When the market turns down, most people panic and sell. But a bear market strategy, a planned approach to investing during prolonged price declines. Also known as defensive investing, it’s not about guessing when the bottom will hit—it’s about staying in control while others lose their nerve. This isn’t theory. It’s what separates people who lose everything from those who buy the dip and win long-term.
A good bear market strategy doesn’t rely on luck. It uses tools like non-custodial crypto wallets, wallets where you hold your own keys, not an exchange. Why? Because when exchanges like Let'sBit shut down or platforms like NeptuneX vanish with zero trading volume, your coins are safe only if you control them. It also means avoiding fake airdrops—like CHIHUA or MoMo KEY—that promise free tokens but steal your crypto instead. These scams spike in bear markets because desperate people chase quick wins. Real strategy? Skip the hype. Focus on what’s real: regulation updates like the U.S. GENIUS Act or Vietnam’s Directive 05/CT-TTg, which change how you hold and report assets. And don’t ignore tax rules. Spot trading is taxed differently for crypto versus forex, and the IRS is watching. Form 1099-DA isn’t optional anymore.
Some strategies work across both crypto and stocks. For example, real world asset tokenization—turning gold, real estate, or art into digital tokens—isn’t flashy, but it’s one of the few areas with actual demand during downturns. You’re not betting on a memecoin like POCAT or M3M3 with zero volume. You’re backing something with physical value. And if you live in a restricted country like Cambodia or Pakistan, where banks block crypto, your bear market strategy must include self-custody and legal pathways like citizenship by investment in Puerto Rico or Malta to reduce your tax burden. These aren’t get-rich-quick tricks. They’re survival moves.
What you’ll find below isn’t a list of predictions. It’s a collection of real cases: exchanges that died, airdrops that were scams, regulations that changed everything, and tools that actually protected people. No fluff. No guesses. Just what worked—and what got people burned—when the market turned ugly.
Learn how to HODL crypto during bear markets with a practical, data-backed approach. Avoid panic selling, use dollar-cost averaging, and hold only proven assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum for long-term gains.
