldn’t recommend this strategy to a beginner, it is important to learn the basics of trading with the trend first!

That being said, once you have a better understanding of the fundamentals you start to notice how the market and price move, it has a natural flow about it that abides by the same laws of the universe we all know. “What goes up, must come down and what goes down must come up”.

Big opportunities are present at both ends of the spectrum and avoid some of the uncertainty of trading in the middle. You just have to work out the best way to identify local tops and bottoms to take advantage.

“The basics of my strategy use both sentiment and price momentum indicators to identify potential tops and bottoms for entry”

Trading Challenges

Every trader faces challenges and hurdles. What would you say has been the most challenging aspect of crypto trading for you, and how have you overcome it?

T:  My largest challenge was my emotions and patience, I would constantly second guess myself when entering a trade manually or stop loss/take profit too early. Automation via Coinrule was a huge part of me overcoming this challenge and providing the discipline needed to adhere to my trading plan and neutralize my emotional biases.

Spotlight Rule & Its Origin

As part of this feature, we’re highlighting a specific rule chosen by the trader. Can you tell us about your rule, its significance, and how you came up with it?

T: A template example of a rule that embodies my strategy integrates the Money Flow Index (MFI) below 20 on both 15-minute and 4-hour time frames with a MACD crossing above the signal line on a 15-minute time frame.

The money flow index represents the sentiment of the coin being oversold while the MACD crossing represents the price action reversing and showing upward momentum. The exit condition for this could use the Bollinger Upper Band, a specific % price increase, or even MACD crossing below the signal line depending on my risk tolerance.

Personally, I also like to peg the BTC MFI to a rule as well, to ensure I am trading in the direction of the macro market. I originally developed this basic strategy while observing patterns play out in this way through hundreds of hours spent analyzing charts.

Insights on the Future of Crypto

Cryptocurrency is a rapidly evolving space. Based on your experience and observations, where do you see the future of crypto trading, especially with the rise of automation and algorithmic strategies?

T: The future is definitely a combination of AI, Machine Learning, and Automated Trading. This type of trading is far superior to manual trading as it has the ability to scan the market for opportunities much faster and best of all removes the emotional side of trading!

Advice for Aspiring Traders

Finally, for those who are new to crypto trading or are looking to refine their strategies, what piece of advice would you offer them to thrive in this dynamic environment?

T: I’d highly recommend studying Market Cipher; their resources are a goldmine of information. As there are so many of the basic indicators involved – RSI, MFI, MACD, Volume Weighted Average, etc.- you will gain a well-rounded knowledge of how to read charts and price action.

Additionally, I would suggest practicing what you learn on Coinrule’s Demo Exchange, trying different strategies, and analyzing results.

Lastly, ask questions! Never hesitate to reach out to the  Coinrule community; it’s a treasure trove of collective wisdom waiting to be tapped into as we have so many talented traders in our community who are eager to help.

Conclusion

Travis is a true modern-day polymath, excelling in two seemingly disparate fields, CrossFit coaching and Cryptocurrency Trading. His journey illustrates that skills like pattern recognition, emotional discipline, and keen attention to detail can indeed be transferable across different domains.

“By incorporating automated trading through Coinrule into his busy schedule, Travis doesn’t compromise his commitment to fitness or finance”

Travis stresses the value of community learning and encourages new traders to engage with platforms like Coinrule to refine their strategies. His success serves as an empowering reminder that one doesn’t have to pick a single lane to thrive in today’s multifaceted world. Whether you’re a newbie in crypto trading or a seasoned trader looking to optimize your strategies, Travis’ insights offer actionable wisdom. His experiences offer invaluable lessons for both novices and experts alike, making him Coinrule’s Trader of the Month.

Automate Your Trades with Coinrule Today!

The post Life Of A Trader Series: A Chat with Travis, Crossfit Coach and Crypto Connoisseur appeared first on Coinrule.

