Understanding Why People Lose Money in the Stock Market: Key Factors to Consider (2024)

FAQs

Why do people lose money in stock markets? ›

The emotional aspect of trading often leads to irrational decisions like panic selling. When the market moves unfavourably, many traders, especially those who are inexperienced, tend to panic and exit their positions hastily. This panic selling often occurs at the worst possible time, leading to significant losses.

Stock markets tend to go up. This is due to economic growth and continued profits by corporations. Sometimes, however, the economy turns or an asset bubble pops—in which case, markets crash. Investors who experience a crash can lose money if they sell their positions, instead of waiting it out for a rise.

Everyone knows that the way to profit in the stock market is to buy low and sell high. So, as the inverse, the key way to lose money in the stock market is to buy high and sell low.

By this we mean that share prices change because of supply and demand. If more people want to buy a stock (demand) than sell it (supply), then the price moves up. Conversely, if more people wanted to sell a stock than buy it, there would be greater supply than demand, and the price would fall.

Here's Why and What To Do About It

It's a shocking statistic — approximately 90% of retail investors lose money in the stock market over the long run. With the rise of commission-free trading apps like Robinhood, more people than ever are trying their hand at stock picking.

One of the biggest reasons traders lose money is a lack of knowledge and education. Many people are drawn to trading because they believe it's a way to make quick money without investing much time or effort. However, this is a dangerous misconception that often leads to losses.

So even though it might feel like someone is taking your money when your stock declines, the cash is simply disappearing into thin air with the popularity of the stock.

Again, you technically don't lose any money in the stock market unless you sell your investments. If you simply hold your stocks until the market rebounds, your stocks should regain their value. The key is to ensure you're investing in strong stocks that have the ability to weather market turbulence.

“In other words, the money did not exist or disappear for long-term investors if you did not make any transactions. However, for short-term investors, when stock prices go up or down, the money would be transferred among them as a zero-sum game, i.e. your losses would be others' gains, and vice versa.”

He has identified two major factors: the rising volatility due to ongoing Lok Sabha elections and the India VIX reaching a new 52-week high. He also highlighted other significant factors such as continuous selling by FIIs, non-impressive Q4 results, and the US dollar rates sustaining above the 105 mark.

How much money is lost in the stock market? ›

The top 1% has lost over $5 trillion in stock market wealth. The bottom 50% have lost about $70 billion in stock wealth. The losses mark a massive and sudden reversal for shareholders who saw record wealth creation from soaring stocks since the pandemic.

90% Retail Investors Lose Money - Rediff.com. Only the top 5 per cent profit makers account for 75 per cent of profits. Saad Bhakshi, an aspiring pilot, is addicted to stock market investing. He mostly dabbles in stocks and invests in IPOs.

In summary, the key fundamental factors are as follows: The level of the earnings base (represented by measures such as EPS, cash flow per share, dividends per share) The expected growth in the earnings base. The discount rate, which is itself a function of inflation.

But that's not all, the biggest reason day-traders lose money is the risk they take on. Day traders are more likely to make risky investments to reach for those higher potential returns, and as you can probably guess, high risk = high potential loss. You make a 15% return in 1 year (which is a great return by the way!)

It is a high-stakes game where many are lured by the promise of quick riches but ultimately face harsh realities. One of the harsh realities of trading is the “Rule of 90,” which suggests that 90% of new traders lose 90% of their starting capital within 90 days of their first trade.

If you do not use borrowed money, you will never owe money with your stock investments. Stocks can only drop to $0.00 per share, meaning you can lose 100% of your investment but not more than that, seeing as the stock cannot be of negative value.

A drop in price to zero means the investor loses his or her entire investment: a return of -100%. To summarize, yes, a stock can lose its entire value. However, depending on the investor's position, the drop to worthlessness can be either good (short positions) or bad (long positions).