Cutting Your Losses (2024)

The golden rule of stock investing dictates cutting your losses when they fall 10 percent from the price paid, but common wisdom just might be wrong. Instead, use some common sense to determine if it’s time to hold or fold.

  • Diversification. If your total portfolio is down 10 percent, but diversified then the diversification itself is one layer of protection. Don’t automatically assume you need to sell all of your stocks and start over.
  • Dividends. If the stock pays dividends, then calculate the total dividend plus stock price in your estimates before making the decision to sell.
  • Dumb Pricing. If you paid too much to begin with, then a 10 percent correction will often work it’s way out if you hold a bit longer. Just stop buying high and learn your lesson in the future. Then again, extra caution is advised because if you bought wrong to begin, then there is little chance you have the required savvy to know when it’s time to fold.

The final rule of investing is to make informed decisions so instead of blindly following the 10 percent rule, use the following recovery estimates and averages. Remember, a 25 percent return on investment is a strong return, 100 percent is very rare. Beyond that is a long tail that cannot be relied upon or properly forecasted. With that in mind …

If stock drops Then the stock must gain to break even
5% 5.26%
10% 11.1%
20% 25.0%
30% 42.86%
40% 66.67%
50% 100%

As this table shows, cutting your losses quickly in a losing stock and reinvesting in another stock is often the smart play.

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Cutting Your Losses (2024)

FAQs

What is an example of cutting your losses? ›

to avoid losing any more money than you have already lost: Let's cut our losses and sell the business before prices drop even farther.

What is the quote about cutting your losses? ›

One of the oldest sayings on Wall Street is "Let your winners run, and cut your losers." It's easy to make a mistake and do the opposite, pulling out the flowers and watering the weeds.

What is the 7% stop loss rule? ›

However, if the stock falls 7% or more below the entry, it triggers the 7% sell rule. It is time to exit the position before it does further damage. That way, investors can still be in the game for future opportunities by preserving capital. The deeper a stock falls, the harder it is to get back to break-even.

At what point should you cut your losses? ›

The golden rule of stock investing dictates cutting your losses when they fall 10 percent from the price paid, but common wisdom just might be wrong. Instead, use some common sense to determine if it's time to hold or fold.

What are the 3 examples of cutting tools? ›

  • Cutting tools. A cutting tools is a type of cutting tool with a blade at the end of the shank. ...
  • Reamer. A reamer is a tool to finish the hole opened by a drill according to the required accuracy. ...
  • Drill. ...
  • Milling tools. ...
  • Endmill. ...
  • Broach. ...
  • Tap/thread cutting die.

What does "cutting your losses" mean? ›

idiom. : to stop an activity, business, etc., that is failing in order to prevent more losses or damage. With the economy continuing to do poorly, many investors decided to cut their losses and sell their stocks.

What is the greatest loss quote? ›

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.

What is the idiom of cut your losses? ›

If you cut your losses, you stop doing what you were doing in order to prevent the bad situation that you are in becoming worse.

What is a good quote about losing? ›

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

What is the golden rule for stop-loss? ›

The golden rule of Stop Losses is that they should never be moved away from the market once the trade is opened. If a trader feels that their stop loss is incorrectly placed, they are recognising that the foundations of their trade are incorrect and therefore they should close out.

What is a good stop-loss strategy? ›

What stop-loss percentage should I use? According to research, the most effective stop-loss levels for maximizing returns while limiting losses are between 15% and 20%. These levels strike a balance between allowing some market fluctuation and protecting against significant downturns.

What is the 1 stop-loss rule? ›

What is 1 % stop loss rule? - Quora. Your Stop Loss should not exceed 1% of your total capital. It helps you building discipline and also ensures protection to your capital. Say suppose, your capital is 10k, by rule, your SL should not exceed 1% of 10k = Rs100.

How do I cut my losses and move on? ›

Recognize when something isn't working, adapt to change, and be open to new possibilities. Remember, the most successful individuals and businesses are not the ones who never face obstacles but those who can quickly adapt, pivot, and cut their losses when necessary. Don't be afraid to try something new and take risks.

What is the 3000 loss rule? ›

Capital losses that exceed capital gains in a year may be used to offset capital gains or as a deduction against ordinary income up to $3,000 in any one tax year. Net capital losses in excess of $3,000 can be carried forward indefinitely until the amount is exhausted.

What is the cut your losses principle? ›

One of the most enduring sayings on Wall Street is "Cut your losses short and let your winners run." Sage advice, but many investors still appear to do the opposite, selling stocks after a small gain only to watch them head higher, or holding a stock with a small loss, only to see it lose even more.

What is an example of lose and loss? ›

You can lose your wallet, your password, weight, a game, a job, a loved one, track of time. Loss can be used in many of the same situations, but it refers to the act or an instance of losing. The past tense form of lose is lost, which is also used as an adjective (as in a lost dog or Are we lost?).

What is an example of loss reduction? ›

Examples include building firewalls to reduce the spread of fire and installing automatic fire sprinklers.

What is an example of a stop loss? ›

A stop-loss order is a buy/sell order placed to limit losses when there is a concern that prices may move against the trade. For instance, if a stock is purchased at ₹100 and the loss is to be limited at ₹95, an order can be placed to sell the stock as soon as its price reaches ₹95.

How do you cut losses? ›

There are four pieces of advice we want to offer you to assist you in cutting losses and not letting your emotions get in the way of logic:
  1. Set Stop-Losses.
  2. Take Profits When Possible.
  3. Don't Get Attached.
  4. Invest in Helpful Software.
Dec 7, 2023

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