A sigh of relief could be heard resonating through the blockchain as the market’s down only streak of 9 consecutive weeks ended as the weekly candle closed green on Sunday night.  This begs the question: have we found our bottom or is this a relief rally before another leg down? Bitcoin dominance has surged to 47% from the January lows of 40% – showcasing the flight to safety in the market over the past several months, or the exit of liquidity from alt coins and the crypto markets in general. 

Bitcoin has found support around $28,000, this happens to also be the Fibonacci golden ratio 0.618 retracement level – a potential signal that an interim bottom has been found.  However, with the Fed having started quantitative tightening on June 1st, the impact of the $95 billion worth of debt securities the Fed has stated they will sell each month has yet to be truly felt.  This unwinding by the Fed will push risk assets lower as economic activity slows and liquidity shrinks in an attempt to combat high inflation. 

When hypothesising where another bottom could be it is worth taking note of location of the 200 week moving average (WMA). The 200 WMA has proven to be a reliable indicator of regional bitcoin bear market bottoms.  In 2015 bitcoin bottomed out and found support on the 200 WMA at approximately $200.  In late 2018, bitcoin again bottomed and found support on the 200 WMA at $3,150.  In the Covid crash of march 2020 bitcoin retested the 200 WMA, but briefly broke through for a week at $5,500 – ultimately reaching a low of approximately $3,800.  Today, the 200 WMA sits at $22,300.  Could this be the next bitcoin floor?

In confluence to the current location of the 200 WMA, the On-Chain Cost Basis of bitcoin is currently $23,800.  Historically, buying in both the 200 WMA and the region of the On-Chain Cost Basis has been very attractive from a risk/reward perspective. Conversely, these times are often when it feels like crypto is finally all over and takes some serious psychological strength to press the green button.  The last time bitcoin entered this region was during the Covid crash of March 2020 and ended up being a supreme buying opportunity for the investors brave enough to take it during peak market capitulation and fear, resulting in bitcoin trading below $6,000 for a week.   

This week, Bitfinex longs also reached an all time high with approximately 90,000 BTC contracts equating to $2.7 billion.   The previous all time high of approximately 54,000 contracts was 22 July 2021, which marked the beginning of bitcoin’s ascent to a new all time high.  The question is: are these traders simply hedging having already liquidated their spot positions? Or more optimistically, are they doubling down with the expectation of history repeating itself, as they predict the tides turning and the bitcoin bottom having passed?  

Regardless of if the bottom is in or more downside is on the horizon, market participants who dollar cost average at these levels will most likely experience a profitable endeavour if their time horizon is several years.  As a wise investor once said “it’s time in the market, not timing the market”.

The post Phew! No 10 In a Row appeared first on Coinrule.

Halloween is that period of the year when streets are full of ghosts and monsters. At a closer look, they are just kids asking for candies. If you look closely at the latest “spooky” Bitcoin’s dip, you will find many bullish elements as well.

As anticipated, the market was looking for a retest of the first support area . During a retest, the magnitude of the price move does matter! This week Bitcoin dipped below the psychological level of $60,000 just to find another support right above the previous consolidation area.

The price then rebounded back above the breakout level. This kind of price action implies a solid amount of buyer and demand. On the other hand, sellers may not have been satisfied by such a meagre drop from all-time high. Should they manage to push the price to a new lower low, that would open to a more severe drawdown that will allow them to buy back at more convenient prices. The fight is on, and it could lead to a period of sideways moves between $57,000 and $64,000.

What about Alts? They will undoubtedly be those that will benefit the most from this scenario. The rally of Altcoins in BTC prices started precisely at the top of the latest Bitcoin’s run. As the trend began to weaken, investors and traders rotated back their allocation in Alts.

How long will this Alt-party last? Time will tell. Meanwhile, it’s worth continuing to keep an eye on the Bitcoin Dominance chart compared to Bitcoin’s price. This is the single best indicator to optimise your portfolio allocation and boost your returns in times of lower volatility .

The post Trick or Treat appeared first on Coinrule.

The market always fills the gaps.

