When To Sell Stocks: Nvidia Cracks Reveal 8 ‘Secrets’ And No. 2 Is Key

Magnificent Seven stocks like Nvidia (NVDA), Meta Platforms (META), Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon.com (AMZN), Alphabet (GOOGL) and Apple (AAPL) have ridden the artificial intelligence boom to huge gains. But now Nvidia stock, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta and Google have lost their luster and key levels of support.

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Nvidia continues to skid below its 50-day moving average after breaching that benchmark line on July 24 for the first time since May 1. On Tuesday, the tailspin continued with Nvida dropping 7% in rising and above-average volume.

Showing cracks in the Mag 7 giants, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta all now trade below that line. Apple remains above the 50-day but has lost support at its 21-day exponential moving average. The iPhone maker is trying to buck or at least stem the sell-off, posting a third straight up day on Tuesday.

At times like these, investors should have — and follow — time-tested rules on when to sell stocks to protect profits.

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When To Sell Stocks: FOMO Vs. FOMU

As well as anyone, investors understand FOMO — the fear of missing out. When a hot name like Nvidia notches one record high after another, anyone who doesn’t already own shares gets tempted to jump on that bandwagon before it gets away. That can cause some investors to blindly dismiss proven rules for how to buy stocks.

Meanwhile, investors already sitting on big gains in Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft and other highflying growth stocks experience a different type of fear — FOMU, or the fear of messing up. That is, the desire for even bigger gains begins to battle the fear of seeing those earlier profits significantly shrink or even disappear. That continues to come into play for Nvidia, which continues to see spouts of selling, setting off wake-up calls for investors. The AI powerhouse now trades nearly 14% below its 10-week moving average.

While Nvidia, Apple and the other Mag 7 names could certainly resume their climbs, investors should remain vigilant about staying safe and locking in profits. Depending on an investor’s position in Nvidia or Apple, short- and long-term expectations, and his or her risk tolerance, some profit-taking may be in order.

Nvidia, These Giants Lead Chip Sell-Off On China, Taiwan Worries

IBD’s recommended market exposure level provides one way to gauge how aggressive or defensive investors should be. Check The Big Picture column or this page to see the current level and monitor any changes. The recommended exposure level dropped again last week and now stands at 40%-60%.

Long the weakest of the Magnificent Seven, Tesla stock finally flashed signs of emerging from a multiyear slump. But the EV giant has retreated again after reporting a 43% fall in earnings in what the company called a “difficult operating environment.”

When such changing market conditions emerge, monitoring action around moving averages in indexes and individual stocks is a key factor in determining when to sell or sit tight.

But regardless of current market conditions, investors can stay profitable and protected by following these guidelines on when to sell.

8 ‘Secrets’ For When To Sell Stocks

It’s easier to be objective when it comes to deciding what stocks to buy. Before you invest money, you can use stock lists, a stock screener and stock ratings to identify the best stocks to buy and watch.

But once you own shares and have skin in the game, your psychology changes. Emotions of both greed for big gains and fear of big losses kick in. These emotions can cloud your decision-making. That makes it more difficult to keep an unbiased, objective view on when to sell stocks.

To stay grounded and in the right mindset, keep these eight “secrets” in mind.

Everyone makes mistakes. Just be sure to cut all losses short.
Even the best investors get hit with a loss from time to time. But they don’t indulge in worry as the stock drops even further. They cut their losses quickly and move on. Leave your ego and pride at the door. Don’t let a loss get to you — either mentally or financially.
If you don’t sell too early, you’ll sell too late.
To lock in solid gains, sell while your stock is still going up. As IBD founder William J. O’Neil has said, “Your objective is to make and take significant gains and not get excited, optimistic, greedy, or emotionally carried away as your stock’s advance gets stronger.” Following the 20%-25% sell rule can help you do that. In a strong bull market, leading growth stocks like Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft and Apple can, of course, run longer than expected. But locking in some profits along the way allows investors to safeguard a portion of those gains, while still maintaining a position to take advantage of a continued run. It also reduces the risk of giving back too much in an extended pullback.
Have a sell plan in place before you buy.
The real drama kicks in when it comes time to sell. If you don’t have sell rules and an exit plan, it’s easy to freeze and not take action when needed. If your stock is soaring, you might get greedy and ignore certain sell signals and warning signs. Also, if you’re sitting on a loss, you may do the “hold and hope” routine. You pray it bounces back — while it continues to drop. Stay grounded and keep your emotions at bay by having a selling plan in place ahead of time. Write down your target sell prices for both taking profits and cutting losses.
Don’t let a decent gain turn into a loss.
If you have a nice gain of, say, 10%, 15% or more and the stock begins to decline, don’t let that profit disappear completely. It’s much less frustrating to see a 15%-20% gain turn into a 5%-10% profit than to see it turn into a 10% loss. You can always buy the stock back if it shows renewed strength and forms a proper buy point.
Don’t marry your stocks. Just date them!
“For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer” is a noble and time-honored approach to marital fealty, but it’s a bad idea when it comes to investing in stocks. In most cases, it’s better to take a good gain while you have it. And never hesitate to separate and protect yourself from a bad relationship if there are clear signs of trouble.
Sell your losing stocks first.
When building a winning basketball team, you wouldn’t trade away all your top players for a bunch of benchwarmers. Yet many investors do just that. They sell stocks in which they have a good gain and hold those showing a loss. Further, they think a big gain is just around the corner. That’s usually just wishful thinking. Do the opposite. Sell your losers and use that money — provided the market trend is favorable — to add winners to your roster or invest more money in the top performers you already own.
When buying a stock, focus on both the fundamentals and the stock chart. When selling, focus on the chart.
They say the view is great at the top, and that often applies to stocks as well. The warning signs typically show up in the stock chart — i.e., technical analysis — before they appear in the company’s fundamentals. It’s crucial to use both technical and fundamental analysis when buying stocks. The same is true on deciding when to sell stocks. Focus on the chart and technical analysis, like price and volume action and behavior around key moving averages.
The most important sell rule is to buy at the right time.
A very common mistake, particularly for beginning investors, is buying at the wrong time. Some will not pay attention to market timing and buy during a market correction when most stocks go down. Or they’ll ignore the technical action in the stock chart and either buy too soon or too late. So before buying a stock, make sure three key factors — market trend, big earnings driven by something new, and institutional support — are in place. Doing so helps get you in at the right time, with the odds of success squarely in your favor.