Your three worst moves lately?

[fenders53]

(02-15-2020, 09:50 PM)crimsonghost747 Wrote: Well, some of these are a bit older than a year but anyway.

1. WBA. Thought it was valued OK at $70 but they really can't get ANYTHING done right. They may very well recover, but it'll take years and several bad earnings reports before they do it. Luckily I managed to stay away from selling anywhere near the bottom and managed to ride it up quite nicely before selling everything. Still a substantial loss.

2. Not having more faith in AMAT. I love the company but it's volatile as hell. And luckily I am still long. I sold a pretty decent chunk (to lower risk) during the downturn in the fall of 2018 at around $40. Bought some of it back from the bottom around $32. Now that would be all nice and good but I bought back only less than half of the shares that I sold earlier. The de-risking plan worked but I would have been significantly better off just holding onto all of my shares. Now they are doing great and I'd love to have some more but the price is pretty steep at almost $67.

3. I can't really think of a 3rd horrible choice that I have made recently, so lets go with something that I didn't do.
AAPL, end of 2018/beginning of 2019.

Here are some facts: I hate Apple. I don't like the majority of their products, I think the intentional compatibility issues with anything non-apple is disgusting, I certainly don't like the fact that every single thing they sell is ridiculously overpriced. On top of this apple dislike, I really tend to stay away from big tech companies, I've seen way too many of the ridiculously big ones fail completely.

But we all knew it was ridiculously undervalued at that time. Should have bought some.

I doubt anyone has a sadder AAPL story than mine.  I was definitely following it in the 1990s.  Considered a buy when it was around $14.    Now of course there was at least one 7-1 split in there.  I didn't like AAPL for the same reasons you just cited.  Nobody likes a moat, unless you own the moat lol.  It was a different time though.  MSFT and INTC were winning the PC war, and smart phones didn't exist.

I agree on big tech.  It gives the appearance of no brainer, but the current kings usually fall. The vast majority at least return to mediocrity, and you better not be sitting on a position you purchased at high valuation or you might wait 20 years to get back to even.  Cheeseburgers, Mickey Mouse and dish washing soap moats seem to endure the decades better for us DGI investors.