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Crypto Regulations: How MiCA Will Affect EU TradersIn the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency, the European Union has taken a significant and important step forward with the introduction of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). This groundbreaking regulatory framework marks a pivotal moment for the crypto market within the EU, promising to bring much-needed clarity and stability to an industry that has long been likened to the Wild West due to its volatility and lack of standardization. The European Union is a leader in creating legislation for emerging technologies. This became clear with the introduction of GDPR, which protects internet users’ personal data, the AI Act that aims to protect citizens of the EU from malpractice, such as cognitive manipulation of people and social scoring, and now - MiCA. Paving the way forward for others, the EU is evolving its digital legislation frameworks faster than other unions or countries. This article delves into how MiCA will reshape the landscape for EU traders, impacting everything - from the way they interact with crypto assets to the broader market dynamics they navigate daily. Why do we need regulations like MiCA? If there are no regulations, markets can run wild and experience giant increases, however when the fun is over and people lose money to fraud and even large-scale bankruptcy of exchanges - investors, especially institutional ones, will not dare place their money in crypto projects and companies. And since for investors, money is trust - the cryptocurrency market is doomed without proper regulation. On the flip side, extremely stringent and disorganized legislation can lead to the same outcome. Countries struggle with the abstract nature of cryptocurrencies, and many have expressed an outright desire to ban them, seeing as it is the easier option. That is why MiCA is a well-devised framework for others to follow - It is focused and comprehensive. Some may argue that cryptocurrencies are meant to be decentralized, unregulated and follow a laissez-faire approach. While this is possible, more so for some cryptocurrencies than others, there can be no growth in these markets as new projects need to have banking and investors behind them to realize their blockchain-based ideas. It is also unrealistic to think that such a clandestine financial system will never cross paths with the regular banking system. What exactly is MiCA? The inception of the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) is rooted in the European Union's recognition of the growing significance of cryptocurrencies and the associated risks in an unregulated environment. The primary catalyst for MiCA's development was the need for regulatory clarity in the burgeoning crypto market, which had been expanding rapidly without a standardized regulatory framework since the birth of Bitcoin in 2009. This lack of regulation posed risks such as fraud, market manipulation and financial instability. These concerns were heightened by incidents like the surge in initial coin offerings (ICOs), the capitulation of multiple large exchanges and the ironic instability of stable-coins. MiCA was proposed to provide a harmonized regulatory framework for crypto-assets that are not covered under existing EU financial legislation. The objective was to safeguard investors, maintain financial stability, and promote innovation within a secure and transparent environment. By introducing clear rules, MiCA aims to legitimize the crypto market, making it safer and more attractive for investors and consumers while mitigating the potential for financial crime and market manipulation. This move towards regulation reflects a global trend of governments and financial authorities worldwide striving to balance the benefits of innovation in the digital asset space with the need for consumer protection and market integrity. As such, MiCA represents a significant step by the EU in establishing a comprehensive regulatory regime for crypto-assets, setting a precedent that could influence global standards in cryptocurrency regulation. Key Points of MiCA MiCA introduces several key provisions that are set to transform the crypto-asset landscape in the European Union. The areas that are discussed and regulated the most are the areas where incidents have happened and people have lost their funds. It is important not to make the same mistakes as before. Exchanges & Brokerages One of the primary aspects of MiCA is the establishment of stringent authorization requirements for crypto-asset service providers. Under MiCA, any entity aiming to offer services related to crypto-assets, including trading, custody, or advisory services, must obtain authorization from one of the EU's national financial regulators. This process is designed to ensure that providers adhere to high standards of operational conduct, governance, and consumer protection outlined in the legislation. Crypto exchanges have gone bankrupt, been hacked or shut down abruptly in crypto’s short history. The aim of legislatures is to prevent these collapses or stop them in their tracks. Initial Public / Coin Offerings Another fundamental component of MiCA is the regulation of public offerings of crypto-assets. Companies intending to offer crypto-assets to the public are required to publish a detailed white paper. This document must provide clear, fair, and comprehensive information about the risks involved, ensuring that potential buyers are well-informed. The regulations aim to prevent misleading practices and enhance transparency in the market. Until