Content
While we adhere to strict
editorial integrity,
this post may contain references to products from our partners. Any estimates based on past performance do not a guarantee future performance, and prior to making any investment you should discuss your specific investment needs or seek advice from a qualified professional. We introduce people to the world of trading currencies, both fiat and crypto, through our non-drowsy educational content and tools. We’re also a community of traders that support each other on our daily trading journey.
- Hodling sounds a lot like the long-term buy-and-hold strategy The Motley Fool employs in the stock market.
- However, “hodling” can provide more safety to investors, as investors are not exposed to short-term volatility and can avoid the risk of buying high but selling low.
- If a “whale” sells a lot of their stake, it can cause the price of a cryptocurrency to dip by flooding supply, he explains.
- Low cap coins are ideal for pump and dump schemes since instigators do not need to make huge investments to achieve the desired price action.
- Based on these principles, the best time to HODL is now, always, and forever.
With buy-and-hold investing, you generally choose stocks based on a company’s long-term success and prospects. Before investing, review the company’s standing, looking at things like earnings and sales, vision and background of management, and the overall status of the industry. HODLers typically focus on the long-term prospects of digital assets and don’t chase immediate profit. Come back in five years, and you’ll find that some of today’s hottest cryptos never quite made it to the moon, and that diamond-hand hodlers lost a lot of money. There are thousands of cryptocurrencies on the market today, and the number of long-term winners in that group is much smaller. Some cryptocurrencies are jokes, others are money-making frauds, and another group has all the right intentions but flawed technical designs.
HODLing as an investment strategy
Given how volatile swings are when it comes to cryptocoins, the need to make a decision on HODLING occurs more frequently than with traditional stocks. This is because HODLING is a middle ground where you’re assuming things will work out, instead of putting more money into assets, or selling assets when part of you thinks they could be worth much more tomorrow. Despite the recent high rate of return and the reasons to invest, as mentioned above, prudent investors should also reckon with the risks of holding cryptocurrencies.
- HODLing becomes an ideological belief about the long-term prospects of blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, and the communities that have formed around them.
- Even a long-term cryptocurrency investor would be well-served to articulate clear goals and to monitor the emerging space for systemic risks.
- On December 18, 2013, Bitcointalk user GameKyuubi uttered the phrase “I AM HODLING” as part of a rant against the difficulty and even futility of trading cryptocurrency.
- The crypto market crashes that happened in 2018 and 2020 are perfect case studies that support the HODL investing strategy.
- The phrase makes more sense when used to refer to worthless coins or tokens – also called ‘shitcoins’ – that have little to no utility outside speculation.
Instead of buying low to sell high, i.e., timing the market, he would start HODLing onto his currency and not selling. “In a zero-sum game such as this, traders can only take your money if you sell,” he wrote. And if you’re a HODLer, capital gains aren’t the only way you can make money on cryptocurrency.
Premium Investing Services
Apex Clearing Corporation, our clearing firm, has additional insurance coverage in excess of the regular SIPC limits. The HODL strategy, also known as buy-and-hold, involves buying an asset and holding onto it, even if the market becomes unstable. HODLing is based on the idea that, historically speaking, the market will ultimately trend upward.
Similarly, you can hold a cryptocurrency for an indefinite length of time, through multiple price changes, because you believe that the coin will do well in the future. Based on these principles, the best time to HODL is now, always, and forever. A true believer would always hold on to their tokens, even if markets crash or become extremely volatile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Learn where the term came from and why it’s a useful approach for amateur traders. It’s essentially the opposite strategy from day traders trying to maximize their cryptocurrency profits on a short-term basis. JSI uses funds from your Treasury Account to purchase T-bills in increments of $100 “par value” (the T-bill’s value at maturity). The value of T-bills fluctuate and investors may receive more or less than their original investments if sold prior to maturity. T-bills are subject to price change and availability – yield is subject to change.
- HODL was later retrofitted to be an acronym (backronym) for “Hold On for Dear Life” and refers to not selling, even during strong market volatility and poor market performance.
- It is, however, more difficult to engage in market timing strategies in crypto where price volatility is high.
- It is worth noting that there could be some differences between a HODL strategy and the traditional buy-and-hold investing strategy.
- Cryptocurrency investors use the term to refer to buy-and-holding assets for a longer time horizon rather than making frequent trades.
- Likewise, when a stock or crypto price is at its highest, investors often feel excited and overconfident, prompting them to buy at the worst possible time.
These schemes are often orchestrated through apps like Slack or Telegram, he adds, and advises curious chatroom readers to beware of such gimmicks. An investigation into “pump and dump” schemes by Business Insider found the practice to be an “open secret among many cryptocurrency traders.” “A whale is someone who owns a lot of cryptocurrency,” Saddington says.
What Is HODLING?
