Not Worth Re-Entry

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When you get stopped out of a position, it's probably wise to consider one of two possibilities: (1) your stop was inappropriately tight, and the position should perhaps be re-entered with a wider stop; (2) your stop was properly set, and the basis for the trade is, for the time being, no longer valid.

I did this analysis on the dozen or so issues which got stopped out earlier today. In most cases, I found the stop was too tight; I re-entered the position, put in what I felt was a better stop, and moved on. There were cases, though, where I decided the position was simply no longer attractive. Take GOOG, for instance; the stop price is indicated by the arrow (which high price was violated this morning). The tinted area indicates the 'risk zone', which is far too large for this short position to be attractive at this time.

Portfolios are in constant motion, and stops are there for a reason. Sometimes it makes sense to re-evaluate. And sometimes, as with the case of GOOG, it makes sense to tuck the symbol back into the general watchlist and focus on better opportunities.