now, many ICOs do publish white papers, however they can be purely fictional, written to trick the untrained eye into thinking the project is professionally done. Furthermore, this official process of submitting a white paper will ensure that the people behind the project are known. This will prevent people from faking their identities in order to anonymously scam their clients. Stablecoins MiCA also specifically addresses the regulation of stablecoins, which are categorized as either e-money tokens (EMTs) or asset-referenced tokens (ARTs). EMTs are stablecoins pegged to the value of a fiat currency, such as USDT, USDC and BUSD. ARTs are linked to other assets, such as WETH, WBTC. MiCA mandates that stablecoins must maintain adequate reserves and adhere to governance standards. Furthermore, there are stringent rules for stablecoins not pegged to EU currencies, including a cap on the number of transactions per day, aimed at preventing these assets from undermining the Euro. This approach to stablecoins is a response to concerns about their potential impact on financial stability and monetary policy. These concerns are justified, following the collapse of a few large market cap stable-coins during 2022. Through these provisions, MiCA aims to establish a secure and transparent environment for the trading and use of crypto-assets, ensuring that the rights of investors are protected while fostering innovation in the sector. Conclusion The introduction of MiCA by the European Union represents a watershed moment for the crypto-asset market. By establishing a harmonized regulatory framework, MiCA seeks to provide clarity, enhance market integrity, and protect investors, all while fostering an environment conducive to innovation. For EU traders, these regulations offer a more secure and transparent trading landscape, albeit with increased compliance obligations. The provisions on stablecoins, in particular, demonstrate a nuanced approach to different types of crypto-assets. As MiCA comes into full effect, its influence is expected to extend beyond the EU, potentially setting a precedent for global crypto-asset regulation. For traders and investors, staying informed and adapting to these regulatory changes will be key to navigating the evolving crypto market landscape.
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by sofex
Trading &/or GamblingThe difference between trading and gambling. This article will shine a light on the most frequent mistakes that traders make. These mistakes blur the thin line between trading and gambling. Many people have spoken on this topic, but we truly believe that it is still not sufficient, and traders should be better educated on how to avoid gambling behaviour and emotional outbursts. When we speak about trading versus gambling, we define gambling as the act of making irrational, emotional and quick decisions. Most of the time, these decisions are based on greed, and sometimes fear of the trader. Let’s dive into the exact problems we have personally experienced thousands of times, and want to help others avoid. 1 ♠ Bad Money Management This is something that everyone has heard at least once, but seems to naively ignore in the hopes that it is not that important . It is the most important . When a trader enters trades, it is exceptionally alluring to enter with all of their money, or close to all of it. In gambling terms, that is going “All in”, or “All or nothing”. As a rule of thumb, both traders and gamblers should only place or bet money that they can afford to lose. Thankfully, at least in trading one can limit their loss for that specific trade, by placing a stop loss or exiting before total liquidation. In Poker, you can’t fold when you are “All in” and take a portion of your money back. However, that does not mean entering trades with full capital, even with a stop-loss, is going to give you exponential returns and feed your greed for profits. Traders should enter positions with a small amount of their full capital, to limit the damage from losses. Yes, you also limit the possibility that you win a few trades in a row with all of your money and… There goes the greed we mentioned. The “globally perfect” percent of equity you need to enter trades to reach that balance between being too cautious and too greedy does not exist. There are methods, like the Kelly Criterion, as described in our previous Idea (see related ideas below), that help you optimize your money management. Always ask yourself, “How much can I afford to lose?”. Aim for a balanced approach. This way you can position yourself within the market for a long and a good time, not just for a few lucky wins. Greedy money management, or lack thereof, ends in liquidations and heartbreak. 2 ♣ The Use of Leverage Anyone who has tried using leverage, knows how easy it is to lose your position (or full) capital in seconds. Using leverage is mainly sold to retail traders as a tool for them to loan money from the exchange or broker and bet with it. It is extremely profitable for institutions, since it multiplies the fees you pay them ten to one hundred-fold. In our opinion, leverage isn’t something that should be entirely avoided. However, it should be limited as much as possible. We cannot deny that using 1-5x leverage can be beneficial for people with small accounts and a thirst for growth, however as the leverage grows, the more of a gambler you become. We often see people share profits made using 20+ times leverage. Some even use ridiculous leverages within the range of 50-125x. If you are doing that, do you truly trust your entry so much that you believe the market won’t move 1% against your decision and liquidate you immediately? At this point, the gambling aspect should be evident, and it goes without saying that you should not touch this “125x Golden Apple”, like Eve in the Garden of Eden. Especially when you see a snake-exchange promote it. If you use a low amount of leverage, and grow your account to the point where you don’t need it for your personal goals in terms of monetary profit. You should consider stopping the use of it, and at least know you’ll be able to sleep at night. 