Buy-and-hold investors tend to hold their assets for an extended period of time to profit from the long-term value appreciation. In contrast, traders are much more active in transactions and seek returns by buying at low prices and selling at high prices. This strategy relies on the theory that, although there may be short-term volatility in the market, stocks will provide a good return over the long term. However, as with crypto investments, it’s recommended to have a diversified portfolio and make well-informed decisions based on research or financial advice. However, whether it’s a good strategy or not depends largely on the individual’s risk tolerance, investment goals, and the specific cryptocurrencies they are investing in. Like all investment strategies, HODLing has its risks, including the potential for significant losses due to the market volatility of cryptocurrencies.
- Get stock recommendations, portfolio guidance, and more from The Motley Fool’s premium services.
- This Article does not offer the purchase or sale of any financial instruments or related services.
- Market and economic views are subject to change without notice and may be untimely when presented here.
It may strike you as a misspelling, and you will be right, but within the blockchain space, that spelling is correct. With all the attention, jargon that was once just used for inside jokes in early cryptocurrency chat rooms and on Reddit https://hexn.io/ threads has now become a part of the dialogue. The offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us. But this compensation does not influence the information we publish, or the reviews that you see on this site.
What Does It Mean to HODL?
It’s a tricky game and quite challenging for traders to time their transactions exactly right so as to maximize their profits each time. However, as a HODLer, all you need to do is hold on and ignore all market fluctuations. The content of this article (the “Article”) is provided for general informational purposes only.
FAQs about the HODL strategy
HODLing stocks can help investors avoid the instinct to pull out when the market is in decline. By holding stocks for the long term, investors can weather short-term market instability. The HODL strategy is about holding assets over the long term, which means that cryptocurrency investors don’t have to be concerned about timing the market.
What is Coinbase and how does it work?
When looking for what coins to invest in to HODL, traders and investors can first look at the specific cryptocurrency’s historical chart. Now that you’ve heard some of the arguments for and against the HODL strategy in cryptocurrency trading, you might be wondering whether it’s really worth it. After all, we know that cryptocurrency doesn’t have the same proven track record that the stock market has. The strategy of buying and holding an asset for a long period of time is hardly a new one, and its roots predate the invention of cryptocurrency. HODL is a term used in the cryptocurrency world to describe a buy-and-hold investing strategy. The investment information provided in this table is for informational and general educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment or financial advice.
Frequently asked questions about HODL
Public’s Recurring Investing feature can help you use this strategy by automating your crypto investments. Trading digital currency is risky and the price canfluctuate significantly. On the other hand, the buy-and-hold strategy is widely considered to be a sound investing approach.
The History of HODL
Most importantly, you can store your coins in your free multi-coin wallet that you receive when you sign up. Inspired by the misspelling of HODL, crypto communities also encourage each other to SPEDN (spend) or BUIDL (build). Much like the HODL meme, they’re intended to help grow the crypto space. While the term initially was a direct reference to ‘hold’, in true crypto style, the term was ‘hard forked’ and now carries several meanings. “I believe this is crucial for new investors because they are more likely to act emotionally or impulsively,” Porter says. But Bitcoin’s gains don’t come without years of “HODLing” through stomach-turning losses.
Other forum participants embraced the misspelling, and it soon became the subject of memes. The week the post was published, the price of Bitcoin dipped nearly 40%, as a result of actions taken by the Chinese central bank. On December 18, 2013, Bitcointalk user GameKyuubi uttered the phrase “I AM HODLING” as part of a rant against the difficulty and even futility of trading cryptocurrency.
It’s important to conduct thorough research and consider seeking financial advice before making any investment decision. Despite the uncertainty, HODLing can be a powerful investment technique for those with an optimistic view of the future of crypto. It takes the guesswork out of timing the crypto markets—so while HODLers may not buy at the absolute “best prices” for their coins, they have the advantage of a long-term time horizon. If the strategy works out in their favor, their assets should be worth more in a few years, regardless of the initial price they paid. Plus, HODLers can add to their positions during bear markets (when prices are falling) because they believe in the future success of the assets. The crypto slang term was originally a misspelling of the word “hold” in a 2013 forum post, but it evolved into an acronym for the phrase “Hold on for dear life,” referring to a buy-and-hold crypto investment strategy.
Even Bitcoin, now a relatively stable cryptocurrency, still registers 10-20% moves in some days. To understand and be part of conversations within crypto enthusiast circles, you need to know the community’s lingo. In this guide, we will explain what is ‘HODL,’ which is one of the most prominent terms used by cryptocurrency investors. Also, you’ll get to discover ten other common phrases to use in blockchain forums and chat groups.
How to Invest $10k in Canada 3 Strategies
For those who invest in cryptocurrency, HODL has become a banner proclaiming their long-term allegiance to digital currency. These terms stand in contrast to “paper hands,” those who are willing to sell when volatility ratchets higher. The best time to HODL a cryptocurrency is often subjective and depends on various factors, including market conditions, particular cryptocurrencies, and individual financial goals.