the stock market is a big gamble. Everyone thinks they have a system but all they are doing is playing a pocket trend or seasonality. When the systematic change happens, it'll wipe most traders away.
Investing is a discipline based upon economic thesis projecting 10-15+ years. I've been buying coal stocks for like 5 years...bleedi ng out my nose and ass...I keep buying this loser industry because either I'm stupid or I'm a genius. My thesis is not based upon super cycle thesis but it's based upon a the underlying movement of market - energy. Sure, there are HUGE cultural disadvantage to coal because EPA is regulating this industry to death and so are some EU agency...BUT, the thesis is not based upon western growth but on emerging industry. For the market to grow, new market must be built and these new market must be built with energy derived from coal based industry. QED.
It is the white man's gambling but I take such gambling over Las Vegas style gambling any day. At least with the stock market, I don't lose it all on one sitting.
True that everyone has their own strategy but the important thing here is to ride or be on the same side as the "fix" for the win. Not all strategies are winners either and others may criticize my strategy just like how I am allow to say the same as yours. Like coal, if it is not working out for you, jump to another industry. Sticking with a sinking ship is just that, hoping for her to float but if she does not want to float, she will not just gonna. Just like my mistake when I first started out by buying stocks that does not move at all. Every day, it is the same pricing being flat lined. Time is wasted, my money gets trap and my frustration grows so then I learned to take off my emotion and see the market beyond what the average trader would see. Quite frankly, I still am blind because I still have not seen it but I'm trying
Too many strategy at play but I do know one thing though. Just like the Vietnam war, we keep on moving because the moment you stand still or holding onto one stock, you might ride and die with such stock. Lose a dollar? No problem, go get yourself another one in hoping to get that dollar back and more. One losing day and 2 winning days and at this rate, you will always be ahead.