Quote from day7793:
Yeah tell it to me. I was so hyped into this value investing and Warren Buffet bullcrap that I bought into HOME DEPOT duriing the summer when Warren Buffet was backing up the truck on the stock.
I was a bit smarter than Mr. Warren though.
Instead of outright purchase, I wrote naked puts on HOME DEPOT at $40 and I was immediately assigned the stock. Than it fell some more I wrote a second batch of naked puts on HD and was immediately assigned! Since than HD has done nothing but draw down my account value. Its a value investing stock with low multiples, a big moat , unique kind of business and all that fluff.
My only consolation, I get to keep the premiums when I sold those naked puts. I am still in the Chakravu as per Mohnish Pabrai book Dhando Investor, wondering if I will be able to escape.
Sorry for your HD problem. But there is nothing wrong with selling naked puts when you want to acquire a stock. I don't see anything wrong with what you did, except perhaps have too much faith in the good Mr. Buffet. And i am sure neither you nor Mr. Buffet would be buying a building supply stock just as we were headed into the biggest building/real estate bust of our lifetimes, so i have to assume you got in before the mortgage crisis was obvious to everyone. Mr. Buffet often waits a long time to be rewarded. So if you are prepared to wait a few years for your reward, your "value investment" may still be OK. Right now it looks like you will have to wait five to ten years until the Real-Estate Building sector recovers. I hope you are the patient sort. But buying the stock of a company already in financial distress as Pabrai did is most definitely not value investing. Value investing means buying an above average company at a below average price. It does not mean buying a failing company at a "help me jesus price." Unless you have Mr Buffets pockets and can inject cash, take charge of the company, and turn it around, that's hail Mary gambling.