Looking at the numbers, I started with a net input of about $89K I rode that up about 20% — and then recieved knock out blows into and through “Black October.” I cut out my Trailing stops and rode my portfolio down to $55K (down 40% from the start and probably down about 50% from the peak). Throughout the whole thing, I shifted assets into my positions that were plummeting the fastest — and I began buying January 2010 Calls in the accounts that I could when my dad and friends were telling me I was an idiot. That’s what I’ve been doing. If I wasn’t playing with college money and my investors accounts were set up to margin and buy calls, I’d have leveraged up more — for better or worse.
“Shoulda-Coulda-Woulda” — That’s the call of wussies. At least I actually did it.
Now that I have experienced this kind of drop first hand… I plan on actually selling stocks when there’s lots of negative outlook and monster selloffs early on… and waiting for better prices — even for ridiculously undervalued priced stocks like mine.