Gaps are not common in the crypto market. But, as Bitcoin gain mainstream adoption and more investment vehicles get listed on traditional financial markets, these elements can play a relevant role in how its price moves. Gaps signal strong price reversals and point at suitable price levels that traders can use as support and resistance .

The chart shows the Bitcoin future price as it traded on the CME . The gap around $60,000 in April marked the local price top. The price retested immediately the same level after, and when it failed to break out, the trend lost steam and reversed.

The same is happening these days, the other way around. After breaking above, pushing Bitcoin to a new all-time high, the price pulled back to retest the buyers’ confidence. Should the price hold, the road to $100,000 will be smoother.

Be patient. The chart also includes the other three relevant gaps in the market. Keep them in mind as guidance to place your stop losses. Bonus fact, the BTC ETF is already driving up significantly the trading volume , making this chart always more significant from now on.

The post Mind The Gap appeared first on Coinrule.

The market is betting which project will be the Ethereum-killer. Solana, Terra, Avax and Cardano have been performing exceptionally well recently. Investors believe they will outpace the “old” Ethereum in the race of scalability of DeFi, bringing crypto to mainstream adoption.

Yet, Ethereum doesn’t seem to be giving up the throne anytime soon. Total value locked in DeFi protocols recently hit a new all-time high, and that’s mainly due to protocols running on the Ethereum network.

Looking at the ETHBTC chart, it’s clear how Ethereum is building a solid bullish momentum. On a higher time frame and on such a large time scale, moves like this happen for a reason. Ethereum has just become more scarce (following the EIP-1559 update), making it close the gap slightly with Bitcoin .

Supply and demand is always the main driver for price and a supply shrink coupled with growing adoption push immediately the price up. Not to mention the increasing number of coins staked in ETH 2.0.

Solana and other protocols are still good investment options that will likely outperform both Ethereum and Bitcoin . But they also carry higher volatility . From a risk-adjusted perspective, Ethereum is now flipping Bitcoin. Institutional investors have already realised that, so more smart money is likely to flow into ETH. Just wait for the next big headline.

The post The Great Flip appeared first on Coinrule.

As the crypto market consolidates after a raging bull run, traders scramble to see where the chips have fallen. Lets compare ETH vs BTC

An interesting chart to look at is ETH vs BTC . Now that the initial excitement is wearing off, it is perfect for recalibrating and considering a longer-term perspective. Here, we see the last four years of the ETH/BTC chart. We see that during crypto booms, ETH outperforms BTC . However, most of the time, ETH/BTC generally trades lower than where it currently is and seems to revert to its mean eventually.

The current level is where ETH historically failed to hold onto its gains multiple times in the past. This time seems to be a different story, as the support is holding well despite the brutal recent sell-off. It’s worth noticing that the chart presents a series of lower highs during the previous cycle, while this week, the price could print the first-ever higher low above this crucial level.

On the other hand, the trading pair is still trading well below the all-time high valuations of 2017 and 2018, and that should pause caution for investors. Keeping an eye on this chart will provide valuable insights into the best time to rotate the portfolio again from Bitcoin into Altcoins.

For all investors on their crypto trading bot journey, watch out for some exciting times ahead.

The post The Great Comeback appeared first on Coinrule.

Technical analysis is a handy tool for traders, but the truth is that it’s not an exact science.

If it were, reading a book would make you a professional trader. Chart patterns may appear different to the eyes of each analyst based on their biases. The first step is to try setting aside as much as possible any belief you can have about where the price is heading next and focus as much as possible on objective elements. This is necessary to use Technical analysis appropriately,

Let’s try to apply this method to Bitcoin’s chart. As time passes, the chart seems to be more likely on the verge of another significant drop. Since June, the price has posted lower highs, while the horizontal support is holding. The question is, for how long? Some traders have raised the idea that Bitcoin is building a massive head-and-shoulders pattern.

