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.

In order to demonstrate what a total amateur investor I really am, and I am NOT kidding, I probably should explain to you the series of really amateur mistakes I made today with my Universal Electronics Stock (UEIC).  I am really getting ready to stick to my rules and stop all the short-term trades.  While the rest of the market moved higher today, my own account dipped.

Earlier today, I saw that my UEIC stock was taking a nosedive for no particular reason.   

Rule #1.  Don't try to figure out the reason.  Just respond to market action.

I didn't.

I tried.

And I lost.

I figured since the drop was outrageous and the stock was gorgeous, I was smarter than the market and ought to buy some shares.  And buy I did.  I purchased an additional 800 shares of UEIC at approximately $26.95/share early on.  In the face (!) of a declining stock. After all, I had the one position to 'trade' didn't I?

But the stock kept dropping.  Just like trying to catch that falling knife, I started to feel the pain.  And now with a really large position!  So I sold 455 of my shares at around $45.50 and then sold the rest of my shares with the stock still in the $25.50 range closing out my entire position.

I haven't calculated my loss, but it was well over $1,000.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

But at least the rest of my account was moving higher dampening out the effect of my folly.

Have I learned my lesson?

I don't know.  I know I really burnt my fingers on this one.  There are totally different skills between trading the short moves and investing for the long run.  I am pretty darn good at the latter and a total hack at the former.

I apologize to myself and to all of you for acting so foolishly in public.

But learning to invest is a lifelong process.  I have been doing this a long time and have learned a thing or two, but trading is something totally different. 

If you would like to read about and learn more about 'trading' instead of investing, visit Timothy Sykes, a fellow Covestor fan and terrific trader.  Stick around here to learn more about investing.  Let me make a few of these dumb mistakes and maybe you won't do the same.

Meanwhile,

UNIVERSAL ELECTRONICS (UEIC) IS RATED A HOLD

down from a "buy".  

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them on the blog or email me at bobsadviceforstocks@lycos.com.

Bob