Episode 93: Crypto 2026 Outlook – Why HODL Might Not Work Again

The New Year kicks off and Imran goes solo with guest Amar Patel (ex-Lehman/Nomura equity derivatives trader turned independent crypto trader based in Dubai).

Amar shares his journey – from buying the 2017 top, reading The Bitcoin Standard in 2019, to piling into BTC at the March 2020 COVID crash lows (~$3.5K average) and never adding more fiat since. Discussion covers the shift from TradFi mean-reversion habits to embracing crypto’s momentum/trend-following nature, using leverage safely (tight stops, ATR-based sizing), and why pure HODL struggles in volatile regimes. Amar highlights catalyst-driven trades (ETH ETF speculation, BitMine buys) and the power of preparation + technical tools (Fibonacci, SuperTrend) over chasing every move.

The following topics is covered:

00:00 – Introduction 00:47 – Todays Special Guest: Amar Patel 02:47 – Moving to Dubai: Real Estate & Opportunities 06:56 – First Steps Into Crypto & 2017–2018 Cycle 11:37 – Re-Entering Crypto in 2020 15:40 – From Spot to Derivatives: Discovering Perpetual Futures 20:45 – Technical Indicators & Mechanics on Crypto 26:59 – Trading Explained 30:04 – Insights into Amar’s Trading Strategy 35:31 – Institutional Views on Technical Analysis 39:35 – Human Psychology in Trading 44:21 – Risk Management in Crypto & Opportunities 48:11 – Speculation, Narrative Momentum on Meme Tokens 51:48 – The Powerful Combination of Memes & AI 56:34 – Meme tokens on The Base Network by Coinbase 59:01 – Identifying Interesting Crypto Tokens 01:03:03 – Crypto a Get Rich Quick Scheme? 01:05:25 – Adapting Investing & Trading Style to Faster Markets 01:13:43 – Long-Term Outlook: Crypto Into 2026 01:21:09 – Closing Thoughts

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Disclaimer: The content presented on Crypto Options Unplugged is not intended as investment advice. Always conduct your own research.