Zeev: I take the "you" in this statement of yours to refer
to day traders, i.e., those able to monitor their positions:
There are only very rare occasions when you may want to use market orders, the MM's will invariably take you to the cleaner. (g).
I've certainly learned from experience how MMs run the stops, and I agree there is seldom reason to use stops if you are sitting in front of your monitor watching streaming quotes. Most people can get streaming quotes easily, but not the time to watch them. Those who, like me, are employed full-time at jobs other than investing, have no real chance to use mental stops other than end-of-day or intermittently. If I want to keep a profit or avoid risking much of a loss, the availability of a hard stop can determine whether I get/stay in the position, versus exiting even though I think the odds favor more movement my way, because I can't watch the ticker.
I realize you are writing among and to mostly day-traders, for whom your comment is accurate. For intermittent thread readers such as I who do better being self-directed in the market, but can't/don't want to day trade, hard stops are often essential or preferable (depending upon market/stock conditions) to the alternative.
BTW: Count me as another reader who appreciates your willingness to keep sharing your extraordinary market sense, with a smile, despite antics of the bleacher bums. |
