HODL

While there is incredible volatility in crypto, investors have earned the best returns of any asset class in the world simply by hodling their coins, as you can see in these bitcoin success stories. Since the original HODL forum was posted in December 2013, Bitcoin prices are up about 2,500%. Even investors who bought on the first day of 2018 and employed a HODL strategy are still up more than 17% on their investment. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology are still relatively untested, and they may not pan out as the revolutionary innovation their supporters envision. There are also times when it may be prudent to sell, such as cashing out some gains when you’ve met your goals.

• Hodling sounds a lot like the long-term buy-and-hold strategy The Motley Fool employs in the stock market.
• Based on these principles, the best time to HODL is now, always, and forever.
• 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.

That’s good news because it’s not easy to do this, even under the best circumstances. Timing the market requires expertise and a talent for predicting shifts in the market that most regular traders don’t possess. HODL is a misspelling of “hold” and an acronym for “hold on for dear life.” It refers to an investing strategy where you buy crypto with the goal of holding onto it for the long haul, regardless of market conditions. Crypto markets are highly volatile, which means that investors often find themselves second-guessing their decisions. In the short term, if you’re advised to hold, it suggests just hanging tight as all is probably good, so there’s no reason to sell up but it’s also not worth buying loads more just in case things go tits up. If you see the value dipping or surging before your eyes, it can be easy to think that you need to buy more or sell the fucking lot, but you can just breathe…and hold…and hope it all steadies out in your favour.

The Development of Crypto Regulation: Brief Introduction

However, the difference between long-term value investing and long-term HODLing is the difficulty in accurately valuing cryptocurrencies. Ben Gagnon, chief mining officer for Bitfarms (BITF), says HODL is more of a mentality than an investing strategy. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research.

• Therefore, many investors view any time as a good time to HODL as long as it aligns with their personal investment strategies and risk tolerance.
• They must have sufficient capital capacity to avoid forced sales or meet unexpected liquidity needs.
• There are HODL memes, HODL forums, and even HODL T-shirts, but the term is more than a punchline.
• It’s also commonly come to stand for “hold on for dear life” among crypto investors.

It’s been an interesting journey, one that’s taught me a lot about the value of patience in investing. As a firm believer in the HODL strategy, I apply it to my own investments. Because it’s a relatively new and rapidly growing market, prices are constantly shifting. To protect your investments, it’s essential to know the ins and outs of your strategy of choice before making a purchase. Overall, HODL best suits investors with a multi-year vision for their preferred crypto projects.

How to Invest $10k in Canada 3 Strategies

It is a rallying cry by the blockchain community encouraging the weak hands to hold on to their positions whenever the price rises to stratospheric heights or starts plummeting down to earth. Lamborghini supercars have, for a long time, been used as status symbols by wealthy crypto investors, especially those that can attribute a bulk of their wealth to blockchain-related activities. For instance, if the asset is in the middle of a bear market, there will be fewer buyers than there are sellers. For big investors, a falling market might not offer the right conditions to sell. They have to wait for buyers to come in to absorb their large orders.

• 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.
• 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.
• We’re also a community of traders that support each other on our daily trading journey.

When a stock or crypto’s price is at its lowest point, investors typically experience fear, anger and panic that can lead them to sell at the worst possible time. 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. GameKyuubi explained in the post that he planned to “hold” his Bitcoin (BTC) investments because he knew he was a bad trader. You don’t have to be a cryptocurrency disciple to learn something from the HODLers. If you believe in the value of your investments, you might be less likely to panic in the face of market turmoil. HODL may also refer to a DeFI token on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC).

You’re our first priority.Every time.

Because HODLing requires a long-term commitment, many investors use cold storage devices, such as hardware wallets, for security. Cold wallets keep a user’s private keys offline so their assets are not easily hacked or stolen. Even high-quality hot wallets are generally more vulnerable to hacks than cold wallets.

• After a few whiskeys, they misspelled “I AM HOLDING” and wrote “I AM HODLING” instead.
• An investigation into “pump and dump” schemes by Business Insider found the practice to be an “open secret among many cryptocurrency traders.”
• Although buy-and-hold may be an effective approach when it comes to investing in stocks, we still don’t know if it works for digital assets.
• The original crypto plunged to $4,000 before ending the year around $29,000.

Under the post-COVID low-interest context with inflation expectation, investors also hold cryptocurrencies for value reserve. The term ‘HODL’ originated from a post in a Bitcoin forum, where the user accidentally typed ‘hodl’ instead of ‘hold’ during a discussion about trading strategies. The user referred to themselves as an ‘illusioned noob’ who was poor at trading, thus choosing to ‘hodl’ during a period of high price volatility. Yes, the principle of HODLing can also be applied to the stock market. It’s similar to the buy-and-hold strategies used by many stock market investors. The idea is to purchase stocks and hold onto them for a long period, regardless of market fluctuations.

What Is HODLING?

However, while “HODLing” might be a good strategy, it doesn’t tell you what to own. Buying and holding a poor investment can lead to years of bad returns, if not a total loss on the investment. The term almost immediately became a meme via social media, and the misspelling continues to live on in internet message forums such as the infamous Wall Street Bets board on Reddit. Here’s the origin of HODL and why it can be a valuable investing strategy. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service.

• The crypto market crashes that happened in 2018 and 2020 are perfect case studies that support the HODL investing strategy.
• 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.
• In contrast, other investors choose to time the market, which leads them to make short-term decisions or trades.
• 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.

HODLing is often seen as a simple and effective strategy, especially for those who prefer to avoid the stress of daily trading. It’s based on the belief that over time, the value of cryptocurrencies will increase despite short-term price swings, a view held by many crypto traders. The term HODL was born from a post titled ‘I AM HODLING,’ made by a member named GameKyuubi, on the famous Bitcoin forum Bitcointalk in December 2013.

Is HODLing a Good Investment Strategy?

We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories, except where prohibited by law for our mortgage, home equity and other home lending products. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers.

What does HODL mean in crypto?

Its articles, interactive tools and other content are provided to you for free, as self-help tools and for informational purposes only. NerdWallet does not and cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information in regard to your individual circumstances. Examples are hypothetical, and we encourage you to seek personalized advice from qualified professionals regarding specific investment issues. Our estimates are based on past market performance, and past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. HODL means holding on to an investment position no matter how volatile the price action gets.

Want more content? Check out these articles!

Crypto forums may preach the benefits of HODLing, but there isn’t definitive proof that it works for crypto investments in the same way it has traditionally worked for the stock market. Crypto investors quickly retrofit HODL as an acronym for “hold on for dear life,” an encouragement to other crypto investors not to sell when prices fall. The term originated from a 2013 online post to the Bitcointalk forum where the typo appeared. The price of Bitcoin in 2013 was volatile at the time, surging to over $950 at the beginning of December, 2013, up from just over $130 in April of the same year. The poster encouraged people not to sell and that they were “hodling” [sic]. HODLing is a sound investment strategy that has been successfully applied even within the traditional markets; however, its efficacy depends on the investor’s goals.

Tips for Becoming a Successful HODLer

But investors who were spooked into selling their BTC in past downturns have lived to regret those decisions. Crypto pump and dump is an investment scheme in which instigators buy large positions in low-cap (market capitalization) coins or tokens before shilling these assets to other investors. The intention is to create an artificial price increase leading to a substantial profit.

What is the difference between HODL and a buy-and-hold strategy?

It can be difficult for even professional traders to time short-term trades. And there are psychological biases that negatively impact investors’ decision-making. The meme also acknowledges novice crypto investors that they are not skilled enough to profit from short-term trades amid the notoriously volatile crypto market. But in general, the idea of investing for long-term, rather than short-term, gains is not a new one. I’LL TELL YOU WHY,” their message read (this time spelling “hold” correctly).

Pros and cons of hodl

The HODL token operates using the Binance Smart Chain, and HODL token owners can earn Binance Coin rewards. At the same time, Bitcoiners use HODL as a form of encouragement during crypto winters, literally reminding each other to HODL onto their bags. There are several more words that we did not cover in this guide but we are sure you will run into as you interact with other community members. Be observant, keen, and keep an open mind when interacting with other enthusiasts in chat forums and on social media.

The history of HODL

The utility of HODLing, like any investment strategy, has its limits. Even a long-term cryptocurrency investor would be well-served to articulate clear goals and to monitor the emerging space for systemic risks. The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer hexn.io advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments. There is no difference between HODLing a cryptocurrency and a buy-and-hold strategy. You can HODL a stock through its volatility because you believe in the company’s future success.

The HODL approach has been rewarding for long-term investors in Bitcoin, Ethereum (ETH) and other leading cryptocurrencies, as it’s helped them navigate extreme fluctuations in the crypto market. In no time, the term HODL spread like wildfire throughout the crypto world. Today, it refers to investors who refuse to sell their crypto regardless of how high or low prices trade. If you invested $1,000 in Bitcoin on the day of the original HODL post, it would be worth much more today. But there are countless people who have lost money trading Bitcoin in the meantime, buying it when it was high and bailing out after a disappointing fall.

HODL helps connect people in the Web3 ecosystem and encourages the crypto community to focus on the positive aspects of blockchain technology. The HODL memes bring levity to stressful situations, and the phrase inspires fellow investors to stay strong when markets decline. All in all, the shared struggles and triumphs of HODLing create a sense of camaraderie among crypto traders. When the markets are unstable, HODLing can be a strategy to consider.