I agree with your comments about "great buying opportunity" when the stock price gets driven down. I think daytraders and short sellers definitely create buying opportunities and often new basing levels in stocks/companies with otherwise strong growth stories. My experience is if you are uncertain about your position, the daytrading and short selling is viewed antagonistically. If you are more convinced of the underlying value, then as you describe it's a great buying opportunity.
CMGi is my largest holding (AOL 2nd, YHOO 3rd, WCOM 4th) and I've been in since January 1998. On a split adjusted basis I have some shares as low as 11 ( 2 splits.) I sold some last October in that tremendous crunch but immediately started buying back progressively and for me on a large scale. As you recall CMGi was slower on the rebound last fall than many of the other internet stalwarts. Having gone through the starts and stops and dips and dizzying volatility, I now have this as my current CMGi investment approach:
UNTIL THE MARKET CAP REACHES 50 BILLION, IF THE STOCK PRICE FALLS 20 % OR $30, BUY MORE IF YOU CAN.
With that in mind, I have added to my position during the past month in the 90's, 112, 155, 162, 199/196, and last Friday 166 and 169 (another 30 point drop !). From a long term perspective, I believe all of these will be "cheap" prices sooner or later.
Daytrading and short selling have to require tremendous nerves and discipline. I admire and respect the people who can do it well on a consistent basis. For me, looking at CMGi's stock pattern over the last 15 months on the multicolored SI chart (great charts for comparisons), how do you know when 'finally' to hold on and not sell so you don't miss the next explosive movement to a new high or basing pattern and trading range ?-- look at last fall and look at January and look at last week ! For me, I would rather risk "paying a little more" on a short-term basis than be chasing big gap ups that never fully back fill, or least do so perhaps only very fleetingly.
(Hopefully, this just happened on Friday and with the NAZ 100 news). Just IMO and personal preference.
Thanks for your comments -- would welcome further comments from you and others on this topic --
Good luck --
George Martin |
