How to Create a Crypto Trading Plan: A Beginner’s Guide

If you want to start crypto trading or just want to reform your crypto trading strategies for better results, having a well-structured plan is necessary. It acts as a roadmap to guide you through the unpredictable world of cryptocurrencies. This guide will walk you through the process, offering practical tips and insights to help you develop the best crypto trading plan for your needs.

Key takeaways

  • Use both fundamental and technical analysis to make informed trading decisions and select the right assets.
  • Decide which cryptocurrencies to trade and how much to invest in each based on your risk tolerance.
  • Establishing sentry and exit points in advance helps avoid emotional trading and ensures disciplined execution.
  • Protect your capital by following a risk management strategy, like the 1-2% rule, to minimize potential losses.

How to create a crypto trading plan

Now that you understand the perks, let’s explore how to create trading plan that works for you. Here are seven steps to help you build the best crypto trading plan.

Step 1: Defining your trading goals and objectives

The first step in creating a crypto trading plan is to define what you want to achieve. Are you looking to grow your portfolio steadily, or are you aiming for quick profits? Your goals will influence the type of trades you make and how you approach the market.

Suppose your goal is to double your initial investment within a year. You might focus on high-volatility cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin or Shiba Inu, which can offer quick gains. However, if your goal is steady growth, you might prefer investing in more established coins like Bitcoin or Ethereum, which are less volatile and more reliable.

Step 2: Use fundamental and technical analysis

A successful crypto trading plan relies on both fundamental and technical analysis. For fundamental analysis, you might research a cryptocurrency’s development team, its use cases, and recent news. Suppose you find that a new cryptocurrency is backed by a strong team of developers and has partnerships with major tech companies; this could be a good reason to include it in your trading plan.

For technical analysis, you could use tools like moving averages or RSI (Relative Strength Index) to predict price movements. If you see that Bitcoin’s RSI is below 30, indicating it’s oversold, your plan might suggest buying, anticipating a price rebound.

Step 3: Selecting cryptocurrencies to trade and determining position sizes

Create a crypto trading plan
Source | Create a crypto trading plan

Not all cryptocurrencies are created equal. When you create a crypto trading plan, you need to decide which assets to trade and how much of your portfolio to allocate to each trade.

Let’s say you have $10,000 to invest. Your best crypto trading plan might allocate 40% to Bitcoin, 30% to Ethereum, 20% to altcoins like Cardano and Polkadot, and 10% to speculative tokens like Shiba Inu. This allocation reflects your risk tolerance and confidence in each asset’s potential.

Step 4: Setting entry and exit points

Entry points are determined by your analysis and the price level at which you believe the cryptocurrency offers value. Exit points are where you plan to sell, either to take profits or to cut losses. Setting these points in advance helps you stay disciplined and avoid emotional decisions.

Suppose your technical analysis indicates that Bitcoin typically rebounds after touching a support level at $25,000. Your entry point would be around that price. For the exit, your plan might set a target to sell when Bitcoin hits a resistance level at $30,000, locking in your profits.

Step 5: Develop a risk management strategy

Risk management is the backbone of a crypto trading plan. Decide how much capital you’re willing to risk on each trade. A common rule is the 1-2% rule, where you only risk 1-2% of your total capital on any single trade. This strategy helps protect your portfolio from significant losses, ensuring that you can trade another day.

For example, you may decide never to risk more than 2% of your total capital on a single trade. If you have $10,000, this means you wouldn’t risk more than $200 on any given trade. If the price drops and hits your stop-loss, you exit the trade automatically, limiting your loss to 2%.

Step 6: Implementing and monitoring your trading plan

Once your crypto trading plan is in place, it’s time to put it into action. If your plan includes monitoring the market every day at specific times. You might check the charts at 9 AM and 5 PM to see if any of your entry or exit points have been triggered. If Bitcoin hits your target price of $30,000, you execute your sell order as planned.

Step 7: Evaluating and adjusting your plan as needed

No trading plan is perfect from the start. Regularly evaluate your plan’s performance and make adjustments as necessary.

After three months of trading, let’s say you notice that your strategy of investing heavily in altcoins isn’t yielding the expected results. You might adjust your plan to allocate more funds to stablecoins or larger-cap cryptocurrencies, which have performed better.

Perks of having a trading plan

As they say, “95% of traders fail,” creating a crypto trading plan is necessary. This is why:

  1. Accurate performance monitoring: With a clear crypto trading plan, you can easily track your trades and assess their outcomes. This helps you understand what’s working and what’s not, allowing you to make informed decisions.
  2. Emotionless trading: Emotions often drive impulsive decisions. By sticking to your plan, you avoid making trades based on fear or greed, leading to more rational and consistent decisions.
  3. Trading discipline for greater insight: A crypto trading plan instills discipline, helping you follow a set strategy. This discipline can lead to deeper insights into the market and your trading behavior.
  4. Organized market research: With a plan, your market research becomes more structured. You know what to look for and when to act, making your trading process smoother and more efficient.
  5. Responsible risk management: One of the key components of any best crypto trading plan is risk management. A solid plan helps you manage your risks effectively, protecting your investments from significant losses.
  6. Knowing when not to trade: Sometimes, the best trade is no trade at all. A well-crafted crypto trading plan helps you identify when the market conditions are not favorable, preventing unnecessary risks.

Bottomline

Creating a crypto trading plan is essential for anyone serious about succeeding in the crypto market. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create a crypto trading plan that meets your goals. The best crypto trading plan is one that’s tailored to your individual needs and continuously refined as you grow as a trader. For more such crypto trading tips, join Millionero.

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