HODL

Hodl, or hold on for dear life is an expression relating to the cryptocurrency community that advocates holding an asset rather than selling it.

In theory, this term can apply to any asset, and implies refusing to sell or offload any asset regardless of temptation, fundamentals, or performance.

Hodling dates back to 2013 with its roots in the crypto community, namely Bitcoin, which surmises an ever-growing trajectory of the crypto coin.

At the time, Bitcoin had fallen nearly 39% with news breaking of regulation in China. Rather than offloading Bitcoin, investors instead opted to hold onto their assets despite negative selling pressure.

In recent years, few if any markets have been more volatile than cryptocurrencies. Still, certain coins such as Bitcoin have weathered the storm and seen surging prices even after cataclysmic declines.

2020 is a prime example of this, which saw Bitcoin plunge to multi-year lows, only to rally and threaten $20,000 at the time of writing.

Should You Be Hodling?

Hodling itself is not a viable strategy, but merely a state of mind. Investors are not encouraged to trade with this in mind, despite many being rewarded over the years for retaining crypto assets.

Investors are better off relying on fundamentals, sentiment, or other indicators when making decisions, especially with such volatile assets as cryptocurrencies.

A good foil is the US stock market, namely the S&P 500 index. In theory, this index has increased over time regardless of how many collapses or declines it faces.

Hodling should be approached with caution, having resulted in many crippling losses for owners of altcoins.