<i>"I actually had this happen a few times intraday without an outside event and as a result will no longer use limit stops."</i>
The (supposed) ol' fat finger mistakes several times a few years ago plunged ER and YM intraday without warning. Also, two unnanounced rate cuts in Jan 2001 and April 2001 blew away shorts in biblical fashion. Same thing happened in 1998, but I wasn't day trading then.
Traders who run tight to margin while overleveraged, thinking they can control disaster while present at the screens will only be surprised once. My stop orders convert to market when touched, which ensures a complete exit somewhere on the scale of any market blowout.
The (supposed) ol' fat finger mistakes several times a few years ago plunged ER and YM intraday without warning. Also, two unnanounced rate cuts in Jan 2001 and April 2001 blew away shorts in biblical fashion. Same thing happened in 1998, but I wasn't day trading then.
Traders who run tight to margin while overleveraged, thinking they can control disaster while present at the screens will only be surprised once. My stop orders convert to market when touched, which ensures a complete exit somewhere on the scale of any market blowout.
