Manual trading vs. quantitative strategies, this topic has always been highly discussed in the crypto circle. Recently, a trader shared an interesting phenomenon: from November last year to now, the returns from manual trading have indeed outperformed quantitative strategies, but the experience of holding positions varies greatly.

Quantitative trading robots work tirelessly, optimizing costs through T trades even in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, manual traders stick firmly to key support levels—such as not closing a position unless the 84,000 defense line is broken—this kind of persistence brings a stronger sense of psychological control.

However, the entire December market has caused quite a few hardships. The market has been fluctuating wildly all month, with profits in the morning turning into unrealized losses by lunchtime. This repeated emotional tug-of-war has actually become an invisible trading cost.

If we include psychological costs, time consumption, and emotional fluctuations as "hidden expenses," the overall return of manual trading doesn't look so impressive anymore. Emotions are indeed a form of currency, and often the most underestimated trading cost.