I made $10M+ through arbitrage and futures
I started with roughly $10K and made more than $10M in cumulative trading gains. That experience shapes how I judge exchange routes, operational risk, and backup venues.
About
Last updated
This is not another scraped exchange directory
Trade Shortlist helps people choose a first exchange, find where to buy a coin, compare named exchanges, and diagnose signup, deposit, or withdrawal problems—while showing what is verified and what still needs an official check.
The trader behind the shortlist
Real exchange scars turned into shorter signup decisions
I'm Mercy Park, the founder and operator of Trade Shortlist. I started with roughly $10K and made more than $10M in cumulative gains through arbitrage and futures, with my futures approach focused mainly on unlock shorts and narrative longs. I built this site to turn those exchange lessons into cleaner routes—not to sell a repeatable income promise.
My trading history
$10K → $10M+
Built through arbitrage, futures, risk control, and years of operating across exchanges.
Built steadily, not from one magic trade
The gains were accumulated over cycles. The edge was not a secret coin pick. It was process, routing, risk control, and knowing which venues were worth having ready.
The expensive lesson: leverage can wreck conviction
Before the method became disciplined, overbelieving upside plus leverage caused a drawdown from roughly $3M to under $1M. That scar is why this site does not glamorize leverage as a shortcut.
What the site covers
Trade Shortlist covers coin-specific Editorial Shortlists, exchange comparisons, Signup Guides, and operational Problem Guides. Each page is designed to help the reader narrow the next decision while showing what has been verified and what still requires an official check.
A coin page can narrow the exchange choice without proving local eligibility. A Signup Guide can explain registration without proving that a product is available in the reader's country. A Problem Guide diagnoses the failed gate before it points anywhere else.
Rules that shape the recommendations
- Cap the loss per trade. Use a higher cap only when the account is small, then lower it as capital grows.
- Keep more than one exchange account. A backup route is risk control, not paranoia.
- Do not worship signup bonuses. If you are opening the account anyway, take the better route — but fit still matters.
- Be skeptical of anyone selling secret crypto knowledge. Most durable edges are boring before they look obvious.
Editorial standards
How exchange claims earn a place on the page
A clean shortlist still needs a visible audit trail. These are the rules used to separate a practical route from a copied ranking or stale promotion.
Official source first
Fee rates, campaign terms, KYC rules, and regional limits should be checked against the exchange's own fee, support, or campaign pages. A third-party screenshot is never the final source.
Fit before affiliate payout
Some exchange links may earn a commission, but compensation does not establish local availability, product access, or suitability. Every recommendation still has to explain who the exchange may fit, where it is weaker, and what the reader must confirm before signup.
Freshness stays visible
Pages show an updated date when their decision copy or source set is reviewed. Fees and offers can still change afterward, so the official destination remains the final check.
Market data is context, not a listing promise
Coin snapshots can use market-data providers for context. They do not guarantee that a coin, deposit network, product, or pair is currently available in every region.
Important limitations
Fees, bonuses, product availability, and regional access can change. Trade Shortlist is a routing and comparison aid, not financial, legal, or tax advice. Visitors should verify official exchange terms before opening or funding an account.
This site may earn a commission when visitors use referral links. That is exactly why the pages must make the tradeoff clear: bonus and fee routes are useful only when the exchange still fits the person using it. Read the full affiliate disclosure.