HODL means buying and holding crypto for the long haul. YES, HODLING still holds to make profits,though the instability of the market seems not to support this crypto term of "HODL", as there are always fluctuations, But overtime we have seen prices go down and then comes up within a short period of time,It's one of the features in crypto can used by several reasons (which includes government regulations) and it should be understood as such.