UGH Do I really know how to pick stocks..... The past 4 years I have lost 70% of my trading account. I have tried many techniques, stop losses etc and none of them worked, they all ended in me buying high, selling low.... so this time I was going to hold forever and never sell a down stock. Today. I hold Nat Gas, Oil, Oil services, Gold stocks. My portfolio: down 40% to down 65% per stock...... I have 33% of what I have left in cash. Big deal. If the bottom comes in and I spend that last 33% on something, even if it tripled I'm still screwed. Would I borrow or bring in new money to try and dig myself out of these holes? Hell no. Why? Because in 4 years all I have accomplished is wealth destruction. So why feed it more? We are obviously in a bear market but it's not technically a bear market because the Dow/TSX needs to drop a full 20% before they will recognize it as one.... but by then my positions will be down 90% each..... I'm exhausted. I won't buy anything, I won't average down because this is not going to get better. It's going to be worse for another year and the only way to make money is to short, buy shorting ETFs and Put Options. Of course, if I start doing that, that will be right when the bottom is in and a bull market starts and I'll be left holding Put Options............ that happened to me in 2009. I was buying shorting ETF's and Put Options right when everything was going up. I hate the markets, will NEVER put another nickle in them and it looks like I will have to wait 4 to 5 years to break even on these lousy plays, just to rescue my $ and never buy stocks ever again. Screw this.