From Riches to Regret: $PEPE Trader Holds Too Long, Loses Half a Million in Profits

A trader heavily committed to the meme coin $PEPE is currently living regret in the cryptocurrency trading world, with fortunes reversed in sudden market swings, a new report by Lookonchain has revealed. 

This anonymous trader, operating under the address “0xBf”, now found themselves at a crossroads that would lead to an explosive market move. The incident highlights the risk/reward ratio of the digital asset trading space.

From Acquisition to Capitulation

The trader actually bought no less than 114.7 billion units of $PEPE on 14 and 15 May, at a unit price of $0.000011, which summed up to a $1.27 million investment. Initially, the move took off like wildfire: the $PEPE rocketed to $0.000017 by the end of May 27, making the notional value of the investment almost $1.94 million, or a possible $670k upside. But the trader instead held on with visions of even larger profits.

The tide of the crypto market started turning, and soon the price of $PEPE went down. As the price started to fall, falling below the initial purchase price, the opportunity that could potentially have been just a couple of days prior was quickly beginning to transform into a financial disaster. 

This precipitous fall ultimately forced the trader to close their position at a break-even price, selling all 114.7 billion $PEPE for 366.5 Ethereum worth an estimated half million dollars at the time of the transaction.

This $PEPE trader capitulated and sold all 114.7B $PEPE for 366.5 $ETH($1.27M) at a breakeven price.

He bought 114.7B $PEPE($1.27M) at $0.000011 on May 14 and May 15.

The price of $PEPE broke through $0.000017 on May 27, at which time his profit was $670K(+50%), but he did not… pic.twitter.com/aPxuftE1yI

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) June 15, 2024

This $PEPE trader exposes a (rather extreme) example of the heavy psychological and monetary strains trading highly-volatile assets exert. Although he would have been positioned to realize some decent gains, this brings to light a predicament that many traders – both winning and losing alike – face: when to close out at breakeven instead of at the top of the market’s valuation.

Analyzing Risk and Market Sentiments

Though a break-even exit intended to protect the initial capital can potentially allow the account to live to trade another day, this may not always factor in the opportunity cost of actual realized profits or witnessing substantial potential gains fade away. 

This is only further complicated by the meme coin’s manner of existence, where market capitalizations are oftentimes driven by community culture/influence and X (formerly twitter) algorithms then grounded in true intrinsic value, which makes market timing even precariously difficult to manage.

Nowadays, you cannot talk about cryptocurrencies without mentioning the insane levels of volatility that is seen in the markets and the subsequent emotional trades. For traders, “0xBf” as a story is as important as any, as a lesson of how risk management and the definition of profit (or breakeven) or loss points are key and irrevocable.