3 ♥ Always Being In A Position Always being either long or short leads to addiction and becomes gambling. While we don’t have scientific proof of that, we can give you our own experience as an example. To be a profitable trader, you do not need to always be in a position, or chase every single move on the market. You need to develop the ability just to sit back and watch, analyse and make conscious decisions. Let the bad opportunities trick someone else, while you patiently wait for all your pre-defined conditions to give you a real signal. When you think of trading, remember that the market has a trend the minority (around 20-30%) of the time. If you are always in a position, this means that 70-80% of the time you are hoping that something will happen in your favour. That, by definition, is gambling. Another aspect, that we have experienced a lot, is that while you remain in a position, especially if you have used leverage, you are constantly paying your exchange fees. You can be in a short position for a week and pay daily fees which only damage your equity, and therefore margin ratio. So why not just sit back, be patient and define some concrete rules for entering and exiting? Avoid risky situations, and let the market bring the profits whenever it decides to. 4 ♦ Chasing Huge Profits Hold your horses, Warren Buffett. Through blood, sweat and tears, we can promise you that you cannot seriously expect to make 100% every month, no matter what magical backtesting or statistics you are calculating your future fortune on. Moreover, you will realise that consistently making 2-5% a month is an excellent career for a trader. Yes, the markets can be good friends for a while, you may stumble into a bull-run and start making double-digit profits from a trade from time to time. Double-digit losses will also follow if you lose your sight in a cloud of euphoria and greed. Many times, you can follow the “profit is profit” principle, and exit at a small win if the risk of loss is increasing. 5 ♠ Being Sentimental Towards Given Assets You may have a fondness for Bitcoin and Tesla, and we understand that because we too have our favourites. Perhaps you’re deeply attached to the vision, community and purpose of certain projects. On the flip side, there may be projects that you completely despise and hope their prices plummet to zero. What you personally like and dislike, should not interfere with your work as a trader. Introducing such strong emotions into your trading will lead you into a loop of irrational decisions. You may find yourself asking, “Why isn’t this price going parabolic with how good the project is?”. This sounds, from personal experience, quite similar to sitting at a Roulette table and asking: “Why does it keep landing on red when I’ve been constantly betting black? It has to change any moment now”. First and foremost, you may be completely wrong, but most importantly – it could go parabolic, but trying to predict the exact time or expecting it to happen immediately and placing your “bet” on that is again, gambling. Don’t get attached to projects when trading. If you are an investor who just wants to hold their shares in an awesome company, or cryptocurrency, that is perfectly fine, hold them as much as you want. The key is to make an important distinction between trading and investing, and to base your strategy on the hand that the market provides you with. 6 ♣ Putting Your Eggs In One Basket We all have heard of diversification, but how you approach it is crucial. A trader should always have their capital spread between at least a few assets. Furthermore, the trading strategy for each asset must be distinct, or in other words – they should not rely on the same entry and exit conditions for different assets. The markets behave differently for each asset, and you cannot be profitable with some magical indicator or strategy with a “one-size-fits-all” style. Divide your trades into different pairs and asset classes, and study each market individually to properly diversify. Manage the equity you put into each trade carefully! Conclusion The takeaway we want you as a reader to have from this article is that trading without consciously controlling your emotions inevitably leads to great loss and most importantly, a lot of stress. We hate stress. Trading and life in general is exponentially harder when you are under stress. Control your risk, sleep easy, and let the market bring you profits. Reaching this level of Zen will not be easy, but it is inevitable. Be happy when you make a profit, no matter how small or big. A lot of small profits and proper money management complete the vision you have of a successful business. Ultimately, trading is just that – work, not gambling or a pastime activity. Treat it as work and always remember to never rely on luck. The advice we’ve included here is written by a few experienced gamblers… Oops, I meant traders 😉. We hope that some of the lessons we’ve had to painstakingly learn through trial and error can now be shared with those who are interested. Of course, none of this constitutes investment advice. It’s merely a friendly heads-up.
