| |
| |
|
Stocks & Mutual Funds |
|
|
|
Articles and Information about Stocks and Mutual FundsNetFinancial | Institutions | LoansColleges and Universities | Search Engines Traders, Defend Against the Dreaded Death Spiral.
It has often been said that there is only two ways to get hurt really bad on a stock trade, getting caught in a "death spiral" by not using DTM: Decisive Trade Management in the way of stop loses and having a stock halted on you. Halts you have zero control over. Death spirals are of your own making if you do not practice the use of stop loses. Very simply stated Decisive Trade Management is keeping a stock form moving to far against you when the trade goes bad. It is not impossible to have 5 or 6 out of 10 trades lose money and still be profitable for the net of the total 10 trades. What you must do is keep your loses small and manageable and try to maximize you winners. This is done with the proper use of Trading Stops and a strict discipline in using them. Capital Preservation It is my firm belief that capital preservation is one of, if not the single most important thing a trader has to concentrate on. It is also my belief that it is always better to error on the side of safety or caution, in general this all comes under DTM: Decisive Trade Management. Stop loses and the discipline to use them are part of DTM When you enter a trade, you should have both a possible profit figure or gain that you hope to obtain and a downside loss that "you" are comfortable with if the play turns against you. Only "you" can make that decision as to what these limits are. You are the only one that can determine you risk tolerance and ability to absorb loses on an individual trade. Factors on which these limits are determined include the amount of money you have in your account, your experience and knowledge of the particular stock, news or events affecting the trade and over all market conditions and possibly others. As an example, a trader trading a $250,000 account is more then likely better able to take a $2.00/shr hit on a stock then the trader trading a $25,000 account. Some traders will consider just how well they may have done on a previous trade or number of trades and let the stock run a bit more against them if they have already made a few good trades or if they need to make up for a bad trade or two. This is very risky. I personally don't like to see risks taken in direct relation to previous trades. I would much rather see a plan that is in effect straight across the board. This goes along with my thinking that ever trader should have a trading plan and then you work your plan. (See Trading Plan: Everyone Should Have One) But human nature what it is, I'm sure the balancing trades against one another is probably being done all the time. As a personal guide, in a market with very tight trading ranges, I'd think twice before letting a sock turn down by 50 cents or so. That is a very tight stop loss for the most part; again this can be flexible depending on your knowledge of the stock and its trading habits coupled with your own tolerance for loss. On an $85 stock, 50 cents is not all that much, but on a $9-10 stock it's a much larger percentage. Markets trading in tight ranges and lacking volatility make it much more difficult to recover loses if the follow through is just not there. If the average profit in a trade is 25-75 cents, then letting one get down on you a buck or more is going to wipe out most if not all of the previous gains on two or three plays. It can take that many trades to get back to even. On the other hand some stocks can move $2 or $3 in a heart beat and reverse just as quickly for $2 or $3 move into the money for a total of $4-$6 or more. A $.50 stop on these will have you stopped of the trade and out of the money more often then not. I suggest that unless you are familiar with these stocks that have a history of wild swings that you avoid them until you get familiar with them. The Trading Stop Itself It is the opinion of many experienced traders and one that I share, that the stop order should not actually be placed. Instead you determine what price it should be and be ready to place the order if and when the trade turns against you and nears your stop price. This is referred to as "mental stops". You can even go as far as having the order form all filled out and ready to execute as the price approaches your stop price. A lot of the newer trading platforms will allow you to actually place the order in their system but it is not sent to the market for execution until the price is reached. When you actually place the order, you lose control of you trade. Many systems do not allow you to have two orders on the same position at the same time. If you want to sell the stock you first have to cancel the stop and get confirmation back before you can place another order. On a stock that is moving rapidly against you some traders prefer to use a market order for the quick exit. I do not like the use of market orders any under circumstances. There are too many pitfalls involved with the use of market orders. Instead I suggest you use a limit price that is significantly lower then the bid that assures you get a fill. However you chose to exercise the use of stop loss orders is up to you but it has to be done. DTM with the use of stop orders is the only way to defend against the dreaded death spiral. See more Trading Tips at http://www.TraderAide.com There are many excellent books on learning to day trade. My favorites are found at http://www.TraderAide.com/books About the Author: Floyd Snyder has been trading and investing in the stock market for three decades. He was on the forefront of the day trading craze that swept the nation back in late1990's both as a trader and as the moderator of one of the Internet's largest real time trading rooms. He is the owner of http://www.TraderAide.com and Strictly Business Magazine at http://www.sbmag.org
MORE RESOURCES:
Stocks-Mutual-Funds - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Mutual Fund Ball and Chain The broker told me not to sell because the mutual fund I owned had a 2% redemption fee and they would penalize me if I did.I got to thinking about it and did some simple math to see what that would cost me if I sold. Successful Trading - Establish Your Risk Level Before you embark upon a journey of trading stocks or futures, and before you make any trades, you MUST determine and establish your risk level. Traders that fail to do this are usually doomed from the start. What is a Trading Plan - and Why You Need One? How do you make money without picking tops and bottoms?I am glad you asked.. Economists In today's volatile and confusing stock markets everyone is searching for a guru who knows which way the market is going and when. Ask any economist and he will have an answer. Never Fall In Love! Recently I watched my favorite football team lose a vital game.I simply love this team. No Load Mutual Funds or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)? If you are fed up with early redemption charges and ever increasing mutual fund management fees on top of bad-performing fund managers, read on. There is a quiet revolution going on in the no-load mutual fund industry and you, the individual investor, may benefit from it greatly. Rebalance And Diversify The stock market has not been very kind to your investments lately. Your broker knows this so you may have received a call from him suggesting it is time to 'rebalance and diversify' your portfolio. Trading Tips No 5: Stock Trading Curve Drawdown and Commitment All stock trading and investing methods must deal with the inevitable drawdown from the most recent peak in one's stock trading curve to a bottom before reversing and making a new high. Seasoned systems traders are well familiar with the drawdown phenomenon and the importance of drawdown as a percentage of annual average returns in evaluating a trading system. The Importance of Using Stop Loss Orders When Spread Trading the Financial Markets A Guide to Using Stop Loss Orders Stop losses are market orders designed to allow you to limit your losses.When you place a stop loss you are instructing the spread betting company or stock broker to cut your position when it reaches a certain loss level (or in some cases, profit level - more later). Investment Clubs Because you don't feel too sure about which stock or mutual fund to buy you decide to become a member of an investment club. Each of the members contribute a certain amount of money each month and then meet to decide what to buy or sell. Dont Ask Your Broker Unfortunately, most of you who are reading my column are suffering some substantial losses in the stock market. Whether it is mutual funds or individual stocks everything with mighty few exceptions is going down. Hedge Funds: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Alfred Winslow Jones started hedge funds in 1949. He was a pioneer of non-traditional investment strategies. Mutual Fund Commissions You have heard about a particular mutualfund from a friend, saw it advertised on TV or readabout it in some publication thought it would bea good buy. Next you call your broker to get hisadvice before you buy because he is an expertand is there to help you make money. Online Trading Strategy: Collecting Cash when Stocks Go UP - It PAYS to Know More than Others When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to have more knowledge than the rest of the pack. Pure gold can be harvested in each profitable trade that you accomplish. Getting Even I know there are a lot of you out there who would like to "get even" with the stock market. Many are on the diet of "I hope, I hope". Value Investing: Selecting From The Bargain Bin Picking a beaten-down stock requires a different kind of selection process. Normally, most companies beaten down this far have no earnings to speak of. A Penny for Your Stocks According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen phenomenal growth this past decade. NASDAQ 800? In November of 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at 3000 I wrote in this column that the NASDAQ Index would fall to 1500 and I got lots of heat for saying it. Microsoft had fallen from $129 to $60 per share. Humpty Dumpty the Stock Market Falls Down Humpty Dumpty had a great fall and all the King's horsemen could not put Humpty Dumpty back together again.The Stock Market has had a great fall and all the brokers, CEOs, analysts and politicians have not been able to get it back up again. Gurgle Gurgle Caught in a whirlpool and being sucked under. No life vest or other device to save you.
|
|
Currency Trading | Investing | Leadership | Negoatiation | Real Estate | Stocks and Mutual Funds | Taxes home | NetFinancial | Institutions | Loans | Colleges and Universities | site map Search Engines | EZmatic | 0pops | GetSonic | TrafficFish | Health |
| © 2006 |
