How To Sell Stocks: Want Long-Term Profits? Take Many Gains This Way (2024)

Many new investors wonder when is the right time to sell stocks. An old Wall Street saw has it that nobody ever went broke taking a profit. Actually, that saying isn't 100% correct. You won't go broke so long as your profits are always bigger than your losses.

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For that reason, IBD has long since encouraged readers to limit their downside risk in every trade. Cut losses in each investment at 7% or less. No questions asked. Just move on to the next trade. The golden rule of selling is as simple as that.

When a stock is going the right direction, your decision making is not as easy. How long should you hold? Here's a specific rule to help boost your prospects for long-term stock investing success: Once your stock has broken out, take most of your profits when they reach 20% to 25%. If market conditions are choppy and decent gains are hard to come by, then you could exit the entire position.

But if the market winds are favorable and your stock appears to be still in the early stages of its run, then go ahead and sell at least part of the position, such as a third or half, to lock in gains. Keep watching the stock's behavior to decide how to handle the remainder.

IBD founder William O'Neil formulated this rule in the early 1960s, when he noticed that most stocks broke out of well-formed bases, ran up 20% to 25%, then corrected sharply in price. O'Neil learned to sell on the way up.

When Not To Sell Stocks: Sometimes This Rule Kicks In

The exception to this sell rule? When a stock runs up 20% or more in one, two or three weeks after breaking out of a sound base, and the market is in a healthy uptrend. Try to hold it for at least eight weeks to see if it can be held for a bigger long-term gain. Stocks that get off to a fast start often yield the biggest profits.

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"Those could be your big leaders and should be held for a potentially greater profit," O'Neil wrote in "How to Make Money in Stocks."

Here are more reasons to take many gains on the way up:

One, all of your stocks aren't going to be huge winners. Many, probably most, of the stocks you buy in a bull market are going to be profitable, but won't become among the best winners of the decade.

Two, you will have inevitable losses along the way, which should be cut at no more than 8%. So you can lose twice and win once and still be ahead.

Three, taking a profit feels good. It boosts confidence when you move some cash to the realized capital gains column in your brokerage account.

Four, money committed to a stock going through a monthslong correction is dead money. That cash could be applied to another stock that's rising and even stronger than the one you just sold.

Five, you can always buy a stock back if it presents another valid buy point.

How To Sell Stocks: Want Long-Term Profits? Take Many Gains This Way (1)

In 2013, Las Vegas Sands (LVS) broke out of a cup-with-handle base with a 58.11 buy point during the week ended Sept. 16. Over seven weeks, it gained 26%, a good time to take profits (1).

It paused to build a six-week flat base with a 73.59 proper buy point (2). Sands broke out again in the week ended Dec. 6, 2013, but the gain was limited to 12%. Then Sands pulled back and surrendered all of those gains.

The Third Was Not A Charm

A third breakout from a faulty base failed almost instantly. Notice on the chart how the cup was V-shaped. Also, the base was five weeks long, below the minimum requirement of six weeks for a cup without handle.

By September 2014, Sands retreated all the way back to its early breakout price of 58.21. The casino resort operator continued to fall sharply in 2015 as China's government began to clamp down on big spending in Macau, the only place in the country where gambling is legalized. By January 2016, shares in Las Vegas Sands dropped to a low of 34.55, down more than 60% from the 88.28 peak in March 2014.

Peaking Before Fundamentals Slow Down

The problems with the third base and the sharp decline foreshadowed a slowdown in Las Vegas Sands' fundamentals. Earnings per share showed excellent growth, starting with a 48% jump in the second quarter of 2013 and followed with increases of 78%, 33%, 37% and 31% in the next four quarters through the second quarter of 2014. Revenue also grew at a hot rate over the same period.

But in the second quarter of 2014, a 12% top-line increase showed a marked slowdown from gains of 26%, 32%, 19% and 21%.

When a company has logged four quarters or more in a row of fantastic profit and revenue gains, you can expect a material slowdown to occur. Indeed, Sands saw revenue dip 1% to $3.53 billion in the third quarter of 2014. Earnings rose only 2% to 84 cents a share after catapulting 78% higher in the year-ago quarter.

A version of this column originally ran in the July 1, 2015, edition of IBD. Please follow Chung on Twitter at both @SaitoChung and @IBD_DChung for more on growth stocks, chart analysis, sell rules and financial markets.

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How To Sell Stocks: Want Long-Term Profits? Take Many Gains This Way (2024)

FAQs

How do you sell stocks for long term? ›

If market conditions are choppy and decent gains are hard to come by, then you could exit the entire position. But if the market winds are favorable and your stock appears to be still in the early stages of its run, then go ahead and sell at least part of the position, such as a third or half, to lock in gains.

