Crypto crash: what to do (and not to do)

Crash playbook: avoid panic selling, rebalance into BTC, ETH and quality names, buy dips with a plan, harden security, and treat this drawdown as paid education.

When crypto markets crash, most portfolios don’t just dip — they implode. Prices gap lower, liquidity vanishes, and timelines fill with regret and forced liquidations. Instead of joining the stampede for the exit, this is the moment to slow down and rebuild your approach from first principles.

Don’t follow the herd

Start with the basic question: what actually changed? Projects still shipping code, growing users, and holding cash runways did not suddenly evaporate because price candles turned red. Separate structural damage — protocol failures, fraud, regulatory kill shots — from simple repricing in a risk‑off tape. That distinction decides whether you’re holding a write‑off or a temporarily mispriced asset.

Recalibrate risk

Next, rebuild your risk stack around assets you can justify owning through a full cycle, not just during hype phases. For many, that means anchoring around Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), then adding only a handful of high‑conviction names instead of dozens of thin, illiquid bets. Position sizes should be small enough that another 50% drawdown hurts your ego, not your solvency.

“Buying the dip” only works if you have a plan and dry powder. Decide in advance how much you’re willing to allocate, at which levels, and over what time frame. Dollar‑cost averaging into quality assets beats guessing the exact bottom, especially when funding rates reset and forced sellers are still being washed out. If you’re averaging down into coins you’d never buy fresh today, you’re not investing — you’re refusing to admit a mistake.

Crashes also expose weak links in infrastructure. Platforms blow up, withdrawals stall, and hacks spike as attackers exploit chaos. Treat every major drawdown as a security audit: move long‑term holdings to hardware wallets, rotate off shady venues, and keep only trading balances on exchanges. Counterparty risk is part of market risk; you manage both or you manage neither.

Finally, use the pain. Instead of doom‑scrolling liquidations, study what actually drove the move: macro shifts, liquidity drains, derivatives positioning, and on‑chain flows. Track how Bitcoin, Ethereum, and leading altcoins behave around key levels and funding resets so the next crash feels familiar, not existential. Every cycle gives you the choice: pay tuition in losses and panic, or treat the drawdown as paid education and come back with a sharper playbook.