Recently reviewed the trading account data from the past two years, including over 1,000 trades from myself and traders around me. The analysis results are a bit eye-opening—mistakes made when in floating profit are often more serious than those made during losses.



The most common situation is: just when the account turns green, traders want to greedily chase more, but in the end, they end up with nothing.

**Why is it hard to take profit when in floating profit?**

There are roughly three types of people. One is the lucky type, who, when their account shows floating profit, wants to gamble on whether it can continue to rise, staring at the screen all day. The second is greedy—earning 50 points and wanting 100 points, only to be knocked back to the original. The most heartbreaking is the comparison type—seeing others earn more, they can't sit still and insist on waiting, only to get trapped. I've seen these situations in over 200 accounts. Interestingly, the trades that make money are the most prone to this trap.

One particularly cruel statistic: for accounts that are profitable, those traders who are reluctant to take profit see their accounts experience drawdowns 40% higher. Think about what this means—most of the hard-earned money is eaten up by the drawdown.

**How does psychology explain this?**

In simple terms, it's loss aversion. People fear losses much more than they desire gains. Earning $50 might only make you feel an 8 out of 10, but losing $50 can make you feel a 12 out of 10 in discomfort. So when floating profit appears, we instinctively want to protect that money at all costs, missing the best exit point. Plus, seeing others earn more—say, you earn 10% while others earn 15%—makes you feel dissatisfied, so you keep holding on, only to end up losing 5%. Almost every trader has fallen into this psychological trap.
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OnchainGossipervip
· 10h ago
Damn, a 40% retracement is really incredible, it's like watching the money you earned turn into water right in front of your eyes. If I had known earlier, I should have just made a quick move and closed the position, instead of greedily chasing those extra few points. That's why I now set take-profit points and run, to avoid arguing with myself. At the end of the day, the truth is, actually making a profit is what matters; paper profits are all虚的. I've seen too many people crash when floating profits, but I've learned to be smarter. Actually, everyone knows this psychological trap, but it's just impossible to execute. It's really绝.
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SudoRm-RfWallet/vip
· 10h ago
This is the mistake I make every day, and the mindset really is the biggest enemy. Having a good hand but losing everything because of oneself is truly tragic. When making money, I become the most greedy, hard to hold. Seeing others earn a lot makes me restless, this really hits me. You are so right, not being willing to take profits at the moment really means it's over. A 50% drawdown, I feel like it's me, hahaha. It's that greed that I just can't change, always wanting to eat a little more. The explanation of loss aversion is perfect; applying it to myself is a bloody reality.
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DataOnlookervip
· 10h ago
Honestly, these 40% drawdown data really hit me; it's so realistic. Seeing others make 15% while I only make 10% makes it hard to sit still, and in the end, I end up empty-handed. I truly understand that feeling. Greed is really the biggest enemy in trading, bar none. This psychological explanation is spot on; it hits the nail on the head. Actually, it's poor execution; setting a good take-profit point is essentially useless. The hardest part of floating profits isn't making money; it's being willing to take profits. Those who stare at the screen every day usually end up badly; I am a living lesson. Comparison psychology is the most terrifying; just looking at others' accounts can make you explode with anger. With support from over 1,000 data points, I believe this conclusion.
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