SI
SI
discoversearch

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor.  We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community.  If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.
Strategies & Market Trends : Options -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: edamo who wrote (7409)5/5/2000 8:54:00 AM
From: RocketMan  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 8096
 
..."how many leap call buyers of high flying tech stocks during the q4 1999 are above water today?"

Is this a generic question, or an individual one? Can I use a lifeline?

Speaking for myself, I bought leap calls on qcom, aol, csco, and emc. I am going by memory here, but I made out great in qcom, csco, and emc, lost out on aol (though I already had a triple there from previous investments). So I made out great, but then I closed out those leaps when I sensed the market was heading south due to the FOMC. I remember posting my concerns about AG in January, and feeling like a voice in the wilderness.

as i stated...this is not a game, it is real people and real money....and real people can get caught up with a "get rich quick" strategy....and some have...but most who have, gave a great deal back, as greed prevented profit taking...

I agree. On a technical level, though, it is very much a stochastic game, and can be optimized (though not necessarily won). That is what makes this an interesting game.

profit taking is difficult for many, as they believe it equates to a loss of opportunity....

There are times to take profits, and times to let your winners run. You said you have owned some stocks for 15 years, I'm sure you are well ahead of where you would have been if you would have let profits run. OTOH, at the levels of most of these tech stocks, it is hard to find a good solid stock at a reasonable price that one can sit on indefinitely. Once the market stabilizes, which may take some time, I suspect we will again have reasonable tech prices. In the meantime, there are other sectors, though I am not enamored of any of them in these market conditions. Value has been whacked for years now, metals are in the dump, oil and gas have run but will come back down, financials are at the mercy of interest rates...



To: edamo who wrote (7409)5/5/2000 8:58:00 AM
From: Poet  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 8096
 
Ed,

I'm raising my hand, Ed. I did very very well buying LEAPs on QCOM, both the 2001's and 2002's in the forth quarter of 1999. The secret is when to sell, and anyone familiar with the theta on LEAPs, published prominently in Roth's book on LEAPs knows when that is.

My name is poet, by the way, not "mother hen" or "chucklehead". You've been asked by a number of posters to keep your posts free from namecalling. Can you do it?



To: edamo who wrote (7409)5/5/2000 9:57:00 AM
From: SecularBull  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 8096
 
A: Only the ones that sold prior to late March.

I agree that taking profits is very difficult. The notion of taxes and being "left out" of further rises tends to cloud one's judgement.

I think that this latest downturn has probably been good for many investors as it has re-instilled a sense of reality and a need for discipline.

LoF