It's so hard to say goodbye to a stock that's been running.

neverpanic · Jun 16, 2020

You doubled your investment in 3 weeks.

Imagine you had bet your entire bankroll (never recommended, of course) on that play. Would you still have any regrets?

Don't lament making money on a short play. The only time to second-guess yourself is when you sell a position you've held for 363 days when 2 more weeks could've gotten you a tax savings. But since 2 weeks is forever in the life of a trader, you did the right thing anyway.

ironchef · Jun 17, 2020

Nobert said:
Read somewhere, 80% percent of fund managers, told that their biggest mistake was - selling positions too fast.

Me too, about 50% of the time, like when FB was $25 a share. I finally bought it back in March this year for $140 a share. :banghead:

The other 50% of the time I sold not fast enough, like when GE was $30 a share. I finally sold it last year. :vomit:

Such is life for us mom and pop retails. :mad:

Nobert · Jun 17, 2020

ironchef said:
Me too, about 50% of the time, like when FB was $25 a share. I finally bought it back in March this year for $140 a share.

The other 50% of the time I sold not fast enough, like when GE was $30 a share. I finally sold it last year.

Such is life for us mom and pop retails.

Hmnn i wasn't thinking about that long,
probably a better example would be TSL@ at those $200 lows of last summer,
where some may have sold at $300 - $400, probably few kept it till that $500 ~ res trendline, then hedged and wen't for that 1k.

But that long is slowly moving into the plans, cuz if kept for over 3 years, in my country, then no profit tax is applied.
(While any short term gains are sealed up to 15% )

ironchef said:

Such is life for us mom and pop retails.

More...

PrIngine · Jul 2, 2020

It is truly hard, but for being stable in trading, this is one of the important decisions that have to be taken to save you from the risks of an unstable market. The best you can do it let go of it and buy it again after some gap.

deaddog · Jul 2, 2020

Bugsy said:
I haven't done the best with stocks over the years, but a few weeks back I threw $18,000 into AZUL, a Brazilian airline, when it was at $6.71 about 3 weeks back. I sold today because it's running into a huge $3 gap after already having run up 100%. I sold at $16.10. I saw it closed at $17.30 (18% more on my entry price) and the volume was twice the normal amount. Not sure if I should have stayed in and let it ride or if selling out in a stock that could continue is a normality in the trading world. I always hear to stick to your exit strategy no matter what. Thoughts?

Congratulations on having the discipline to stick to your plan.

One trade in hundreds or thousands, in the long run will it make that much difference overall to your net worth?

Don't worry about what if...

zdreg · Jul 2, 2020

neverpanic said:
You doubled your investment in 3 weeks.

The only time to second-guess yourself is when you sell a position you've held for 363 days when 2 more weeks could've gotten you a tax savings. But since 2 weeks is forever in the life of a trader, you did the right thing anyway.

A position held for 363 days is not a trade but an investment.

deaddog · Jul 2, 2020

zdreg said:
A position held for 363 days is not a trade but an investment.

I've held swing trades for years. They never hit my sell criteria of breaking the trend.

zdreg · Jul 2, 2020

deaddog said:
I've held swing trades for years. They never hit my sell criteria of breaking the trend.

"Swing trading is based on identifying swings in stocks, commodities, and currencies that take place over a period of days."
Being this is ET you are entitled to your own personal definition

deaddog · Jul 2, 2020

zdreg said:
"Swing trading is based on identifying swings in stocks, commodities, and currencies that take place over a period of days."
Being this is ET you are entitled to your own personal definition

I guess everybody has their own definition.

My exit strategy for my trading plan calls for either hitting a stop loss or exiting with a trailing stop that increases as the price increases. I see no benefit of closing a trade because it is so many days old.

Let your winners run!!

TimtheEnchanter · Jul 2, 2020

Never worry about this type of situation. It is hard to pick the exact top or bottom, no matter what the "teachers" and "trading coaches" tell you. Maybe if it pulls back enough you can reenter.

Bugsy said:
I haven't done the best with stocks over the years, but a few weeks back I threw $18,000 into AZUL, a Brazilian airline, when it was at $6.71 about 3 weeks back. I sold today because it's running into a huge $3 gap after already having run up 100%. I sold at $16.10. I saw it closed at $17.30 (18% more on my entry price) and the volume was twice the normal amount. Not sure if I should have stayed in and let it ride or if selling out in a stock that could continue is a normality in the trading world. I always hear to stick to your exit strategy no matter what. Thoughts?