The speech will not be about big deals, but about how money slips between fingers — through swaps, slippage, and false savings.
Hello. If your portfolio sometimes decreases, even when the market is standing still — this article is for you. After the incident of losing $5000, I became cautious: I set stop-losses, controlled my emotions. But the account still slowly dwindled. As if there was a hole in the wallet.
It turned out to be true. And the name of this hole is "Hidden Losses".
Part 1: The moment I noticed something strange
I was trading in a sideways market. The entries were precise, the psychology — under control. But in a week, the deposit went down by 2%, even though the chart was flat. I started digging. And here's what I found in the transaction history:
Swap for carrying a futures position: -$12 per day (I held the trade for 10 days = $120).
Slippage on the maker: I seemed to place a limit order, but due to volatility, it executed worse than the price by 0.3% ($15 per trade).
Conversion between networks: withdrawal in the "wrong" network — a loss of $50 on the return.
"Savings" on fees: I chose networks with low gas, but lost on the exchange rate.
Result: $3000 over six months of quiet, almost invisible losses. Not due to analysis errors, but due to inattention to details.
Conclusion #1: You can perfectly predict the trend, but lose on operational costs. Trading is not just about "buying/selling", it’s about the logistics of money.
Part 2: 3 "Silent Killers" of your deposit (and how to neutralize them)
I systematized the problem. Here are the main holes through which money flows out:
1. Slippage
What it is: The difference between the expected execution price of an order and the actual one. Especially sensitive in margin trading and in alts with low liquidity.
My solution:🤔
I stopped trading in the first 15 minutes after major news (volatility increases slippage).
For large volumes ($1000+) I split the order into 3-4 parts.
I only use limit orders, except in extreme cases.
2. Swaps — the cost of time
What it is: The fee for carrying a position on futures or margin trading. In a long position on BTC, it can cost $10-50 per day.
My solution:🤔
I reconsidered my approach to swing trading. Now I clearly calculate: if the profit target is 5%, and the swap eats 2% in a week — the trade loses its meaning.
I actively use the "Calculate" function in the Binance Futures interface before opening a position.
3. The cost of "free"
What it is: Many DeFi pools and cross-chain bridges "don’t charge a fee", but offer an unfavorable exchange rate. The same goes for "zero fee" on some CEX — it is compensated by the spread.
My solution:🤔
Before exchanging, I always compare the final amount received on 2-3 different platforms.
I set up a Google Sheets table with profitable routes for frequent operations (for example, $USDT → $ETH which gateway is cheaper).
Part 3: My "boring" accounting system that returned $1000+ in a month
Now I spend 10 minutes a day monitoring "financial hygiene":
Morning checklist:📈
I check swaps on open positions.
I look at the news calendar — if there’s a major event today, I increase slippage limits or don’t trade.
Journal of hidden losses:📊
At the end of the day, I record ALL fees, swaps, exchange rate differences.
Once a week, I analyze where the biggest "leaks" were.
"Rule 1%": 🤔
If hidden losses for the week exceed 1% of the deposit — I declare a "technical break" and review all settings.
Yes, it's not as sexy 😀 as analyzing charts. But thanks to this, my deposit stopped melting "by itself".
Conclusion: An invitation to audit
Trading is a business. And in any business, there are operational costs. If not managed, they will eat into profits.
I suggest you conduct a quick audit right now:
Open the trading history for the last week.
Add up ALL fees, swaps, losses on conversions.
Divide by the size of the deposit.
Surprised? Welcome to the world of conscious trading.
And now a question that will catch everyone's attention:
What do you think, which "hidden loss" hits the pocket the hardest: swaps, slippage, or transfer fees? Maybe you have your own version? Looking forward to your comments — let's build a ranking of the most insidious holes!
If this text resonates again — likes and reposts will help other traders stop feeding the exchange with "invisible" fees. Sometimes saving a deposit starts with boring tables, not with brilliant ideas.
#трейдингсекреты #скрытыекомиссии #управлениекапиталом #ЛичныйОпыт #Binance
