Chives Diary

Three years ago, I was just an ordinary office worker, starting with a few thousand dollars to get into US stocks. Initially, I thought the stock market was like an ATM, where you could make money just by buying into hot stocks. Back then, I chased AI, semiconductors, and electric vehicles, and even fantasized about doubling my money overnight. But reality soon taught me a lesson. I chased highs repeatedly, cut losses repeatedly, and my account experienced a maximum drawdown of over 60%.

Later, I began to change my trading approach. I stopped blindly chasing trends and instead built my own trading system. I collected macroeconomic data daily, paying attention to Fed policy, CPI, non-farm payrolls, earnings season performance, and changes in options positions. I made plans pre-market, executed them strictly during the session, and reviewed carefully post-market. The market remained volatile, but my mindset slowly stabilized.

What truly made me grow was a position in a SpaceX-themed ETF. During that period, market sentiment was extreme, with prices swinging violently daily. My account's profit and loss often fluctuated by several months' salary in a single day. Some panicked and sold, while others frantically added to their positions. I didn't rush to act. Instead, I re-examined my position size, cost basis, and risk tolerance, dividing my capital into multiple tiers and adjusting gradually according to plan, rather than being led by emotions.

Later, this holding went through several rounds of sharp rises and falls. I didn't sell at the peak, nor did I buy at the bottom, but I managed to preserve profits through discipline. At that moment, I finally understood that trading isn't about predicting the market; it's about managing yourself.

Today, I still follow US stocks daily. The Nasdaq's big gains and losses, Nvidia's earnings reports, Tesla's news, Apple's new products, SpaceX's latest developments—all can influence my judgment. But I no longer lose sleep over a single candlestick, nor do I get carried away by a single profitable trade.

Many people think stock trading is a battle against the market, but I increasingly feel the real opponent is always one's own greed, fear, and complacency. The market offers opportunities every day and sets traps every day. Only by constantly learning, maintaining patience, and respecting risk can one survive the long trading journey and wait for their own moment of compounding to bloom.