Steve, there are a lot of people pretending they care here, but the reality is the market doesn't. It is unforgiving and controlled by big players with big pockets who are very, very good at kicking the little guy out of undervalued stocks and sucking the little guy into overvalued ones. Arguably they are too good at this here as our stock market is speculative company heavy, the overseer is toothless, HFT/bot trading is completely unregulated and lack of new liquidity due to new money inflows being constantly redirected to real estate and crypto etc means charts can be drawn if you have enough money. The big end of town control the media too so even the worst stocks can be pumped at the drop of a hat and the best stocks torn down for no real valid reason, only to reverse and crash/takeoff a month later (APT anyone?)
Anyway, my only advice is that the market is psychology driven and there is no psychology more important that your own. When you think there is no choice but to buy because a stock is getting away from you, rethink hitting that buy button and don't chase so greedily. When you think there is no end in sight, rethink hitting that sell button and don't give in so easily. It also helps to invert charts and flip them and ask yourself the same question in reverse, would I buy or sell into that.
My favourite Buffet quote is apt here
The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.
Only by conquering your own emotions can you make money long term in this game. Being patient through tough times is secondary only to finding companies with fundamental hidden value the market is disregarding.
Chin up mate