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by sofex
Kelly Criterion and other common position-sizing methodsWhat is position sizing & why is it important? Position size refers to the amount of risk - money, contracts, equity, etc. - that a trader uses when entering a position on the financial market. We assume, for ease, that traders expect a 100% profit or loss as a result of the profit lost. Common ways to size positions are: Using a set amount of capital per trade . A trader enters with $100 for example, every time. This means that no matter what the position is, the maximum risk of it will be that set capital. It is the most straight-forward way to size positions, and it aims at producing linear growth in their portfolio. Using a set amount of contracts per trade . A trader enters with 1 contract of the given asset per trade. When trading Bitcoin, for example, this would mean 1 contract is equal to 1 Bitcoin. This approach can be tricky to backtest and analyse, since the contract’s dollar value changes over time. A trade that has been placed at a given time when the dollar price is high may show as a bigger win or loss, and a trade at a time when the dollar price of the contract is less, can be shown as a smaller win or loss. Percentage of total equity - this method is used by traders who decide to enter with a given percentage of their total equity on each position. It is commonly used in an attempt to achieve ‘exponential growth’ of the portfolio size. However, the following fictional scenario will show how luck plays a major role in the outcome of such a sizing method. Let’s assume that the trader has chosen to enter with 50% of their total capital per position. This would mean that with an equity of $1000, a trader would enter with $500 the first time. This could lead to two situations for the first trade: - The position is profitable, and the total equity now is $1500 - The position is losing, and the total equity now is $500. When we look at these two cases, we can then go deeper into the trading process, looking at the second and third positions they enter. If the first trade is losing, and we assume that the second two are winning: a) 500 * 0.5 = 250 entry, total capital when profitable is 750 b) 750 * 0.5 = 375 entry, total capital when profitable is $1125 On the other hand, If the first trade is winning, and we assume that the second two are winning too: a) 1500 * 0.5 = 750 entry, total capital when profitable is $2250 b) 2250 * 0.5 = 1125 entry, total capital when profitable is $3375 Let’s recap: The trader enters with 50% of the capital and, based on the outcome of the first trade, even if the following two trades are profitable, the difference between the final equity is: a) First trade lost: $1125 b) First trade won: $3375 This extreme difference of $2250 comes from the single first trade, and whether it’s profitable or not. This goes to show that luck is extremely important when trading with percentage of equity, since that first trade can go any way. Traders often do not take into account the luck factor that they need to have to reach exponential growth . This leads to very unrealistic expectations of performance of their trading strategy. What is the Kelly Criterion? The percentage of equity strategy, as we saw, is dependent on luck and is very tricky. The Kelly Criterion builds on top of that method, however it takes into account factors of the trader’s strategy and historical performance to create a new way of sizing positions. This mathematical formula is employed by investors seeking to enhance their capital growth objectives. It presupposes that investors are willing to reinvest their profits and expose them to potential risks in subsequent trades. The primary aim of this formula is to ascertain the optimal allocation of capital for each individual trade. The Kelly criterion encompasses two pivotal components: Winning Probability Factor (W) : This factor represents the likelihood of a trade yielding a positive return. In the context of TradingView strategies, this refers to the Percent Profitable. Win/Loss Ratio (R) : This ratio is calculated by the maximum winning potential divided by the maximum loss potential. It could be taken as the Take Profit / Stop-Loss ratio. It can also be taken as the Largest Winning Trade / Largest Losing Trade ratio from the backtesting tab. The outcome of this formula furnishes investors with guidance on the proportion of their total capital to allocate to each investment endeavour. Commonly referred to as the Kelly strategy, Kelly formula, or Kelly bet, the formula can be expressed as follows: Kelly % = W - (1 - W) / R Where: Kelly % = Percent of equity that the trader should put in a single trade W = Winning Probability Factor R = Win/Loss Ratio This Kelly % is the suggested percentage of equity a trader should put into their position, based on this sizing formula. With the change of Winning Probability and Win/Loss ratio, traders are able to re-apply the formula to adjust their