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Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Patric who wrote (66142)	9/19/1998 2:23:00 PM
From: On the QT	Respond to of 176387

Patric I agree with you regarding the inclusion of both the tax consequences and non tax consequences (Roth IRA). Jimleon and Chuzzlewit's proposal is intriguing. Personally I would be interested in taking up this challenge not as a technical trader or as a value investor (in the traditional sense) but as one who believes in the overall concept of long term investing with short term trades(designed to enhance the long term position). The way I understand this challenge it can be paraphrased: "If someone can show that beating "Buy and Hold" in Dell with any combination of buy and hold and or anything else in advance, then their accomplishment would be indeed be exceptional. Exceptional or would be exceptional, people invited". I have been and hope to continue to be successful in both investing and trading Dell and other 'good' solid stocks. So naturally, I would believe since I have been successful in the past I have good expectations that I would be successful in the future. If I did it, then others must have as well. If so, where are they? For that matter where am I? Here is part of the problem: Certain stocks like Dell are difficult to improve on the "Buy and Hold" strategy. By that I mean, the history of Dell has been nothing short of meteoric. We all know that. How many of us not "Buy and Hold" have been left without our shares because we sold our Dell at a price we can't back in on? When a stock like Dell ( I know there is no stock like Dell, at present) moves at times, so quickly and for some, surprisingly, taking up the challenge using Dell stock is difficult. I think Dell, was and still,is somewhat biased in favor of the "Buy and Hold" strategy. Certain methods or systems or trading styles, work better under certain conditions and with certain stocks and in certain sectors. For those of us that invest primarily with a "Buy and Hold" strategy some stocks like Dell are generally better then others. This holds true for those that "Short Stocks", some stocks other then Dell are better for that sort of thing. "Day Traders" generally fair better in a 'chopping market' with stocks that demonstrate liquidity and volatility etc. So, to try to compare a particular strategy with another in a particular stock is very limiting and inherently flawed. Generally a well established stock can be demonstrated to have a past history biased in favor of one strategy or another. A truer way of making strategy comparisons would be over a long period of time with a representative sampling of stocks with well defined models. So we need to understand that being successful or not in a particular stock with a particular method doesn't necessarily mean that method is best under all circumstances with all stocks. It certainly indicates that for that period of time with that particular stock, one strategy worked better than another or all others tested. The other problem for this contest is those that are out there who have a trading strategy, other then investing long term "Buy and Hold", that works for them may choose not to expose it to just anyone and everyone. I, for one, know that if you are trading large amounts, broadcasting your entrance and exit points in advance can put you at a disadvantage. Some traders I know worked hard and long perfecting their private systems, why would they want to make the entrance and exit points known? Why would anyone one want to compete with a cadre of traders or large trades entering just before their entrance and exiting just before exit points? If one could demonstrate a system to you that would enhance your ROI why wouldn't you use it? So therein lies the dilemma for me and perhaps for others. I need to keep my trades private. The other is most of my trades depends on information that only exists on the day I am trading. The other is that using this contest in a stock other then Dell is not of interest to most of us on this tread. Proving that a strategy other the "Buy and Hold" works better on a stock that has gone no where or down over a period of time does nothing for proving or disproving "Buy and Hold". Since this would be a Dell experiment designed to see if we can, especially those of us that are bullish, improve on the "Buy and Hold" strategy with Dell it would be a worthwhile undertaking. While I wouldn't want to hurt myself or my family in an effort to help others, for me it is all about helping others, if I can. I am not to sure that I can. I would be willing to go for it on that basis, providing that I can figure out a way to preserve my methodology and protect my actual trades. Anyone else with any ideas or thoughts? Regards, QT