Now that I’m down to just one “sick” bot, my Octane bot, I’m not sure how often I’ll be posting updates in the near future. Frankly, staring at a 30+% drawdown isn’t how I like to spend my time. Sure, I could cut my losses now, but there’s still a little gambler in me whispering, “Let it ride.”

Do I give the bot a chance to claw its way back to safety before it hits the dreaded 45% “pumpkin stage”? Or do I step in now, take the extra 10% hit, and move on? Decisions, decisions.

The Waiting Game

For now, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the Octane bot works through recovery. The recent months have seen some growth, but with trades still lingering from over six months ago, I won’t call it “healthy” until it passes a full physical—single-digit drawdown, at least.

Six closed trades in a day isn’t exactly newsworthy, and I’m not about to celebrate a tiny dip in drawdown. Until the account feels solid again, I’m holding off on popping any champagne.

If the bot doesn’t recover and we hit the 45% drawdown threshold, I’ll be reevaluating everything. Maybe I’ll take my accountant’s advice and leave the bot world behind altogether.

EFX’s Road to Recovery: What the Bot’s Doing

Here’s what EFX has outlined as the steps for bot recovery—because, while I’m hoping Octane gets its act together, I’m not running on blind faith.

Key Points from EFX

• Communication:
  Due to the influx of messages about current market conditions, updates are being shared through announcements to ensure timely and consistent information. Their team promises to keep users informed about functionality, software behavior, and manual intervention steps.
• Risk Management:
  The bot is designed with pre-programmed risk management systems. These include:
  • Closing trades, both in profit and loss, to reduce exposure.
    • Example: A trade closed with a 5% loss reduces overall exposure by that 5%.
  • Hedging trades to mitigate runaway losses, rebalance buy/sell volume, and stabilize drawdown.

Phased Recovery Logic

The bot follows a three-phase strategy to stabilize and recover during high-volatility periods:

Phase 1: Cut & Reduce

• Closes some positions at a loss or break-even.
• Goal: Lower exposure to volatile pairs and prevent cascading losses.

Phase 2: Hedge & Balance

• Opens balancing trades to offset open exposure.
• Goal: Slow the rate of drawdown growth by balancing buy/sell volumes.

Phase 3: Recovery Over Time

• Seeks opportunities to trade out of drawdown and return to normal risk levels.
• Note: Recovery in this phase depends on market conditions and could take days, weeks, or even months.

Equity Protectors and User Control

• The bot has Equity Protectors programmed to step in at a 45% drawdown, automatically closing all trades to preserve remaining funds.
• Users can, however, manually intervene at any time to cut losses earlier if they choose.

Final Thoughts: Hope with a Dash of Caution

For now, I’m letting the bot do its thing, trusting in its phased recovery logic. But let’s be honest: if Octane can’t recover and I’m left staring at a 45% drawdown, that might be the end of my bot journey.

Until then, I’ll keep an eye on my account, cross my fingers for a crypto comeback, and see if the University of Options program gets rolling. If anything exciting happens, I’ll post. If not, well… you’ll know the bot didn’t pass its physical.