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Obsessives tend not to be lurkers who sit back, read others' posts, but never "come out of the closet" and actively participate. This is because they have opinions and like to get involved with other posters. Their enthusiasm for the stock and their obsessive nature makes them tend toward attachment when they find the right mix of contributors. |
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Just as can happen with anything else in cyberspace, some even become overly attached to these boards, spending large amounts of time in dialogue. When forced to stay off the boards, they may experience withdrawal symptoms in the forms of agitation, mild anxiety, and feelings of loss. The stock bulletin boards may serve the same function for them as do social chat rooms for others. Yes, it's easy to want to say to the most dedicated, "Get a life." But they would tell you how well they get to know other posters, how friendly they become, and how sometimes they even end up getting together in the "real" world for face-to-face interaction. |
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Because they are thorough and attentive to detail, if they have a strong interest in the market, they might make good active traders, perhaps position or speculative traders. Short term for them is a few days, weeks, or even months. |
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But to become a position-trader, they would have to overcome some anxiety that is common for obsessives to feel when taking short-term positions. By their nature, obsessives are prone to worry too much about the risks they take. |
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The Obsessive As Position Trader |
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Position traders try to take advantage of specific events related to a stock, like a stock split or other important news that affects the price. They wish to capitalize on the short-term position and then exit. When anxiety is in check, disciplined traders like this kind of trading because it allows them to take advantage of their skill for doing research and staying up with the latest news. |
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To speculate does not mean to gamble wildly without any idea of what you are doing. Speculative or position traders go in fully informed and take the risk that their assessment of the information available will move the stock price within a specific period of time. |
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For example, knowing there is usually a run-up in price a week before Dell announces its earnings each quarter, speculators might buy Dell shares for just that period. Further, knowing that there is typically a drop in price after the earnings announcement, specula- |
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