It's seldom good when you see one of your stocks flash upon the screen in the pre market, especially if you like to buy stocks that no one knows about- they rarely show up with volume. When they do it's news time... watch out> So today a stock that I sold because of " end of year selling pressures, booking a loss etc... is up $3 in the pre- DGIT. Those of you that play along know I have been a long devote of this stock- they made an acquisition, upped guidance and by by birdy. What irks me is I knew business was good- it wasn't about that, it was about a stock going down and not really coming back when the market did for a minute... An ugly chart but the fundamentals remained positive.. do you stick to a earnings story? Or do you get spooked by impending US slowdown and tightened up consumer and less spending all around? Well I made the wrong decision and on a huge lot to boot; I am beyond the pale this morning, look at me the wrong way and I'll MMA you right here right now Mr. UPS man... oh and it's the non religious church service at my kids pre school great.,... So off I trudge with a scowl on my face on this merry day and there I sit and look around and All I can think about is that sell, that damn sell how much will it cost me do I even wait 30 days...? Oh why didn't I stick to my research! and then everyone sings. Deck The Halls with boughs of holly why did you sell that stock? Tis the season to be jolly what has gone wrong inside my head? Don we know my gay apparel why do you diss what I wear? Troll The ancient Yuletide carols I am such an ass and the only one stoned in here. I look around there's one guy I can relate to he looks real sleepy and is yawning and his hair is messed up and he's got a three day growth going on the beard... otherwise folks are really getting into the cheer; Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat unless you sold out on DG Fastchannel! Please put a penny in the stoned one's hat, if you have no penny than God Bless You... It wasn't until Jingle Bells that I could at least smile a bit and sing along bobbing my upper torso like a pained Ray Charles...what's wrong with me? All these little kids and bright eyes why must I dwell in this special financial hell... Kum-ba-ya, My Lord, Kum-ba-ya... Merry Christmas & Happy Chanukah everyone. Peace&Love, stoney.
It's all about risk management. But then again, there are times when you just feel the solar alignment is in place and you have to go for it. Case in point, GS bet against subprime. It's how people get rich. What kind of hit did you take? $10-20k?
A trader or investor should be able to detach themselves emotionally from their trade. If one is unable to do so I think there might be a mismatch somewhere between your chosen style of trading and your comfort level.
It is always a positions sizing thing when it's in the big account; these type of mistakes hurt at all levels of course but figuring on when to take a REALLY big loss and when not to can be so tricky. The loss I don't ask the amount I'll figure it out eventually safe to say it's in the $5K to $7K area. What hurts is after one purchase and a guidance raise... all that loss is gone for everyone else... It was just me who took it on the chin or at least that is how it feels like. Stocks get inside you and you can't just shake it off. When I pretend to meditate at the end of my workouts on thursdays I sit there staring at a Buddha, eyes closed... running water... and a zillion stocks flashing g through my mind. What if that breaks out- do I sell? I should of sold that other one it popped and retraced on me, that other one I sold just caught an upgrade but they are holding off filing an earnings report... but also about to get bought out, How do I scrape some cash up? what to buy if I do?. How to I make up for that big loss in DGIT in one week... ??? What makes me mad though is when it gets so inside of me I can't enjoy a family function at a pre school... that stocks the lifeblood of my existence the food I consume to keep pushing on without working... it's just too powerful. In college I gambled to no end and my wife then girlfriend put up with the crazy moodswings... nights spent in deep depression sent into exaltation at 11:00 pm with an empty net goal... oh how they don't understand! Let's go out baby! Now I smooth all that out but still when a big boo boo hits... unfortunately, it hits close to home. ~ stoney
Maintain a positive self attitude all the time. Think, when you do anything, how you'll personally feel if it doesn't work out. I've taken profits just knowing how pissed I'd feel if the position went away from me. Then, I have a good afternoon and evening, and that's what I'm after. Detached. Sure. but you don't want to be second guessing all the time. And besides, the longer you live, the more enemies you make, and I don't if you're Mother Theresa. So hating yourself just makes for a crowded trade. You're all you've got.