Excellent advice. Yeah these markets have been horrible this week!
Leverage is what takes out virtually all traders I have seen blow up in 30 years, eventually they get one call wrong. (Some call this the black swan type event.) One issue is that most traders don't seem to understand what leverage is. It is not as simple as saying I will put a stop here and risk this amount.
I have had some horrible mistakes and trades over the years (as perhaps S has also) but have never blown up because I use true leverage, not the traditional definition to control risk. If you lose your capital, you can't play the game any more!
I suspect one of the best day traders (that I know personally) who was reporting 100% gains in 3 years or so for his clients, has reported quietly at the start of this month, 30% gains. Huh? He was caught in the great ETF meltdown I think since his stop mistriggered big time on the open. I am sure some of his clients will be "concerned" after opening their statement this month. Several people took it on the chin for sure IMO.
One lady told me yesterday that I had "cost" her 400 dollars for her 100 shares of XYZ since she was filled on the open 4 dollars under her stop price. My crime? I had insisted that she place some kind of wide stop on her tech stock since she had 100% gains and had no stop. She chose the obvious stop - bad bad bad idea! I bet her 1 dollar ( that I won on the open already today) that the price of her stock would fill an re-buy limit order sometime within 3 months.
After reading discussing my opinions on the markets with her last night, she said now your scaring me and is going to sell her stock again since she re-bought it. I will be tagged for that loss also no doubt - LOL.
Why do people have to play the hero? I made 2 small position (long) trades near the close on the 21 since I was away the next week and came back to a great return since I bet that the next week would be up on the SPY. Just lucky since I had no way of knowing what would happen and I didn't expect what did happen, to happen so soon.
It breaks my heart to talk to some of the ordinary folks who manage to screw up any advice I give them. It usually ends up being my fault somehow. One lesson I learned a long time ago, is never tell anyone you made money when everybody else loses - go with the flow and tell the truth - Yeah these markets have been horrible this week!
,
