Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

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.

Biotech / Medical : Oxford Health Plan (OXHP) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nick cash who wrote (554)	12/14/1997 4:36:00 PM
From: Kashish King	Respond to of 2068

My comment was that selling at a loss for the simple reason that you find you have a loss in a particular stock is asinine. That wasn't a comment about this particular stock. The argument about not letting small losses turn into huge losses is not meaningful advice. Let me suggest that if you are in an automobile accident with another car that you not get into an accident with a cement wall. If you could have avoided the former you can avoid the latter but the truth is neither the former nor the latter are generally predictable. Perhaps that's not the case with this stock, I don't know.

To: nick cash who wrote (554)	12/15/1997 10:54:00 AM
From: sunfish	Respond to of 2068

* OFF TOPIC ON INVESTING STRATEGY*** Message from nick cash on Dec 14 1997 4:23PM EST actually, refusing to TAKE manageable losses and hence letting them become huge losses is the single most reliable way to LOSE money and to be a poor investor. I couldn't disagree with you more. Rod Macpherson's comment that the most reliable way to make money is to refuse to sell at a loss is true in almost all cases. These stocks do come back. Using the take small losses strategy you propose you find yourself absorbing an endless flow of small losses (and commissions!). You can say, well get out at a small loss and reinvest elsewhere and make money more quickly with the new stock. This logic reminds me of Will Rogers statement,something like "Only invest in stocks that are going to go up, if they don't, then don't invest in them to begin with".