CHAPTER XXI.

STOP LOSS ORDERS

A "stop-loss" is an order to your broker to sell you out if the market
sells down a certain number of points. Many speculators place stop loss
orders only two points from the market price. The idea is that when the
market starts to go down it is likely to continue going down, and by
taking a two-point loss you may save a much greater loss. It also can be
applied to a short sale, when you give your broker instructions to buy
in the stock for you if it goes up a certain number of points.

We read so much in the financial news about stop-loss orders or merely
stop orders, which is the same thing, the average reader is likely to
get the idea that it is something he must use for his own protection,
but it is our opinion that it is something that should be used very
seldom by those who trade along the broad lines recommended by us. If
your purchases were made in stocks that were very cheap, you should
continue to hold them in case of a reaction. If you bought them
outright or on a substantial margin, you are not in danger, and you
should look upon your loss merely as a paper loss. In the great majority
of cases, you will be a great deal better off to hold on to your stocks
than you would be if you had a stop-loss order.

A large number of stop-loss orders is a good thing for the short
interests. Let us take U. S. Steel again, as an example. Suppose it is
selling at 94 and it is believed that there are a large number of
stop-loss orders at 92. The short interests may sell the stock heavily
and force it down to 92. Then the brokers with stop-loss orders would
begin to sell; that would force the price down still lower, and the
short interests could buy in to cover at this lower price.

Therefore, we believe that stop-loss orders are a bad thing and, as a
rule, do not recommend them.

There is one instance where a stop-loss order can be used to advantage,
and that is near the top of a bull market. It is impossible to tell when
the market has reached the top. If you sell out too soon, you may lose a
profit of several points. Of course, it is better to do that than to
take a chance of a large loss. In that case, you might instruct your
broker to place a stop-loss order at two or more points below the
market, and keep moving it up as the market price moves up. Then when
the reaction does come, he will sell you out and prevent you from losing
a large part of your profit. That is about the o