position size. Let’s see an example of this formula. Let’s assume our Win/Loss Ration (R) is the Ratio Avg Win / Avg Loss from the TradingView backtesting statistics. Let’s say the Win/Loss ratio is 0.965. Also, let’s assume that the Winning Probability Factor is the Percent Profitable statistics from TradingView’s backtesting window. Let’s assume that it is 70%. With this data, our Kelly % would be: Kelly % = 0.7 - (1 - 0.7) / 0.965 = 0.38912 = 38.9% Therefore, based on this fictional example, the trader should allocate around 38.9% of their equity and not more, in order to have an optimal position size according to the Kelly Criterion. The Kelly formula, in essence, aims to answer the question of “What percent of my equity should I use in a trade, so that it will be optimal”. While any method it is not perfect, it is widely used in the industry as a way to more accurately size positions that use percent of equity for entries. Caution disclaimer Although adherents of the Kelly Criterion may choose to apply the formula in its conventional manner, it is essential to acknowledge the potential downsides associated with allocating an excessively substantial portion of one's portfolio into a solitary asset. In the pursuit of diversification, investors would be prudent to exercise caution when considering investments that surpass 20% of their overall equity, even if the Kelly Criterion advocates a more substantial allocation. Source about information on Kelly Criterion www.investopedia.com
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How to quickly & easily check if a script repaints?What is “repainting”? Why is it important that the script you use does not do it? Repainting, generally, is re-drawing or changing visual properties. In the context of technical analysis and charting, repainting means the change of historical data, such as signals and visual plots, with the flow of time. Historical results, generated by scripts which repaint, are often quite appealing, even perfect-looking. This can easily mislead many users and traders in their expectations and give false analysis data. As a result, users may make irrational trading decisions. A lot has been written on the topic of repainting. In this article, we will show 3 easy ways to check if a script does not repaint. Throughout the TradingView community, one of the most asked questions is: “Does it repaint?” Method 1 Simply add the script to a chart, and start creating an alert. In the alert settings, choose the condition as the script at question. If the script repaints, you will notice a yellow exclamation mark next to the alert window heading. Click on it to see TradingView’s warning. Script with repaint warning Script without repaint warning Exceptions In some cases, scripts may contain dashboards or other different visual plots, excluding in-built technical analysis. A warning is shown then, since such visual elements need the script to have the option `calc_on_every_tick` enabled. This option updates visuals, such as dashboards, on every single tick, making them show data in real-time. On the other hand, it may generate ‘intra-bar’ signals, also known as unconfirmed signals. What are confirmed and unconfirmed signals? An unconfirmed signal is such that is generated during the current candle. It is intra-bar, and can appear and disappear with the current price fluctuations. It can trigger alerts too, since it is a single like any other. A confirmed signal is only generated when a candle closes and the price is locked-in history. It cannot trigger and disappear while the candle (let’s say 1-hour) is still ongoing. If you are using an invite-only script, you can always contact the provider with a request for a version without such visual elements and no warning. This way you can re-assure yourself by comparing. Transparency should be the main priority for any provider. Method 2 Use the “Replay” function on the chart to check for repainting. Before doing anything, snap a pic or record what signals there are on the chart. Click on the replay button in the chart header and go to a time back in history. Press “play”, and compare the trades during replay with the ones without replay. If there are inconsistencies, such as missing or added trades during replay, it means that the script repaints. Method 3 Create a simple alert with the script as a condition in the settings menu. Do not attach any messages, webhooks or notifications. Then, monitor its activity in the ‘Alerts Log’ menu. Compare instances when the alert has been triggered by time with signals on the chart. If there are inconsistencies, that means a signal was triggered but has been removed from historical data. This shows that the script repaints. Conclusion Here, the three easiest and fastest ways to detecting repainting of a script are shown. Always exercise caution when using different scripts, especially if they help you make trading decisions or analyse historical performance.
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