# Crypto trading style planner

Use this worksheet to compare research processes before selecting a strategy question. It does not score you, choose a style, or recommend trading. The holding windows below are working descriptions; people and venues use these labels differently.

## 1. Describe the constraints you can verify

- Time available to observe and review, with timezone:
- Longest practical gap between checks:
- Data source, resolution, history and gaps you can verify:
- Instrument under study: spot / named perpetual contract / other:
- Venue rules you have checked: order types, fee tier, funding and margin:
- Maximum planned paper exposure and the rule used to set it:
- Events or conditions that require standing aside:
- Review schedule and a reason to stop the study:

## 2. Compare four research horizons

| Style label | Example question | Evidence needed before the test | Common mismatch to check |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Scalping | Does a defined small move remain after the stated execution costs? | Data fine enough for the decision, quote/depth assumptions, order timing and both-side costs | Using hourly bars to claim a seconds-level fill or queue position |
| Day trading | Does one fixed rule survive the declared intraday window and close condition? | Intraday timestamps, timezone/session definition, entry/exit costs and overnight handling | Leaving a 24/7 market session boundary undefined |
| Swing trading | Does a rule-defined move persist across the stated number of sessions? | Full holding-period prices, exit rules, gap exposure, and funding if the instrument charges it | Ending the sample before the planned maximum hold or settlement events |
| Position trading | Can a longer thesis be invalidated and reviewed using observable conditions? | Longer history, exposure limits, review dates, instrument terms and carrying costs | Treating a broad narrative as an exit rule or ignoring changed assumptions |

These are questions about process requirements, not claims that one horizon is safer or more profitable. A style name alone does not specify turnover, leverage, edge, expected return or suitability.

## 3. Mark the evidence fit

For each candidate style, mark every line **available**, **partial**, or **unknown**. Do not count “unknown” as zero cost or assume a missing feed is reliable.

- [ ] The data interval can represent when the rule becomes knowable.
- [ ] The price source, timezone and missing observations are documented.
- [ ] Entry, exit, invalidation and maximum holding time are observable.
- [ ] Spread, fees, slippage and applicable funding are explicit assumptions.
- [ ] The fill model handles limit touches, stops, partial fills and gaps honestly.
- [ ] The position size and total exposure fit the written paper-study limit.
- [ ] I can preserve no-trade, rejected, missed and unsuccessful cases.
- [ ] I have a later period or forward observation plan that is not repeatedly reused for tuning.

## 4. Choose one question to study

Candidate label (for comparison only):

Instrument, venue and data source:

Decision interval and maximum holding time:

One falsifiable question:

What result or operational gap would make me reject the setup?

What remains unknown, and how will I obtain or bound that evidence?

Next review date:

## 5. Record the decision

Keep this planner with the test version, source coverage and reasons for choosing or rejecting each candidate. Compare the written process before interpreting simulated results. A backtest or paper record cannot establish future performance or prove that a live order would fill. For product-specific limits, read [SuperQuant research methodology](https://quant.stonkbuilder.com/research-methodology). For more detail, see the [crypto trading styles guide](https://quant.stonkbuilder.com/learn/crypto-trading-styles), [scalping costs](https://quant.stonkbuilder.com/learn/crypto-scalping-costs), [day trading](https://quant.stonkbuilder.com/learn/crypto-day-trading), [swing trading](https://quant.stonkbuilder.com/learn/crypto-swing-trading) and [position trading](https://quant.stonkbuilder.com/learn/crypto-position-trading).