For how bearishBitcoin may look like, the good news is that this is not an H&S formation. The “head” is atypical, but what is even less common is how the volume develops. To be a valid H&S , the volume should be higher on the left shoulder and decreasing after that. Conversely, Bitcoin’s volume has been higher on the right shoulder, indicating high interest both for buyers and sellers around those levels. Another good news is that Bitcoin broke up from a similar accumulation period at the beginning of the year.

The post Make No Mistake appeared first on Coinrule.

Did you buy the dip? If so, whose dip?

Altcoins have rebounded strongly since last week’s lows, with Bitcoin looking much weaker and uncertain about which direction to take. That is consistent with the thesis presented in our recent post. We outlined how Bitcoin could trade sideways for a while, giving the market another opportunity for another mini-Altseason.

The chart compares Bitcoin’s price (above) in parallel with the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies (excluding Bitcoin ) divided by BTC’s market cap

This indicates quite clearly under and overperformances of the market versus Bitcoin .

Looking at the chart, Altcoins seem to have held quite firmly considering the Bitcoin’s plunge, ending up capitulating only when the market volatility hit extreme levels. After the (local) bottom was in place, traders and investors rushed into buying back the coins that they were forced to fire-sell just a few days earlier. Experienced market participants have been able to buy back at a lower price, others, unfortunately at higher.

This is the typical wealth redistribution in these cases, from those that panic-sell to those who patiently wait to buy dips. Hate it, or love it, that’s the market.

What’s next? Despite the sharp rebound, Altcoins didn’t manage to regain the steep uptrend. They have been trading in for weeks. If this doesn’t happen soon, their momentum could deteriorate. In that case, that could be an opportunity to rotate back into Bitcoin , providing the right amount of fuel to break once and for all the $60,000 resistance.

The post Hate it or Love it appeared first on Coinrule.

Everyone is trying to figure out what will be the peak of the current Bull Market. However, when investing, you need to be forward-looking and think ahead. While the price target for the current market cycle is still very uncertain, it may be easier to foresee what will be the price floor of the next bear market.

Looking at the previous cycles, in both cases, the parabolic uptrend had a brief re-accumulation phase at around half of the way. The price level at which that consolidation happens market years after the same level at which the Bear market followed found its final support.

What if the current sideways price action on Bitcoin anticipates a more significant price drop instead of a new leg up? That is possible, yet unlikely. Usually, parabolic uptrends end up in a much sharper way. On-chain data and the macro environment are still positive, and that could offer a supportive tailwind for months.

Why predicting the bottom of the next Bear market is important? Because knowing that you have the chance to buy below such levels adds significant upside to your investment and will protect your allocation in future drawdowns. Short-term volatility may push prices slightly lower, but dollar-cost averaging Bitcoin may be a very interesting long-term strategy.

The best time to accumulate Bitcoin was years ago. The second-best time may be now.

The post One Step Ahead – The bottom of the next Bear Market may be in appeared first on Coinrule.

Bitcoin’s recent weakness is proving the opportunity to other cryptocurrencies to shine, offering investors and traders interesting volatility to exploit. Others like Altcoins.

The red line on the chart shows how Bitcoin’s dominance is rapidly falling, meaning that new capital flows into Altcoins. Every trader has to keep these dynamics clear in mind when assessing what the most appropriate investment strategy to run is. Despite Bitcoin pausing from its exponential uptrend, the fact that the rest of the market is still witnessing solid strength is a strong validation that the macro picture is positive and the Bull Market is still in place. In the past months, those following our market updates can now recognize the value of Bitcoin’s dominance as a valuable metric to gauge the evolving stages of this Bull cycle.

If you feel like you missed out on buying Bitcoin at lower prices, Altcoins can give you a second chance. Profiting from Alts and selling to Bitcoin in the following weeks will likely be a unique opportunity to accumulate more BTC before the next leg up.

This week the rumor of Facebook adding Bitcoin to its treasure reserves unfolded as just pure speculation. But it may be just a matter of time when the next large corporation announces to have entered the crypto space. And with a Bitcoin supply that keeps shrinking on the exchanges, the price direction can only be on the upside.

The post The Big Shift appeared first on Coinrule.