Author:
Filb Filb is arguably one of the most reputable Bitcoin traders in the field. His attention to detail is obvious, and he’s known for his precision and accuracy when charting cryptocurrencies for his audience.
He’s got a following of almost 50,000 people on Twitter, while his Telegram trading journal has more than 14,000 users in it. CryptoPotato got the chance to poke his brain in an exclusive interview.
From 14 Years In Finance To Bitcoin
One thing that stands out when reading Filb’s analysis is the attention he pays to details. And that’s not all entirely coming from his crypto experience. Before Bitcoin, Filb had a 14-year career in finance, which primarily consisted of long-term financial modeling, forecasting, and risk management.
Presently, though, he’s a full-time cryptocurrency trader, and he’s currently trading his own funds. However, he has experience as a prop trader in the space for a couple of clients.
Bitcoin first grabbed Filb’s attention back in 2013. In his own words, what impressed him back then was:
“… watching the epic ascent up to $1,000. Also, looking at hard assets having decided that the legacy systems left something to be desired. After patiently waiting to enter the market, I joined the scene in 2016 after the halving. So, ultimately, about where we are now in the previous cycle.”
Bitcoin vs. Altcoins vs. Legacy Markets
For anyone who’s been following Filb for a long enough time, it’s obvious that a lot of his attention skews towards Bitcoin.
There are two primary reasons for that, according to him.
“Bitcoin is the largest cap and clear market leader which dictates the overall market direction. Secondly, I can find an edge in the Bitcoin market due to the level of attention to detail I give Bitcoin analysis.”
Occasionally, however, he’s also caught sharing some altcoin TAs. He admits that he trades altcoins, but he doesn’t generally share these technical analysis setups with his audience other than within the Decentrader environment – a project that we will talk about later.
He also added that altcoins are “generally a bit like Bitcoin’s crazy best friend, and I treat them as such – there are lots of both risk and opportunities there.”
Given his extensive experience in the world of traditional finance, we asked him whether or not he can draw similarities and differences between both markets.
“Traditional markets typically don’t offer the same sort of volatility which we see in the crypto markets and they also have the added complexity having far more advanced traders running the markets.
It is much more difficult to find an edge in a market being watched by the whole world than it is by trading crypto.” – He shared.
DeFi: Gambler’s Place, Projects Will Keep Losing Their Value
We asked Filb if he’s long-term bullish on some specific altcoin projects and whether he can pick a few that would stay with us for the next two or three years.
He’s rather indifferent towards altcoins and doesn’t really hold them as an investment. However, he has a “long-term position in Ethereum, which I plan to ride through this cycle.” Filb also said that he plans to pick up some DeFi projects, and Uniswap’s governance token UNI and Yearn Finance are the ones he’s looking at, though he’s not in a hurry.
Speaking of DeFi, the hottest trend on the block:
Currently, it’s a bit like a game of musical chairs; the music keeps playing until it stops and projects keep losing all their value. Any new asset comes with an associated higher level of risk but there are likely to be a few winners left at the end.
It’s a gambler’s market at the moment. We may see a 2017-ICO-like boom but it’s too early in the cycle; we probably need to let the market settle and wash out the rubbish and when retail really join the crypto party, we should see the DEFI space change gears (assuming it continues momentum).
Bitcoin To $14,000 Till 2021?
We couldn’t have finished the interview without asking him about his thoughts on Bitcoin’s future and his plans.
In terms of short-term BTC developments, he believes that “Bitcoin is going to be ruled by the traditional markets: we have the US election and more risk coming on the COVID side of things, so, ultimately, I think we are bound to those markets – in particular Gold and Silver.”
Yet, there’s a silver lining, and hard assets are expected to do well. “Bitcoin is certainly being held in the regard in which we would wish in this environment,” Filb concludes.
In regards to his personal BTC price prediction – “Q4 of 2020 might have an upside target of $14,000 depending on how things pan out. This is 2020, so it’s a bit more difficult than in the past.” In terms of a downside target, he’s looking at $8,800.
“Unfortunately, I cannot expand on that as I say, this is 2020 – anything is possible!”
As to his own plans, he says he’ll keep on growing the Decentrader business. Decentrader is a platform that he started in collaboration with another popular crypto trader, Philip Swift, and it’s aimed at helping other traders navigate the tricky waters of cryptocurrency investing.
It offers community support, indicators, educational materials, insights into managing live trading positions, and so forth.
“Investors typically desire to quickly become traders in this space due to the volatility, so I aim to help people navigate this stuff by drilling in solid risk management techniques to help maximize capital preservation and to avoid large portfolio swings.”
Once this is settled, he intends to focus on automated products and “potentially launching a regulated Bitcoin fund which we have ready to deploy.”
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