What is the 3-5-7 rule in trading? ›

A risk management principle known as the “3-5-7” rule in trading advises diversifying one's financial holdings to reduce risk. The 3% rule states that you should never risk more than 3% of your whole trading capital on a single deal.

How do you make long term profits in stocks? ›

Selling a stock to shift the money into other investments can help achieve improved long-term gains. For example, if a stock or sector is underperforming, an investor can reallocate the funds to other better-performing areas of the market.

When you sell a stock How long does it take to get the money? ›

Under the new T+1 settlement cycle, most securities transactions will settle on the next business day following their transaction date. Using the example from above, if you sell shares of a stock on Tuesday, the transaction will now settle on Wednesday.

How to flip stocks for profit? ›

How do you flip stocks for profit? Flipping stocks for profit requires buying shares and then waiting for the price to increase before selling. In the case of flipping stocks from an initial public offering (IPO), buyers are sometimes able to make a profit on these shares because of the scarcity.

How do you avoid long term capital gains on stocks? ›

9 Ways to Avoid Capital Gains Taxes on Stocks
  1. Invest for the Long Term. ...
  2. Contribute to Your Retirement Accounts. ...
  3. Pick Your Cost Basis. ...
  4. Lower Your Tax Bracket. ...
  5. Harvest Losses to Offset Gains. ...
  6. Move to a Tax-Friendly State. ...
  7. Donate Stock to Charity. ...
  8. Invest in an Opportunity Zone.
Mar 6, 2024

What is the 80% rule in trading? ›

The 80% Rule is a Market Profile concept and strategy. If the market opens (or moves outside of the value area ) and then moves back into the value area for two consecutive 30-min-bars, then the 80% rule states that there is a high probability of completely filling the value area.

What is 90% rule in trading? ›

Understanding the Rule of 90

According to this rule, 90% of novice traders will experience significant losses within their first 90 days of trading, ultimately wiping out 90% of their initial capital.

What is the 50% rule in trading? ›

The fifty percent principle is a rule of thumb that anticipates the size of a technical correction. The fifty percent principle states that when a stock or other asset begins to fall after a period of rapid gains, it will lose at least 50% of its most recent gains before the price begins advancing again.

How much do I need to invest to make $1000 a month? ›

A stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income, Mircea Iosif wrote on Medium. “For example, at a 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000.

How much money do I need to invest to make $3,000 a month? ›

Imagine you wish to amass $3000 monthly from your investments, amounting to $36,000 annually. If you park your funds in a savings account offering a 2% annual interest rate, you'd need to inject roughly $1.8 million into the account.

What is the 7% stop loss rule? ›

However, if the stock falls 7% or more below the entry, it triggers the 7% sell rule. It is time to exit the position before it does further damage. That way, investors can still be in the game for future opportunities by preserving capital. The deeper a stock falls, the harder it is to get back to break-even.

Why are the rich selling their stocks? ›

The reason behind this move is to secure their wealth amidst rising interest rates and economic uncertainty. Similar issues are still ongoing to this day. These wealthy investors are shifting from a focus on asset growth to wealth preservation in order to protect their assets.

What is the 3 day rule in stocks? ›

The 3-Day Rule in stock trading refers to the settlement rule that requires the finalization of a transaction within three business days after the trade date. This rule impacts how payments and orders are processed, requiring traders to have funds or credit in their accounts to cover purchases by the settlement date.

Is it better to sell all shares at once? ›

It may make sense to sell the stock as soon as the technical level is breached on the downside. If a stock breaks through a key resistance level on the upside, it may signal more gains and a higher trading range for the stock, which means it's advisable to sell part of the position rather than all of it.

What is the best way to cash out stocks? ›

Stocks can be cashed out by selling them through a broker on a stock exchange. Selling stocks can provide cash for major expenses or to reinvest in other assets.

Can we sell stocks without buying for long term? ›

Money can be made in equities markets without actually owning any shares of stock. The method is short selling, which involves borrowing stock you do not own, selling the borrowed stock, and then buying and returning the stock only if or when the price drops. The model may not be intuitive, but it does work.

How do you short sell for long term? ›

To short a stock, you'll need to have margin trading enabled on your account, allowing you to borrow money. The total value of the stock you short will count as a margin loan from your account, meaning you'll pay interest on the borrowing. So you'll need to have enough margin capacity, or equity, to support the loan.

How long do you have to hold a stock to get long term capital gains? ›

Generally, if you hold the asset for more than one year before you dispose of it, your capital gain or loss is long-term. If you hold it one year or less, your capital gain or loss is short-term.

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