As tough as it can be to realize a loss in a trade it doesn’t mean that it is a bad trade. My closing out of my position on $LE yesterday before close was a great decision because holding overnight into earnings is a gamble.
The market is not always rational. Granted the surprise loss was a big influence in the stock gapping down $1.20 at open. I could have been lucky and got out even today, but there was no guarantee it would spike like that at open.  It was a great mover as the short float was very high and when people saw their $1 profit they began to cover and the strength in the market kept the movement going as well as the news of it being a big gapper down for the day and in play.
I still have it on my watchlist for potential reversal going into Friday. It is so beaten down and making a new 52 week low daily this week.
The big spike at open is exactly the reason why I look for high short float stocks because once the price moves up the greed and fear of the short usually causes them to close out their positions in addition to the investors or longs. All this demand for the stock drives the price back up and fairly quickly.  Sometimes it takes days for the setups to occur.
In the same way that Tim Sykes likes to short the parabolic move to the top. I like to buy the oversold stock. They all tend to come back to equilibrium from an extreme. When they are at those extremes it is because supply has become so dry it spiked or flooded with sellers that it drops.
Its just like my favorite saying from Warren Buffett,”Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful”.  That is the basis for shorting when people have overbought and buy when the stock is oversold in my opinion.
The basis no matter what for becoming successful in your trading is finding a strategy that fits your personality. I’m a bargain shopper in real life and as a result I found a strategy that basically is buying those bargain, black friday sale stocks. Then once everyone else finds the deal as well and wants it the scramble is like a Walmart opening it’s doors for Black Friday Sales.
Tonight my husband and I spent the night with a good friend and we spent a good portion of the evening talking about studying stocks. As my husband is a serious car fanatic, I like to use a driving analogy to people beginning to trade. Would you really give the keys to a nice new car to a 13 year old to drive. Sure they know how to push the pedals to stop and go but they probably don’t understand how to use the signals to turn and how to accelerate at a moderate pace or decelerate at a moderate pace. Once they have gone to driver’s ed and have learned the rules of the road, They get their learners permit. Then they are  on their way with practice with someone by there side after they have invested the time to study and are ready to get their license.
The same is true to a new trader. If you give them the keys, like opening a brokerage account with no knowledge they have a 90% chance of crashing and burning. It would make a lot more sense to have the driver’s ed and study the market and practice with paper trading until they are confident. Once the confidence is there the rules are known then it makes sense to hand over the keys and get their license to trade. Before then it is a recipe for failure.
All that to say if you are just starting. Please take the time to study. Practice on paper and build up your confidence and your success in trades. Before then you are likely to fail. It’s the truth. You need to have the knowledge in starting to trade real money because the emotions you have to deal with at that time can overwhelm you while trying to learn all the rules and information.
As always I hope the post helps you in your trading journey. I always love to hear how I have helped you in your education. If you have any questions, comments or requests please leave them here as a comment or on Profitly or Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn.
I have people messaging from around the world and I love being able to inspire and help others in their trading marathon. It is a marathon with training everyday. Those that sprint will end up injured and out of the game.
This blog is for information purposes I am not a registered securities broker-dealer or an investment advisor. The information here is not intended as securities brokerage, investment or as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund.