Stock Thread (17 Viewers)

[Charlie Harper]

Drama alert. Serving up a hot take special. 

I’m considering a serious overhaul. I love this thread, so many folks,  @Todemin particular, helped me scrape myself back together after the bloody March of 2020. I was literally paralyzed and couldn’t get back into the market. I finally did in mid April and things turned around in a big way. The todem list was cash money. I got lucky on some scam penny stocks, Wild West crypto plays, a few SPAC’s, etc. I know everything doesn’t go up in a straight line. There are peaks and valleys. The past few months just feel different. I’m convinced that the big money players don’t buy and hold anymore. They’re swing trading based on algorithms- not just more than usual, but nearly always. I’m not smart enough to know when to flex, and I surely don’t have the massive capital to contend. The whales are in and out more than Charlie Sheen at a massage parlor. The piles of cash must be massive at all times. They’re all freaking swing trading, I know it. I feel I need to lower my individual holdings and go back to dummy index funds. Sure I love my SE type returns, but they’re balanced out by frequent 10-15% kicks in the groin on other holdings. May go back to IVV, VTI type crap and call it a day. This messes with my head too much.

TLDR, I don’t know that I have the mental strength and aptitude for this.

I'm starting to realize this. Gave myself 10k to play with, but between my terrible timing and the GME manipulation in broad daylight, index investing will be more than 95% of my portfolio and likely 100% if I lose this all.

 

[stbugs]

But I invest, I don't trade, because frankly, that's not for me.  I sleep very well at night not worrying about a 6 figure position in a stock that I know nothing about other than what I read on some message board.  I have no problem throwing down a bit on what I consider a gamble/speculative play, but if it fails, not going to change my life one bit.  I'm also at the stage of life where I'm all about preserving wealth, so I may not be in the same boat as many in here.

Very good point. I’m investing in individual stocks (also have 401ks in just funds), but I don’t day trade. I couldn’t handle that volatility. I’m getting whacked because I’m heavier in some of the big “tech” names and it’s all been pummeled but I lived through last March well and something tells me this will pass as well. I’d be more worried if my stocks weren’t performing well as companies, which sometimes isn’t the same as the day to day share price movements. 

 

[IC FBGCav]

I would argue this is where GME is better.  GME products can be sold and resold many times.

I respectfully strenuously disagree.

 

[McBokonon]

I’d be more worried if my stocks weren’t performing well as companies, which sometimes isn’t the same as the day to day share price movements. 

This part is hard for people but critical

Feroldi does these graphics every day. Simple but good daily reminders.

 

[beef]

$QS offering another 10.4 million shares?  That'll be another 20% drop.  Setting a buy order at $39 just in case.

 

[stbugs]

What news happened this morning to cause the unified drop?

Looking at this thread seems like people are starting to give up/capitulate. I may be close to shoving in the rest of my cash and ignoring it for 5 years. Some of my best returns last year (as were everyone’s in here) were buying at the bottom and holding on. There’s some good names that are still doing really well revenue/earnings wise that are way way down. Some mentioned that March 5th drop as the bottom but some stocks look to be past that or very close.

I could be an idiot but when it comes to my biggest account, it’s an IRA that I’ve got a decade+ before I even start to think about it so where it is today doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be upset even with this month because it’s still double what it was at the peak before last March’s 35% drop.

My only regret is that I have been buying things here and there the past month after drops and I wish I just waited longer but timing things perfect is impossible. Anything I bought before 2021 is still up large or at least up. Some 2021 purchases are actually still up too but most are down.

 

[beef]

Taking a little chance here on HOFVW.  It was jumping around so much I didn't want to go too big at once.  Started buying around $2.25, all the way down to $1.70.  Have 1000 warrants with an average cost under $2.  Still have buy limits at 1.60 & 1.50 set but probably not going to hit.

There goes some stimmies.  Some smart rich dude got me here.  See, trickle up does work!

 

[parasaurolophus]

Sorry I bought in to BLDP and killed the stock for you all. 

 

[McBokonon]

$QS offering another 10.4 million shares?  That'll be another 20% drop.  Setting a buy order at $39 just in case.

Same one. Companies always announce the secondary, then a few days later price it (which is what QS is doing today)

 

[beef]

Looking at this thread seems like people are starting to give up/capitulate. I may be close to shoving in the rest of my cash and ignoring it for 5 years. Some of my best returns last year (as were everyone’s in here) were buying at the bottom and holding on. There’s some good names that are still doing really well revenue/earnings wise that are way way down. Some mentioned that March 5th drop as the bottom but some stocks look to be past that or very close.

I could be an idiot but when it comes to my biggest account, it’s an IRA that I’ve got a decade+ before I even start to think about it so where it is today doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be upset even with this month because it’s still double what it was at the peak before last March’s 35% drop.

My only regret is that I have been buying things here and there the past month after drops and I wish I just waited longer but timing things perfect is impossible. Anything I bought before 2021 is still up large or at least up. Some 2021 purchases are actually still up too but most are down.

I'll be buying again today.  Not sure what yet.  Will start robbing the kids piggy banks and digging through couch cushions too if need be.

 

[beef]

Same one. Companies always announce the secondary, then a few days later price it (which is what QS is doing today)

Thanks.  Seemed odd to announce 13, then 10.4 two days later.  

 

[jamny]

Looking at this thread seems like people are starting to give up/capitulate. I may be close to shoving in the rest of my cash and ignoring it for 5 years. Some of my best returns last year (as were everyone’s in here) were buying at the bottom and holding on. There’s some good names that are still doing really well revenue/earnings wise that are way way down. Some mentioned that March 5th drop as the bottom but some stocks look to be past that or very close.

I could be an idiot but when it comes to my biggest account, it’s an IRA that I’ve got a decade+ before I even start to think about it so where it is today doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be upset even with this month because it’s still double what it was at the peak before last March’s 35% drop.

My only regret is that I have been buying things here and there the past month after drops and I wish I just waited longer but timing things perfect is impossible. Anything I bought before 2021 is still up large or at least up. Some 2021 purchases are actually still up too but most are down.

I'm close to the bolded as well.

90%+ of our money is with our FA at Hightower. They do a great job with it even though we keep it conservative there. We may not get huge gains but we also don't take huge hits. The rest, in our HSA, I manage and have been waiting for an opportunity to put it into some ETF's to set and forget. While I'm waiting, I've been playing around in my gambling account but I have no concerns with what happens with it. I could never trade with my retirement money though. I don't need the stress. 

 

[Pigskin Fanatic]

What news happened this morning to cause the unified drop?

The quick move lower in equities came following remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who spoke on NPR's Morning Edition Thursday morning. Powell doubled down in his assertion that the Fed remained strongly committed to targeting 2% average inflation over time, and said that any eventual pullback in Fed support would be done "gradually over time, and with great transparency." 

However, some investors have been skeptical that the Fed will resist adjusting its monetary policy positioning in the face of higher inflation this year. Though Powell and other Federal Open Market Committee members have advocated a "patient" stance that favors leaving accommodative policies in place during the recovery, the specter of much greater-than-expected inflation this year remains on the table.  

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/stock-market-news-live-updates-march-25-2021-221230329.html

 

[ConstruxBoy]

Absolutely this.  (not sure how to multi-quote, so the rest of this is really for @NajehHejan )

I've avoided posting this thread for months now as it's become well, not so great imho.  Stock pickers can beat the market, sure.  But if you're looking long term, I'd love to see how many of these people beat passive/index investments.  Pretty sure it's going to be less than 5%, probably quite a bit lower.

I love investing and I've posted plenty of stocks I've bought/sold in the past.  But I invest, I don't trade, because frankly, that's not for me.  I sleep very well at night not worrying about a 6 figure position in a stock that I know nothing about other than what I read on some message board.  I have no problem throwing down a bit on what I consider a gamble/speculative play, but if it fails, not going to change my life one bit.  I'm also at the stage of life where I'm all about preserving wealth, so I may not be in the same boat as many in here.

If you're trading, the money to be made is in high vol stocks.  The beta on the stocks in this thread are ridiculous and absolutely not for me, thus the reason I stay away.  If stock market is down 2% for the day, that's a pretty big hit for me.  But if you're playing with stocks with high betas, you'll be down 5%+ for the day.  Then you're playing the old, got to get that back game, so hopefully when the market goes up 2%, you are up 5%.  But, over the long run, you're going to be spinning your wheels and stressed and God forbid you take a very big position in a very ill fated stock.  

Majority of my money is in index funds.  But, I definitely have a greater percentage of individual stocks than most as this is a hobby for me.  Imho, if you're going to trade, pick your spots.  There are thousands of individual stocks out there.  Some people are way more active traders, but I'm pretty happy with my returns year over year and don't need to compare gains vs others.  

g'luck

I actually just posted in the Personal Finance thread yesterday making this same point. It's a very small subset of people that can beat the market in the long, or even medium, term. It's funny because just this morning I noticed that an old 401k I have that I never rolled into an IRA (in case I want to do a Roth conversion in the near future, less assets in IRAs mean less affected by the conversion) that has grown about 100% in the last 5.5 years. It's in Vanguard index funds. My individual stock accounts, even the long term non-trading ones, are up around 70% in that timeframe. 

 

[beef]

Didn't buy any UWMC yesterday to DCA, so I am today at $7.85.  This is one I bought to trade, but thinking I may now put it aside, hold and invest.  

 

[BassNBrew]

Don't know who suggested Flexible Solutions but just sold half that I bought back in January for a 40% gain.  Thanks!

 

[BassNBrew]

Reducing my WFC exposure by a 1/3.  Up 68% since October.

 

[BassNBrew]

Adios GMCG...not sure what the hell you were but thanks for the 20%.

 

[BassNBrew]

Didn't buy any UWMC yesterday to DCA, so I am today at $7.85.  This is one I bought to trade, but thinking I may now put it aside, hold and invest.  

$7.76 here.  Dumping those add'l shares at 5% profit when I can.

 

[BassNBrew]

Sold my whooping 3 shares of GME for a 30% loss.  Should have sold them for a profit when I had the chance.  Got sucked up in the hype and didn't follow my core investing principles.  Made some money on it earlier, but I'm pretty sure I'm down overall on that experiment.

 

[BassNBrew]

So these SPACs now trading below $10 are pretty much free money other than the time cost?

 

[stbugs]

Gosh darn it. On a call but just got off and the bloodshed didn’t seem to happen. Was thinking about jumping into some more things and most aren’t down nearly what they were pre-market. Some still down a bit, may need to be selective and like yesterday it may pay to wait until the end of the day.

 

[JB Breakfast Club]

So these SPACs now trading below $10 are pretty much free money other than the time cost?

There's long-term risk that they make a merger that goes on the exchange and gets sold off. The $10 guarantee is there if they fail to make a deal. 

 

[stbugs]

Reducing my WFC exposure by a 1/3.  Up 68% since October.

Banks have jumped since then although from what I remember October was a good entry point for a lot of stuff. June to September was as well if you missed the March/April. Seems like eons ago. 

 

[stbugs]

There's long-term risk that they make a merger that goes on the exchange and gets sold off. The $10 guarantee is there if they fail to make a deal. 

This is correct. I just have to look at Clover and UWMC (don’t own that anymore got out around $11). Both are well under $10.

 

[David Dodds]

While yesterday was a gut check and tested me as I was buying even more at the close, today is rewarding me for my conviction that GME is a $180 stock. 

 

[JAA]

’m convinced that the big money players don’t buy and hold anymore. They’re swing trading based on algorithms- not just more than usual, but nearly always

this 1000%  Its exactly where I am at

 

[caustic]

There's long-term risk that they make a merger that goes on the exchange and gets sold off. The $10 guarantee is there if they fail to make a deal. 

Can also redeem your shares for $10 + interest at the time of the merger if you don't care for the company that's being acquired.

 

[The Ref]

While yesterday was a gut check and tested me as I was buying even more at the close, today is rewarding me for my conviction that GME is a $180 stonk.

FYP

 

[dkp993]

Question as I’m a noob to this stock trading world.  I have 15 shares of GME at 252. What’s the smart play here with GME.  Is it cut loses and buy back when it dips again hoping to trade some gains to get back the loses or sit tight and play the long game.  

 

[McBokonon]

My covered calls are doing amazing.

$GDRX popped - looks like I got out in front of a MF when I started buying, so I have that going for me, which is nice.

 

[McBokonon]

Question as I’m a noob to this stock trading world.  I have 15 shares of GME at 252. What’s the smart play here with GME.  Is it cut loses and buy back when it dips again hoping to trade some gains to get back the loses or sit tight and play the long game.  

GME is just gambling. Fundamentals don't matter, normal patterns don't matter. 

 

[JAA]

Looking at this thread seems like people are starting to give up/capitulate. I may be close to shoving in the rest of my cash and ignoring it for 5 years. Some of my best returns last year (as were everyone’s in here) were buying at the bottom and holding on. There’s some good names that are still doing really well revenue/earnings wise that are way way down. Some mentioned that March 5th drop as the bottom but some stocks look to be past that or very close.

I could be an idiot but when it comes to my biggest account, it’s an IRA that I’ve got a decade+ before I even start to think about it so where it is today doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be upset even with this month because it’s still double what it was at the peak before last March’s 35% drop.

My only regret is that I have been buying things here and there the past month after drops and I wish I just waited longer but timing things perfect is impossible. Anything I bought before 2021 is still up large or at least up. Some 2021 purchases are actually still up too but most are down.

I wish I had cash to do this.

 

[David Dodds]

The new DTCC rules kicking in seems to be halting all the illegal shorting that was going on with GME and AMC.

 

[BassNBrew]

Question as I’m a noob to this stock trading world.  I have 15 shares of GME at 252. What’s the smart play here with GME.  Is it cut loses and buy back when it dips again hoping to trade some gains to get back the loses or sit tight and play the long game.  

You need to ask yourself if game Stark is a stock you fundamentally believe in on a long-term basis. The answer to that question will give you the answer to your original question question

 

[Shula-holic]

Question as I’m a noob to this stock trading world.  I have 15 shares of GME at 252. What’s the smart play here with GME.  Is it cut loses and buy back when it dips again hoping to trade some gains to get back the loses or sit tight and play the long game.  

I've traded stocks for close to 25 years.  Many are way better at it than I am for sure.  I'm staying far away from this one.  Other than trying to squeeze shorts, there's no case that I'm aware of for the stock trading at this value.

 

[-OZ-]

This is correct. I just have to look at Clover and UWMC (don’t own that anymore got out around $11). Both are well under $10.

Bought a bunch of UWM the other day. 

Meanwhile tech is getting trounced.

 

[One]

Mount St. GME is erupting.  

 

[stbugs]

Bought a bunch of UWM the other day. 

Meanwhile tech is getting trounced.

A lot is. Heck, UWMC is down 45% from its December high. I could buy it today for 25% less than I sold it. I do think I’m a few years many of these beaten down stocks will be looking great. I still don’t plan to rotate into travel stocks and such. I’m good with the stuff growing like weeds that drops.

 

[McBokonon]

Bought a bunch of UWM the other day. 

Meanwhile tech is getting trounced.

I'm even starting to look at it. 

 

[David Dodds]

Mount St. GME is erupting.  

I still have 3,500 shares, but might start slowly unwinding.

 

[dkp993]

Put a stop loss in for 160 for most of GME my shares.  Cutting losses and moving on.  Will hang on to a couple shares for the gamble. 

 

[Capella]

GME is just gambling. Fundamentals don't matter, normal patterns don't matter. 

Literally gambling 

 

[GROOT]

Dark Pools exposed. AMC GME going to Mars.

 

[Capella]

Mount St. GME is erupting.  

Yea we are starting to get to the point here where I have to decide if I want to cut bait or not and take a few bucks, but in reality the answer is I am very very stupid and will do nothing. 

 

[Capella]

And then tomorrow it will be down to like 8 bucks a share and I’ll be like well guess I should have sold 

 

[JB Breakfast Club]

I sold 1/3 of my remaining GME at 169.69. Have taken some profit and left with 50 shares to free roll to the moon. 

 

[stbugs]

I wish I had cash to do this.

I have a nice chunk but it’s not enough % wise (about 10%). I should have made some more back in early February when I was thinking about trimming more from some big winners. The market trimmed it for me anyway, woo hoo.

 

[JB Breakfast Club]

Can also redeem your shares for $10 + interest at the time of the merger if you don't care for the company that's being acquired.

I don't think so. You get shares of the new company. 

 

[tonydead]

Question as I’m a noob to this stock trading world.  I have 15 shares of GME at 252. What’s the smart play here with GME.  Is it cut loses and buy back when it dips again hoping to trade some gains to get back the loses or sit tight and play the long game.  

Get out at a price you can live with as soon as you can or be prepared to ride it down to $5/share.  This is a gamble, not an investment.  If you want an investment pick proven top S&P 500 companies that you believe in or a mixture of growth and income investment funds.

IMHO.