6 Stock Buying Mistakes You Must Avoid

In order for you to master your skills in stock trading, it will take time, hard work, patience, and training. In the process, you can possibly take wrong turns that can be lessons to help you navigate in the right direction. For many, the first part of their stock trading career consists of trial and error moments. But let’s be honest, it’s difficult to risk your hard-earned cash. Amateur traders who do not have a lot of money to invest in the first place cannot afford to make too many mistakes. We came up with a list of stock selling slips that you must avoid:

Top 6 Stock Buying Mistakes Beginner Traders Commit

Selling too soon

If you see yourself as an impatient trader, then you are probably guilty of committing this blunder. Stock trading is a waiting game and most experienced traders suggest that you expect your returns to come in “slowly but surely.” Selling your stocks too early because you cannot see immediate improvements in their positions will work against you. You will lose you a considerable amount of money in brokerage fees and potential earnings. Always remember: Good things come to those who wait.

Selling too often

Some people tend to jump into several types of investments, just to find themselves jumping out of the deal in no time. You will see this behavior in traders who tend to buy multiple types of securities from as many sectors as they can get a hold of. These investors like to play “test drive” on each investment, so when they no longer feel comfortable with one type of investment, they exit from the trade. If you follow this path, you will most likely incur plenty of transaction expenses that could have been better spent on investing in other worthwhile investments instead.

Selling only to breakeven

Traders commit this error by not paying attention to indicators that denote a stock’s poor performance. They sink further when they wait until the stock gets back to its original buying price before they can put the stock on sale. Unfortunately, the stock market is volatile and there is also no guarantee that your stock would go back to its previous market value. Instead of getting back at least a portion of your capital, you may end up losing all the money in buying worthless stocks. They could have gotten home with something; instead, they end up with nothing.

Selling at a bad time

This bad sell decision comes from the lack of appropriate stock valuation skills. Traders who do not keep up with economic trends and business news often sell stock at inopportune times since they are not abreast with situations that can affect the overall well-being of the market. Traders who do not do their homework and study the underlying factors that have a direct impact on stock prices lose profits whenever they sell before an expected rise in stock performance.

Selling without prior planning

This mistake is observed in stock investors who do not have a well-thought-of financial objective before entering a trade. They do not have a clear exit plan or have not weighed the pros and cons of selling a stock and how doing so will affect their portfolio. 

Selling out of fear

Some extremely risk-averse traders make this error every time they make a sell decision out of panic or misinformed notions. The basic rule in stock investing is that you make smart decisions backed by careful stock valuation analysis and credible advice from the best financial managers before you perform your transactions. By letting your emotions get to you, you tend to act on impulse and become less rational so you fail to maximize the potential of your trades.

Pro tips to prevent these bad decisions

The key to avoiding these mistakes is by devising an effective financial plan to guide you in trading stocks. You must be clear about your objectives and expectations and dedicate your decisions to fulfilling every detail you mentioned in your plan. The success of your planning will depend on your commitment to stick to it.

If you want to learn the techniques of established stock investors in avoiding these mishaps, you will find them in our stock market investment book. Inside, we have outlined the most important pointers that a trader must know about investing in the stock market.

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6 Stock Buying Mistakes You Must Avoid