Selling Into Strength
Selling into strength - refers to the practice of selling off all of a long or short position in a situation where the stock index of a given security goes up. It is a proactive strategy for investing in primary and derivative instruments. Very often used by investors with a conservative investment approach. This means that in a long position, in order to avoid the temptation to make more profit, they give up this risk in order to make more profit. This means that when a trader buys a stock expecting it to reach a certain level, he sells it before it reaches its peak. This is due to the fact that he will not want to completely trust his predictions and will prefer to monetize the invested money in any way.
Convservative strategies of investing
As mentioned at the beginning, selling into strength is a conservative investment strategy. They result, among other things, from the fact that very often, in the case of publicly listed companies, investors'; temptations are so large that they are unable to give up on maximising profit. In this way they often keep their securities in order to sell them at the highest possible price.
However, this is an incorrect approach, as the stock exchange is such a variable tool that it is almost impossible to predict the precise moment of the peak of an index's value. Therefore, it is very often necessary to take a riskier or more conservative approach. Selling into weak is a total alternative to selling into strength and consists in purchasing shares in the moment they fall, hoping that this is their final moment and that the shares will grow from that moment on[1].
Therefore, two investment methods are distinguished:
- Risky - selling into weak
- Conservative - selling into strength
As can be seen, such an approach is much more risky than the approach of selling into strength. Nevertheless, two main characteristics can be distinguished. Selling into strength is not as profitable as selling into weak. This is a relative claim, however, as a conservative seller can still gain small amounts, while a risky seller can lose, but later on he will gain enough from a single transaction to make up for the losses and outperform the conservative[2].
Selling into strength as trading method
Trading methods are so complicated that selling into strength is one of the simplest. It uses mainly analysis based on Candlestick charts and technical analyses with insignificant use of historiograms. This means that it is a method that almost every beginner or advanced investor can use without much difficulty [3].
However, it is susceptible to fluctuations and high inaccuracies as it takes into account too few variables to represent potential future events. Therefore, it is worth using it when you need to make an investment/sale decision in a short period of time. It is not recommended as one of the main drivers of the investment portfolio.
Examples of Selling Into Strength
- An investor buys a stock expecting it to reach a certain level and then sells it before it reaches its peak because they do not want to completely trust their predictions and prefer to monetize the invested money in any way.
- A trader buys a put option on a stock, expecting the stock to decline in value. When the stock rises above the strike price, they sell the option before expiration to lock in profits.
- An investor purchases a stock and then sells it before it reaches its target price in order to capture profits.
- A trader buys a call option on a stock, expecting it to rise in value. When the stock rises above the strike price, they sell the option before expiration to lock in profits.
- A trader sells a short position in a stock when it rises above the entry price in order to lock in profits.
- An investor buys a stock and then sells it before it reaches its target price to book profits.
Advantages of Selling Into Strength
Selling into strength has some advantages, such as:
- It helps to avoid losses in the event of a sudden market downturn. By selling into strength when a stock reaches its peak, the investor can still make a profit while reducing the potential for losses.
- It is a proactive strategy which allows investors to take advantage of rising markets in order to make more profit.
- It is a safer investment strategy than buying and holding, as it reduces the risk of being stuck in a stock for too long and not being able to exit at the right time.
- It also enables investors to diversify their portfolio by investing in different stocks and other instruments.
- This strategy can be used in both short-term and long-term investing, as it allows investors to take advantage of short-term market movements.
Limitations of Selling Into Strength
Selling into strength is an attractive investment strategy, but it has some limitations. These include:
- Market volatility: Selling into strength can be difficult when markets are volatile as it is hard to predict when the price of a security will reach its peak. This makes it difficult for investors to accurately time their sale and maximize their profits.
- Loss of potential profits: When selling into strength, the investor is giving up the potential for greater gains if the security continues to go up in price after the sale.
- Psychological barriers: Selling into strength is difficult for some investors due to the psychological challenge of giving up potential profits. It can be difficult to accept that the security may continue to go up in price after it is sold.
- Selling on Strength: This is the opposite of selling into strength and refers to selling off a long or short position when the stock index of the security is declining. This is often used by investors looking to capitalize on short-term price drops.
- Range Trading: Range trading is a strategy in which traders buy when the stock price falls within a certain range and sell when it reaches the top of that range. This strategy is based on the assumption that the security's price will remain in that range over a period of time.
- Momentum Trading: Momentum trading is a strategy in which traders take advantage of short-term price movements in order to make profits. This strategy is based on the idea that stock prices tend to move in certain directions and that, by trading in the same direction, one can make profits in the short term.
In summary, there are three additional approaches to investing that are related to selling into strength: selling on strength, range trading, and momentum trading. All three of these strategies are based on the idea that stock prices tend to move in certain directions and that traders can take advantage of short-term price movements in order to make profits.
| Selling Into Strength — recommended articles |
| Gamma hedging — Short call option — Long Hedge — Bear flag — Long put — Implementation Shortfall — Tape Reading — Buying Hedge — Trading channel |
References
- Belo F., Lin X., Bazdresch S., (2014), Labor hiring, investment, and stock return predictability in the cross section, Journal of Political Economy
- Guosheng H., Yuxin H., Yang K., Yu Z., Sung F., Zhang Z., Xie F., Liu J., Robertson N., Hospedales T., Miemie Q., (2018), Deep Stock Representation Learning: From Candlestick Charts to Investment Decisions
- Jasemi M., Kimiagari A. M., Memariani A., (2011) A modern neural network model to do stock market timing on the basis of the ancient investment technique of Japanese Candlestick Expert Systems with Applications
Footnotes
Author: Weronika Brach
