2026-01-11 15:21:27

In the 2021 bull market, did retail investors really make money?

Looking back at the candlestick charts of that period, hundreds and thousands of times coins are everywhere. Many people look at these numbers and automatically imagine a scene: people at that time should have been cheering all the way, easily stuffing money into their pockets.

But anyone who has truly experienced a bull market will tell you, the reality is not like that at all.

This thing called a bull market is not about giving you candy every day. Instead, it’s more like psychological warfare, tormenting you daily. When prices rise, you wonder if it’s a trap set by the main players to lure more buyers. When prices fall, you start doubting whether the market has already ended. During sideways consolidation, you doubt yourself even more — maybe you’ve just misread the cycle.

This repeated uncertainty can drive people to the brink of collapse.

Those who can truly profit from a bull market are never the ones shouting the loudest in the group during the peak hype. Quite the opposite, they are the ones who spend most of their time doubting themselves, lacking absolute confidence in the market, but still grit their teeth and choose to hold on.

This is the truth about bull markets: they are not designed to make you feel good, but a game meticulously crafted for the main players to precisely harvest retail investors. The reason the main players can make big money is due to long-term patience and planning. If you want to earn like the main players, you need to learn their methods — plan ahead, stay steady amid volatility, and keep moving forward despite doubts.

Bull markets are never easy; they test your mindset, discipline, and the resolve to persevere to the end.

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SchrodingerAirdrop

· 13h ago

Honestly, only a few people made money back then. Many people around me bought high and got liquidated. I wanted to cut my losses more than once; mental resilience is really the biggest test. This article is right; in the end, those who survive are the ones who stubbornly hold on. It's too difficult for retail investors to make money; the main players' psychological warfare is ruthless. Who really made money in 2021? It feels like all the online bragging.

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rug_connoisseur

· 13h ago

Honestly, I was among those who got liquidated in 2021, and my account still hasn't recovered. --- Stop talking about mentality and discipline. It mainly comes down to luck. The people I know who make money started accumulating early, haha. --- Hundredfold coins are real, but my portfolio is all zero-fold coins, so it's a bit awkward. --- Seeing others' screenshots of profits, then looking at my own holdings—this psychological battle is truly intense. --- So I still hold on tightly now; anyway, I've already lost, and who knows, I might turn around someday. --- I've heard too many motivational stories about "holding on to make money," but in the end, the big players just eat you up completely. --- The problem is, how do you know if you're "holding on" or "trapped"? Who can tell for sure? --- Back in 2021, the little guy shouting in the group was still dreaming away.

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FudVaccinator

· 01-11 15:51

Exactly right. That wave in 2021 was the kind I was loudly shouting about, but what happened... I'm still trapped now. Those who make money do so quietly and steadily. Our group just awkwardly brags in the chat.

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ForkMaster

· 01-11 15:49

Talking nonsense, the real money-makers wouldn't be here chatting about mindset; they've already gone to arbitrage forks long ago.

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MevTears

· 01-11 15:39

That's so true. I was the one shouting the loudest in the group back then. And what happened? I went all in with a total gamble, and I'm still losing now. The ones making money are really those who stay silent. By the way, I should have learned to cut losses in 2021, but I kept gambling until the last moment. Foolish. Hundredfold coins everywhere? I must be blind. It's all the coins I sold off that are rising. This game is designed to harvest me. So now my strategy is to watch the market less, listen to fewer motivational speeches in the group, and stick to my own plan.

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rugged_again

· 01-11 15:36

You're really not wrong. Back in 2021, I was the one shouting the loudest in the group, and you all know how that turned out, haha. When I was blindly chasing highs, I thought I understood the cycle, but in reality, I was being played to death by the big players. Now I realize that the ones who truly make money are never the loud ones, but rather those who stay silent and persist in low-key positioning. This mindset game is indeed incredible; it tests not your analytical skills, but whether you can hold on through countless doubts.

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