When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (2024)

When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (1)When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (2)When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (3)

When to TakeProfits

You don't need to hit home runs to win the investing game. Focus on getting base hits. To grow your portfolio substantially, take most gains in the 20%-25% range.

Though contrary to human nature, the best way to sell a stock is while it's on the way up, still advancing and looking strong to everyone.

As IBD founder William J. O'Neil says, "The secret is to hop off the elevator on one of the floors on the way up and not ride it back down again."

So after a significant advance of 20% to 25%, sell into strength. When you sell like this, you won't be caught in heart-rending 20% to 40% corrections that can hit market leaders.

Why 20%-25%?

Typically, growth stocks tend to advance 20% to 25% after breaking out of a proper base, then decline and set up new bases, and in some cases resume their advances.

So in most cases (see the 8-week hold-rule exception), you're better off locking in your gains to avoid watching your profits disappear as the stock corrects. And you can potentially compound those gains by shifting that money into other stocks that are just starting a price run.

By following this disciplined approach, you'll regularly nail down the kind of solid gains that lead to large, overall profits in your portfolio.

The Rule of 72

This simple calculation shows how effective following the 20%-25% profit-taking rule can be.

Here's how it works: Take the percentage gain you have in a stock. Divide 72 by that number. The answer tells you how many times you have to compound that gain to double your money. If you get three 24% gains — and re-invest your profits each time — you will nearly double your money. It's much easier to get three 20%-25% gains out of different stocks than it is to get a 100% profit out of one stock. Those smaller gains still lead to big overall profits.

The table below shows how that works:

When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (4)

IBD LEADERBOARD GIVES YOU A LIST OF SUPERIOR STOCKS, BUY POINTS, AND SELL SIGNALS. GET INSTANT ACCESS TO THIS POWERFUL PRODUCT.

Calculating the 20%-25% Gain

The 20%-25% profit-taking zone is based on the stock's ideal buy point. That may differ from your own purchase price.

As we saw in How to Buy Stocks the ideal buying range is from the ideal buy point up to 5% above that price.

So let's say you bought 2% above the ideal buy point. If the stock then goes up 20%-25% from the ideal buy point, your profit would be 18% to 23%. See the chart below for an example of how this works.

When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (5)

The 20%-25% Profit-Taking Rule in Action

View the chart markups below to see how — and why — you want to take most profits once a stock is up 20%-25% from its most recent buy point.

When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (6)

When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (7)

NEXT TOPIC: The 8-Week Hold Rule

When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD (2024)

FAQs

When to Take Profits | Stock News & Stock Market Analysis - IBD? ›

The 20%-25% Profit-Taking Rule in Action

At what point should you take profits from stocks? ›

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%.

What is the 3 5 7 rule in stocks? ›

The 3–5–7 rule in trading is a risk management principle that suggests allocating a certain percentage of your trading capital to different trades based on their risk levels. Here's how it typically works: 3% Rule: This suggests risking no more than 3% of your trading capital on any single trade.

When to sell IBD? ›

IBD has 2 main rules for selling #stocks: Take most profits at 20% to 25% and cut your losses at 7% to 8%.

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.

What is the 7 percent sell rule? ›

The 7% stop loss applies to any stock purchase at any level. If you bought a stock at 45 and the buy point was at 43, you want to calculate the 7% sell rule from your purchase price.

What is the 8 week hold rule? ›

The 8-week hold rule, developed by Investor's Business Daily (IBD), states that if a stock gains upwards of 20% within 1-3 weeks of a proper breakout, it should be held for eight weeks, as such stocks often become the market's biggest winners.

What is the 11am rule in trading? ›

It is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a guideline that has been observed by many traders over the years. The logic behind this rule is that if the market has not reversed by 11 am EST, it is less likely to experience a significant trend reversal during the remainder of the trading day.

What is 90% rule in trading? ›

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.

What is the 15 15 15 rule in stocks? ›

Meaning of the 15-15-15 rule in Mutual Funds

The 15-15-15 rule for mutual fund investing has three parts to it: The Investment: You should invest Rs 15,000 per month. The Tenure: The total of your investment should be 15 years. It means that you will invest Rs 15,000 every month for the next 15 years.

What are the advice for IBD? ›

Patients often find that smaller, more frequent meals are better tolerated. This eating pattern can help increase the amount of nutrition you receive in a day. Consider taking nutritional supplements if appetite is poor and solid foods are not tolerated well (see section on recommended liquid supplements).

How to withdraw only profit from stocks? ›

A Step-by-Step Guide to Withdraw Money from a Trading Account
  1. Step 1: Log into Your Trading Account. ...
  2. Step 2: Look for the Fund Withdrawal Option. ...
  3. Step 3: Select Your Preferred Method of Withdrawal. ...
  4. Step 4: Enter the Amount You Wish to Withdraw. ...
  5. Step 5: Review the Details. ...
  6. Step 6: Verify and Confirm.

How to take profit from stocks without selling them? ›

How To Make Money In Stock Market Without Selling Your Shares?
  1. Using the demat value of the shares as margin for trading. ...
  2. Getting a loan against your shares (LAS) ...
  3. Creating cash-futures arbitrage to earn the spread. ...
  4. Sell higher options to keep reducing your cost of holding the stock. ...
  5. Consider stock lending of these shares.

What is the 15 minute rule in stocks? ›

You can do a quick analysis, adjust your trading strategy and get into a good position well after the crowd pulls the trigger on a gap play. Here is how. Let the index/stock trade for the first fifteen minutes and then use the high and low of this “fifteen minute range” as support and resistance levels.

What is the 72 hour rule in stocks? ›

Let's say that you start with the time frame in mind, hoping an investment will double in value over the next 10 years. Applying the Rule of 72, you simply divide 72 by 10. This says the investment will need to go up 7.2% annually to double in 10 years. You could also start with your expected rate of return in mind.

What is the 25k rule for day trading? ›

Under the PDT rules, you must maintain minimum equity of $25,000 in your margin account prior to day trading on any given day. If the account falls below the $25,000 requirement, you cannot day trade until you are back at or above the $25,000 minimum.

When should you pull money out of stocks? ›

Investors might sell a stock if it's determined that other opportunities can earn a greater return. If an investor holds onto an underperforming stock or is lagging the overall market, it may be time to sell that stock and put the money to work in another investment.

How do you know when to take profit in trading? ›

Knowing when to take a profit in trading can depend on your individual goals, risk tolerance, and market conditions. It's wise to set clear profit targets beforehand and consider factors like price movements, technical indicators, and news events to make informed decisions.

How long should I hold a stock to make profit? ›

The big money tends to be made in the first year or two. In most cases, profits should be taken when a stock rises 20% to 25% past a proper buy point. Then there are times to hold out longer, like when a stock jumps more than 20% from a breakout point in three weeks or less.

What is considered a good profit in stocks? ›

As a rule of thumb, 5% is a low margin, 10% is a healthy margin, and 20% is a high margin.

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