A five-minute token research pass
A compact pre-trade routine for identity, liquidity, concentration, activity, and risk sizing.
Last reviewed July 22, 2026
1. Verify the exact market
Start with the contract address, not the ticker. Confirm the chain, pair, quote asset, deployer context, and whether the market you are viewing is the active one. Similar tickers and copied branding are common.
2. Check whether the trade is executable
Market cap is not available liquidity. Compare your intended order with pool liquidity, recent trade sizes, price impact, and the route that would actually execute. Tiny positions can still suffer large slippage in thin or one-sided pools.
3. Inspect concentration and transaction shape
Look beyond the raw holder count. Related wallets, bundled launches, transfers, airdrops, and one entity spread across several addresses can make distribution appear healthier than it is. Recent buys should also be checked for real independent participation.
4. Define failure before upside
Know what would invalidate the setup: disappearing liquidity, a broken route, concentrated selling, stalled participation, or a specific price level. Size the position so the planned loss is survivable even if execution is worse than expected.
5. Save the decision-time evidence
A screenshot of the later chart is not enough to learn from. Record the observed price, market cap, liquidity, volume, age, and the reason you acted or passed. That is the only fair baseline for reviewing the decision.