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Guide

BUY, SELL, and HOLD verdicts, explained

A BUY verdict means the evidence points to the price rising. SELL means it points to falling. HOLD means there is no strong edge right now, so the best move is to wait. Paired with a confidence score, these three calls turn a flood of news into one clear action.

Last updated June 2026

What does a BUY signal mean?

A BUY verdict is a call that the balance of evidence favors the price going up, so opening a position, or adding to one, is the action that fits. In Sentari, a BUY comes from sentiment and news turning positive across corroborating sources, with a confidence score showing how strong that agreement is.

What does a SELL signal mean?

A SELL verdict is the opposite: the evidence favors the price falling, so reducing or closing a position is the fitting move. It is not a panic button, it is a decision that the story has shifted against the asset for now.

What does a HOLD signal mean?

HOLD is an active decision to wait. It means there is no clear edge in either direction, so the smart move is to keep your position unchanged rather than force a trade. A trustworthy system issues HOLD frequently, because genuine edges are not constant, and over-trading is how accounts bleed out.

Why confidence matters

Two BUY verdicts are not equal if one is 55% confident and the other is 90%. Confidence tells you how much corroborating evidence stands behind the call, which is exactly what you use to decide whether to act and how much to commit. Sentari lets you set a conviction threshold so the bot only acts on verdicts above the confidence you are comfortable with. See the glossary entry on confidence for more.

Why a verdict is not a guarantee

A verdict is a decision under uncertainty, not a promise. High confidence improves the odds, it does not remove risk, and even a strong BUY can lose. That is why we publish a full, real track record instead of cherry-picked wins, and why Sentari offers a simulation mode. Judge any signal source by its results over hundreds of trades, which you can inspect on our methodology page.

Frequently asked questions

What do BUY, SELL, and HOLD mean in crypto?
BUY means the evidence points to the price rising, so opening or adding to a position makes sense. SELL means it points to the price falling, so reducing or closing makes sense. HOLD means there is no strong edge right now, so the best move is to wait.
What does a HOLD signal mean, exactly?
HOLD is an active decision to do nothing. It means the current evidence does not justify buying or selling, so you keep your position as it is. A good system issues HOLD often, because most of the time there is no clear edge.
Is a high-confidence signal always right?
No. Confidence reflects how strong the evidence is, not certainty. A high-confidence BUY can still lose, and a low-confidence one can win. Confidence helps you size and prioritize, but no single signal is guaranteed.
How is a verdict different from a price prediction?
A verdict is an actionable decision, BUY, SELL, or HOLD, based on current evidence, not a forecast of an exact future price. It answers what to do now, which is more useful for trading than a precise price target that is easily wrong.
Should I act on every signal?
No. A common approach is to only act on verdicts above a confidence threshold you set, and to size positions according to conviction. With Sentari you control that threshold, and can run in simulation mode before risking real money.

Sentari provides software and information, not financial advice. Crypto trading involves risk, including the loss of capital. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.