Hello Friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, Stock Picks Bob's Advice!  As always, please remember that I am an amateur investor, so please remember to consult with your professional investment advisers prior to making any investment decisions based on information on this website.

One of my strong beliefs in managing a portfolio is that we establish trading rules and stick by them.  One of my rules is to sell any new purchase of stock should it hit or pass an 8% loss.  By this, I mean to accomplish a couple of things--first limiting my losses so that no 8% loss becomes a 50% loss, and also, to allow me to star 'pulling in my horns' so to speak in the face of a weak market.  In this case, my first stocks often to be sold are my latest purchases.  Stocks which I may be terribly enthusiastic about, and yet were evidently purchased at exactly the wrong time.

With that in mind, I sold two of my recent purchase, both stocks that I feel are great stories and worthy of consideration at a future date.  I sold my 280 shares of Apogee (APOG) at $25.12, and my 105 shares of Zumiez (ZUMZ) at $48.24.  

My Apogee shares were purchased as recently as October 1, 2007, at a cost basis of $27.57.  Thus, I had a loss on Apogee of $(2.45) or (8.9)% since purchase just a couple of weeks ago!

Zumiez was purchased just a few days ago on October 11, 2007, at a cost basis of $53.07.  Thus, I incurred a loss of $(4.83) or (9.1)% since purchase.  With these sales, I have lowered the rating on these otherwise attractive stocks:

APOGEE (APOG) IS RATED A HOLD

and

ZUMIEZ (ZUMZ) IS RATED A HOLD

Does this mean that I don't think these are great companies and possibly terrific investments?  No, not at all.  But my investing strategy requires me to sell stocks when they incur small losses.  This may mean this is a result of just a small patch of volatility and that I just wasn't lucky.  However, it may also be suggestive of a deeper correction, as my portfolio moves out of recently purchased stocks into cash.

Thanks again for stopping by and visiting!  If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them on the blog or email me at bobsadviceforstocks@lycos.com.  If you can, visit my Stock Picks Podcast Website, where I discuss some of the many stocks I write about here on the blog.  In addition, drop by and check out my SocialPicks page where my stock picks have been and continue to be analyzed since the first of the year.  To find out how my portfolio has been performing compared to some other active investors, visit Covestor and check their analysis.

If you still have time :), and are interested in another area of investing, explore the Prosper.com page where if you sign up before the end of the year, both you and I can receive a cash incentive for your lending or borrowing.  This person-to-person lending website may well represent very significant risks, so use caution.  Spread out your risk.  And start slowly!

Bob