01 · Rules that don't move

The non-negotiables.

These are the ones I've paid tuition for. Everything else is discretion.

Rule 01

Size against volatility, not conviction

Position size is a function of the instrument's realized vol, not how strongly I feel about the idea. Conviction only earns you into the book — it doesn't earn you weight.

The strongest thesis in the softest sizing beats the weakest thesis in the loudest.
Rule 02

Every entry has a written invalidation

Before the fill, I write the price or event that says the thesis is broken. If I can't articulate it, I don't take the trade. When it hits, I exit — no negotiations with myself.

An unwritten stop is a hope.
Rule 03

Take profits in tranches

Full-position exits are decisions made in the worst possible mental state. Pre-defined tranches — 25% at 2x risk, 25% at 4x, ride the rest — remove the tax my brain would otherwise charge.

Selling correctly is a scheduled event, not a moment.
Rule 04

No new positions during max drawdown

Once the book is down more than 12% peak-to-trough, no new sizing until back within 5% of the peak. Averaging into losers during a regime shift is how good years become bad ones.

Drawdowns end when I stop trading — not when the market stops moving.
Rule 05

Write the trade before, during, and after

Pre-trade note. Weekly review. Post-mortem when it closes. If it doesn't survive being written down, it doesn't survive being held. The research page is the byproduct.

Writing is thinking; thinking is edge.
Rule 06

Uncorrelated positions or no positions

Max 3 correlated names in the book at once. If BTC / ETH / SOL / L2s are all one bet, book two of them, not four. Diversification isn't a number — it's whether things move together on a bad day.

Correlation is one, right before it matters.
02 · Setups I actually take

The shortlist.

Setup A

On-chain leading price

Active addresses, stablecoin flows, DEX volumes leading price by 2+ weeks. This is where the SOL trade came from. Highest expectancy setup in the book.

Setup B

Post-liquidation range break

Wait for the flush, wait for the reclaim, wait for the higher-low. Three confirmations. Low win rate, high R:R — asymmetric by design.

Setup C

Thematic basket rotation

When one theme obviously outruns its cohort, rotate 20-30% of the winner into the laggards of the same theme. Reversion inside a strong tape.

Setup D

Macro-event hedges

Not directional bets — insurance against the tails I can name. Kept small, expected to lose money, taken because the 22% drawdown was avoidable.

03 · What I don't do

The shortlist of nos.

No · 01

Leverage beyond 2×

Cycles have taught me that 3× confidence is 10× regret. Cash-secured or lightly levered only.

No · 02

Meme narratives without on-chain

If the thesis is "line goes up because attention," I want the flows to prove it. No screenshots, no vibes.

No · 03

Trading tops and bottoms

I take the middle 60% of moves. Missing the last 20% at either end is the tuition for sleeping at night.