## How to Spot and Avoid Crypto Market Manipulations
The crypto market has faced multiple setbacks, such as:
- 2014: Mt. Gox collapse
- 2022: Luna and FTX collapse
- 2024: Germany, Mt. Gox, and more
Despite these, true bull runs often follow such manipulations.
Here's how market makers manipulate the market and how you can avoid falling for their tactics:
### Common Whale Manipulation Patterns:
1. **Accumulation**
2. **Pump**
3. **ReAccumulation**
4. **Pump**
5. **Distribution**
6. **Dump**
7. **ReDistribution**
8. **Dump**
### 9 Main Whale Manipulations:
1. **Spoofing the Market**
- Fake orders manipulate emotions.
- Large buy walls create bullish sentiment but disappear quickly.
- Massive sell orders scare traders into selling.
2. **Two-Sided Market**
- Large orders on both sides drive prices up or down.
- Creates rallies or downturns, confusing retail traders.
3. **Wash Trading**
- Fake volume and momentum mislead traders.
- Check true liquidity via bid/ask spread and order book activity.
4. **Closing the Jaws**
- Strategic orders at closing prices sway the market.
- Descending buy walls and ascending sell orders trap traders.
5. **Stop Runs and Flushes**
- Pushing prices beyond key levels triggers stop orders.
- Prices then reverse, trapping traders.
6. **Painting the Charts**
- Forming patterns at key levels misleads traders.
- Creates deceptive levels that trap chart-dependent traders.
7. **Range**
- Moving prices to force exits at a loss.
- Consolidation usually ends after 4-5 touches before breaking top or bottom lines.
8. **Fair Value Gap (FVG)**
- Aggressive buying/selling creates significant gaps.
- Prices drop post-surge, benefiting major players.
9. **Stop Loss Hunting**
- Targeting stop-loss groups at key levels.
- Activating stops causes swift price changes.