Dip or Peak

Crypto trading strategies compared

All 30 strategies on this site in one table: what type each one is, how hard it is, and the one rule that matters most. Each name links to the full guide with its exact rules and a diagram for every rule.

StrategyTypeLevelThe key rule
Crypto trading for beginnersBasicsBeginnerStart with money you can afford to lose, no leverage, a written plan and a journal.
How to read candlestick chartsBasicsBeginnerEach candle shows four prices for one period: the open, the high, the low and the close.
How to use RSIBasicsBeginnerRSI compares the size of recent up moves to recent down moves over 14 candles and reads from 0 to 100, with 30 and 70 as the usual lines.
Moving averages explainedBasicsBeginnerA moving average smooths price into one line, and its slope and position tell you the trend more clearly than single candles.
How much to risk per tradeRiskBeginnerRisk a fixed 0.5–2% of your account per trade, and 1% or less while you are learning.
Managing a setupRiskBeginnerPut the stop just past the structure the setup is built on, plus a small buffer, and skip trades where the stop is too tight or too wide.
What to check before any crypto tradeRiskAll levelsSize every position from your stop so a loss costs a fixed slice of the account, usually 0.5–2%.
Where to put a stop lossRiskIntermediatePut the stop just past the structure your trade is built on, plus a 0.2 ATR buffer, not at a round number or a random percentage.
Trend following with moving averagesTrendBeginnerTrend following buys after a trend starts and exits after it ends. It never catches tops or bottoms.
Trend pullbackTrendIntermediateOnly trade pullbacks when the bigger timeframe and the current chart both point up.
VWAP reclaimTrendIntermediateVWAP is the average price paid today, weighted by volume, and many traders use it to judge who is in control.
Breakout tradingMomentumIntermediateTrade breakouts of levels tested several times, after volatility has compressed.
Donchian breakoutMomentumIntermediateBuy a close above the highest high of the previous 20 candles, in an uptrend, on above-average volume.
Opening range breakoutMomentumIntermediateMark the first 30 minutes after the Tokyo, London or New York open as the opening range.
Squeeze breakoutMomentumIntermediateLook for a tight range of 16 candles, no taller than 2.5 ATR.
Bollinger band reversionMean reversionIntermediateWait for a close back inside the lower band, not just a close below it.
RSI divergenceMean reversionIntermediateBullish divergence is a lower low in price with a higher low in RSI, and it says selling is weakening, not that it has stopped.
Range fadeMean reversionIntermediateOnly fade the range low when the bigger timeframe has no clear trend.
Range tradingMean reversionIntermediateOnly trade a range after at least two touches of both support and resistance.
Fair value gap retestSmart moneyAdvancedOnly trade gaps left by a move that broke structure, and only while the gap is still unfilled.
Order block retestSmart moneyAdvancedThe order block is the last red candle within the 10 candles before a break of structure, and it is dead once a close goes below its low.
Previous day sweepSmart moneyIntermediateThe setup is a candle that wicks below yesterday's low and closes back inside yesterday's range.
SMC sweep and change of characterSmart moneyAdvancedWait for both steps: a wick below the last swing low that closes back above it, then a close above the last swing high.
POC reclaimVolume profileIntermediateThe point of control is the single price with the most recent volume, and markets often lean on it.
Value area breakoutVolume profileIntermediateA value area breakout buys when price closes above the value area high twice in a row after trading inside it.
Value area fadeVolume profileIntermediateThe value area is the price band where 70% of recent volume traded, and the market tends to treat it as fair.
Bullish engulfing at a levelPrice actionBeginnerA bullish engulfing candle opens at or below the previous close and closes above the previous open.
Support and resistancePrice actionBeginnerSupport and resistance are zones where buyers or sellers acted before, so draw them as bands around wicks and closes, not as thin lines.
Buying the dip without catching a falling knifeSwingIntermediateOnly buy dips inside an uptrend: price above the 200-day average, still making higher lows.
Dollar-cost averagingLong-termBeginnerDCA replaces timing the market with a fixed schedule, which removes most emotional decisions.

How to choose a strategy

Start with the market you are looking at, not the strategy you like. In a clear uptrend, trend strategies such as the trend pullback fit. In a sideways market, mean reversion setups such as the range fade fit, and breakouts fail more often. After a long, tight range, momentum setups such as the squeeze breakout are the ones to watch.

Whichever you pick, the risk rules stay the same: size the position from the stop and only take trades where the target is far enough away. What to check before any crypto trade covers that, and the glossary explains every term used here.