How to reduce a loss

Discussion in 'Options' started by investing, Nov 13, 2020.

  1. tomorton

    tomorton

    Concentrating on the losing trades is the wrong focus in my opinion.

    Losers are guaranteed to occur, you built them into your career when you started using a strategy that has less than a 100% win rate (which is all of them). As said above, just make sure they don't overwhelm your account. Focus your work and attention where you're winning, not where you're losing.
     
    #11     Nov 14, 2020
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  2. ctheo1

    ctheo1

    Hi OP - it seems like you're "in trouble" based on your choice of words. In my experience, the only thing you can really do is close the position and start over. Good luck.
     
    #12     Nov 14, 2020
    investing likes this.
  3. Thanks everybody and each of you for your answers . All of them were very precious for me.
    Sorry for the words I have used in my messages. I haven't fluent English
     
    Last edited: Nov 14, 2020
    #13     Nov 14, 2020
  4. Thanks so much for the wishes and for this strategy. By assuming the strikes are available, is the following situation right? Are the strikes respecting the strategy?

    Original price of the stocks bought = 14

    Actual price of the stock = 10

    Strike put to sell = 11

    Strike call to sell = 15

    What is the parallel strategy if I am short on the losing stock?
     
    #14     Nov 14, 2020
  5. Thanks for the help. If I am short on a stock (and am losing) then can I sell a put in order to recover the loss?
     
    #15     Nov 14, 2020
  6. Thanks for the answer. About the Bollinger bands I know that when they converge the volatility is reducing. About ATR I know that when it’s high the market has increasing volatility. How can I use these information?

    If you prefer, only a link can be useful for me to learn
     
    #16     Nov 14, 2020
  7. ET180

    ET180

    If he's already losing money on holding 100 shares, I would not sell puts. If your risk is already to the downside, why add more risk to the downside? First thing I would do is evaluate whether I still believe in the trade or just want to get out. If I no longer want to own the underlying, then simply sell it. If I'm ok holding it, then I would sell a call. Maybe sell some shares or do both.
     
    #17     Nov 14, 2020
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  8. Yes, I agree. But the OP's question was how to possibly get out of the hole he is in. One way is to sell straddles or strangles against the shares. This is a slightly better alternative (imho) than doing something like straight "averaging down," which is another way to get out of a hole if you don't want to wait until (forever maybe?) the stock regains it losses. It's not something I would do. I don't hold stock, and only trade options. But for someone with tons of patience, you can definitely get back your money. But you better have a stock that doesn't go bankrupt!

    Should he just sell and work on other trades? Probably, at least there is the tax loss to net against gains!
     
    #18     Nov 14, 2020
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  9. ET180

    ET180

    Assuming the stock recovers. I don't like buying more of a position that is already in the hole. I don't throw good money after bad unless I have very high conviction that the market is wrong...which would only be the case if I have insider information and know something that the market does not know. Agree with the rest. I always sell calls whenever I buy stock. Even if the calls are pretty far OTM. My favorite trade is selling 1 OTM call expiring about 50 days away for every 30-60 shares of stock. And then if the stock does not go higher, I start selling weeklies at closer strikes.
     
    #19     Nov 14, 2020
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  10. DannoXYZ

    DannoXYZ

    Yup, dollar-cost averaging is just rationalization and protecting ego. Plenty of stocks that went down and never recovered. Portfolios would be much better off having dumped these "blue chips": Enron, Lehman Brothers, GM, CitiCorp, US Steel, Eastman Kodak, Xerox, Polaroid, KMart, MCI/Worldcom. You can buy them on way down all you want and lose even more money. Would've been better to follow trend and shorted them.

    As mentioned, OP's best play is to dump it ASAP and have clean start. Faster you dump losing position, the less you lose and more capital you have to fund next trade that would be profitable. Note that buying near-the-money put in this case might be profitable, but would really be considered the next trade, nothing to do with previous loss.
     
    #20     Nov 14, 2020
    investing likes this.