The backend has recently received many anxious voices—"Is there still hope in the market?" To be honest, the problem isn't with the market itself, but with the main forces that control the rhythm being temporarily absent.

Many traders haven't realized a basic fact: the lifeblood of liquidity in the crypto market is in the hands of European and American institutions and professional traders. During the period from late December to early January each year, global trading markets fall into a "hibernation"—this is no coincidence. Christmas holidays, New Year holidays, people want to spend time with family and relax, no one is watching the screen to compete with you.

The essence of liquidity is actually the activity level of both trading parties. When trading volume in Europe and America (about 60% of the global share) shrinks significantly, the market immediately falls into a strange cycle of "no one taking orders." Seemingly calm sideways movement is actually passive and weak. This is not a sign of potential breakout.

The most cunning tactic of the main forces during the off-season is to exploit the low trading activity. With small amounts of capital, they can create false market movements—manipulating prices to lure in buyers or sell-offs to scare out sellers. Recently, a small coin suddenly surged 20%, then quickly fell back to the original level—typical "off-season trap." Beginners are most likely to chase high and get caught in such times.

The practical advice is simple: during the off-season, lower expectations and reduce positions. Keep your holdings below 50%; stick to mainstream coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum, and avoid niche coins even if they seem attractive; set proper take-profit and stop-loss levels to avoid being caught by false movements and losing money.

Rather than operating blindly, it's better to use the off-season to learn how to distinguish genuine breakouts from fake moves. When liquidity recovers, your preparation will come in handy.