The basic definition and history of quantitative trading

Quantitative trading originated in traditional financial markets, with its prototype traceable to Wall Street in the 1970s. With the improvement of computing power and data processing methods, quantitative trading has gradually become the mainstream strategy for hedge funds and large investment banks.

Today, with the help of cloud computing and open-source tools, ordinary investors can also engage in quantitative trading, especially in emerging markets such as cryptocurrency.

Advantages and Applicable Scenarios of Quantitative Trading

Compared to manual trading, quantitative trading has the following significant advantages:

• High efficiency: The algorithm can execute instructions at the millisecond level;
• Copyable: Strategies can be repeatedly executed in different markets;
• De-emotionalize: Avoid letting greed and panic influence decisions;
• Massive processing: Can monitor hundreds of trading pairs simultaneously;

In highly volatile and liquid markets, such as crypto, quantitative strategies are particularly effective.

The trend of quantitative trading in digital assets

In the cryptocurrency market, quantitative trading is rapidly developing, covering the following directions:

• High-Frequency Trading (HFT): Seizing extremely short-term micro-profit opportunities;
• Market Making: Placing orders to provide liquidity and earn spread profits;
• Grid strategy: Buy and sell in batches within a certain price range, suitable for volatile markets.
• Algorithmic trading platform: Gate’s “Strategy Square” supports one-click deployment and community strategy sharing.

In addition, new quantitative strategies have emerged in DeFi protocols, such as flash loan arbitrage and on-chain oracle arbitrage.

How should beginners start quantitative trading?

It is recommended to start step by step as follows:

1. Learn the basics: Master core skills such as Python programming and financial mathematics.
2. Try backtesting platforms: test strategies on Backtrader, QuantConnect;
3. Register a trading platform account: choose a platform that supports API, such as Gate.
4. Testing and Optimization: Use small amounts of capital for real market testing and record data for each trade.
5. Join community discussions: Meet other quantitative traders on platforms like Telegram and Discord to gain feedback and share experiences.

Conclusion: Enter rationally and move forward steadily.

Quantitative trading is not a tool for quick profits, but rather a long-term, systematic investment approach. Beginners should avoid the temptation for quick success and gradually accumulate strategy experience and real trading skills. Through continuous learning and iteration, anyone can potentially become a strategy-driven rational investor.