Investing

Should I sell my holdings and come back next year.

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  • May 31st, 2016 11:12 pm
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Member
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Feb 23, 2004
371 posts
18 upvotes

Should I sell my holdings and come back next year.

I started buying stocks in May. Became obsessed about the stock market in less than a Month. If I sell them all I can make $2100 now.
I'm debating as to sell it or not.
My goal was to stop trading at 3k ($250/month). Enjoy the money and restart next year.

I have NII, BCE, BOS and HydroOne, the last three paying dividends. Not sure about the future share prices. I know the market is at the highest now.

What will you do?
20 replies
Deal Addict
May 18, 2015
1803 posts
851 upvotes
Ottawa,Ont
redflagdealboy1 wrote: I started buying stocks in May. Became obsessed about the stock market in less than a Month. If I sell them all I can make $2100 now.
I'm debating as to sell it or not.
My goal was to stop trading at 3k ($250/month). Enjoy the money and restart next year.

I have NII, BCE, BOS and HydroOne, the last three paying dividends. Not sure about the future share prices. I know the market is at the highest now.

What will you do?
If you have no immediate need for the money (3+ years) I would just keep holding them all regardless of the fluctuations. BCE and hydroone are very safe stocks that wont fall off a cliff during a recession
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Feb 19, 2010
6237 posts
2992 upvotes
redflagdealboy1 wrote: I started buying stocks in May. Became obsessed about the stock market in less than a Month. If I sell them all I can make $2100 now.
I'm debating as to sell it or not.
My goal was to stop trading at 3k ($250/month). Enjoy the money and restart next year.

I have NII, BCE, BOS and HydroOne, the last three paying dividends. Not sure about the future share prices. I know the market is at the highest now.

What will you do?
OP, you're a gambler not an investor. Cash out and go to the casino.
Deal Fanatic
User avatar
Oct 23, 2003
8455 posts
2000 upvotes
Conquistador wrote: OP, you're a gambler not an investor. Cash out and go to the casino.
If the stock market was run by investors, trade volumes would drop by 90%. Let him trade if he wants to.

OP, its best to go with your gut feeling in terms of your target or achievements. If you feel like you're in a good place to cash out, do it. A profit is a profit, no matter the size.

Alternatively, you might wanna leave some sleeper money into some divided stocks, for the rest of the year. Up to you.
Deal Fanatic
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Dec 14, 2010
7113 posts
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redflagdealboy1 wrote: What will you do?
I will keep investing in well managed businesses, including some of the ones you mentioned, buying them when they are attractively priced. I won't sell any of them, regardless if the market gets overvalued or undervalued, because my timeframe is forever. But I will continue to monitor their operating results and only sell them if they don't meet my requirements or if fundamentals deteriorate.

I will also keep trading following my rules for buy and sell, regardless of what the market does, because I'm confident that the well defined trading rules And ranking system will provide superior results in the long run.

Did you have a nice profit by skill or luck? If the former, you'd be wasting opportunities by just coming back next year, which could very well be starting a recession, no one knows. If the latter, lock your profits and rememer that when gambling, usually the house wins, even if we are lucky sometimes.

Rod
Member
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Feb 23, 2004
371 posts
18 upvotes
@rodbarc: Skill more than luck. But also made some noob mistake. I could have bought the shares at a lower price.
@Sauerkraut: Good point. But what will you do?

Thanks everyone for your quick replies.
Sr. Member
Aug 14, 2010
612 posts
386 upvotes
Toronto
Market timing is a fools game.
Deal Fanatic
Nov 9, 2013
5885 posts
7465 upvotes
Edmonton, AB
redflagdealboy1 wrote: I started buying stocks in May. Became obsessed about the stock market in less than a Month. If I sell them all I can make $2100 now.
I'm debating as to sell it or not.
My goal was to stop trading at 3k ($250/month). Enjoy the money and restart next year.

I have NII, BCE, BOS and HydroOne, the last three paying dividends. Not sure about the future share prices. I know the market is at the highest now.

What will you do?
I would like to debate the fact you think you made your profits on skill, and not luck, but I'm trying to be less cynical these days.

To answer your question, it depends on what you want - if you want a break and want to lock in the profits, sell. If you think you can make more money and want to hit that magic number (zero?) then keep on truckin'.

What will I do? Hope for a market crash.
Deal Fanatic
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Nov 2, 2013
5697 posts
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Edmonton, AB
Going to lose money if you keep messing with it too much. Not to mention all the commission you'll be paying. Just let them be.

The only time I like to re-balance is if fundamentals change making other similar investments superior.

e.g. One share price shoots up a lot, making certain yields/returns less and therefore the stock more "expensive". Then you deem it be overvalued, get out and go into something undervalued. But even then, the market isn't always rational and it's often best to just leave it alone. Primary example is oil. Fundamentals don't change much but look how much emotion runs that market.

Even if you can predict move(s), chances is someone with a lot more technology and money than you will beat you to them.
Accountant (Public Practice)
Deal Addict
Jan 20, 2016
2028 posts
1013 upvotes
Houston, TX
redflagdealboy1 wrote: know the market is at the highest now.
Market was also all-time high in 1987..92...97...2000..2012...quite every year :) that's how it works - it goes up every (3 from every 4) year

What will you do? - depends on YOUR time horizon, risk tolerance etc. I have BCE in my DI portfolio an intention to hold it "forever" * (* - till it will satisfy DI portfoli criteria)
Deal Fanatic
Nov 24, 2013
6479 posts
3344 upvotes
Kingston, ON
The general idea of investing in equities is that you believe the company will continue to make & grow profit, and you get your piece of that through dividends and share price growth. You're in there because over time, things should keep going up, and if you don't think your holdings will, then you sell them and buy other ones that you think will go up.

As others have said, treating it like a casino where you make a little at the tables, go cash out, and come back next year is a gambling mindset, not an investing one.
Deal Addict
Dec 11, 2007
1959 posts
582 upvotes
Markham
Threads like these make me wish that Trading or Speculation had their own sub-forums like Real Estate does.
Deal Addict
Sep 6, 2010
2029 posts
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Vancouver
Conquistador wrote: OP, you're a gambler not an investor. Cash out and go to the casino.
Bingo...guess he wants to retire on $2100.
Deal Addict
Sep 6, 2010
2029 posts
804 upvotes
Vancouver
Buggy166 wrote: If the stock market was run by investors, trade volumes would drop by 90%. Let him trade if he wants to.

OP, its best to go with your gut feeling in terms of your target or achievements. If you feel like you're in a good place to cash out, do it. A profit is a profit, no matter the size.

Alternatively, you might wanna leave some sleeper money into some divided stocks, for the rest of the year. Up to you.
LOL then what? Most trade volume is generated from Algo.
Jr. Member
Feb 3, 2013
133 posts
55 upvotes
GREENWOOD, ns
Sell in may and go away.

I am following that myself.
Deal Addict
Jan 20, 2016
2028 posts
1013 upvotes
Houston, TX
sixcolors wrote: Sell in may and go away.

I am following that myself.
Not a big deal to sell and lock a profit. The problem to get back in "right" time. So easy either come too early or too late :) and you miss all dividend payments in meantime as well.
Member
User avatar
Feb 23, 2004
371 posts
18 upvotes
If i would have sold it in the morning it was 4k+ gain. Now it's +$3,868.86 ......decisions decisions!!
Deal Fanatic
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Nov 2, 2013
5697 posts
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Edmonton, AB
sixcolors wrote: Sell in may and go away.

I am following that myself.
They did a study on that and it actually fails to beat buy and hold.
Accountant (Public Practice)

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