southerncross said:wrcmad, While I do get your philosophy of losing opportunity when prices withdraw while holding physical purchased at X price, I still fail to see how an individual actually loses unless selling at a loss. You place the loss in ounces so far as I can tell but surely X amount of ounces is still x amount.
Would you consider x amount sold at Y price only to see Y rise the next day as a loss also, compared to holding for that extra day and X amount being worth Y more?
I am not being antagonistic here, merely trying to learn another point of view that conflicts with my own and hopefully learn something to add to the artillery.
From my own point of view if i buy X amount @ y price with the aim of holding to either hedge or save I fail to see, despite any sort of fluctuation in the price how I can lose on that purchase unless I sell. Sure enough if I timed my purchase in comparison to Y @ a lower rate I could of purchased possibly more but the same equation could also see me purchasing less of X for the same price.
Vice versa for selling x. I have say 10 ounces bought for $300 dollars, the price drops to $280 the next day. I have lost $20 dollars of opportunity according to my understanding of your opinion. But I still have 10 ounces.
If the price rose by $20 dollars the next day, I still have ten ounces. I have not sold or gained any more in ounces and the only change has been in fiat.
The fact is despite the change in value I still have the same amount in ounces. The only opportunity lost I can see is an ephemeral change in fiat value as opposed to a constant in weight.
I am trying to understand, A: If you hold how do you lose? B: If you buy and then sell and prices continue to rise is that not a loss? C: If you lose by holding till prices rise and also lose by selling if prices continue rise afterwards then why bother?
I should qualify by stating I am physical only and long term.
southerncross, I will try and answer to the best of my ability.
Paper loss - Definition - Loss which has occurred but has not yet been realized through a transaction, such as a stock which has fallen in value but is still being held. Also called unrealized loss.
The main thrust of this definition is that if you are holding an asset that has declined in value, then you have occurred a loss in value, or purchasing power. You have taken a hit in economic value. In the case of silver, you can propose that this is untrue because you still hold the same number of ounces, however those ounces are now worth less, and thus hold less value or purchasing power than they did when you acquired them. This, as measured using any means, defines a loss. It matters not if you want to measure in oz's or $ - you are now holding less value or purchasing power, ie a LOSS.
While that loss may recover over time, this only constitutes a loss followed by a recovery. This does not constitute a neutral position.
Plenty of people allow themselves to believe that they have not made a loss until they sell and crystallise that loss. If you are among them, then ask yourself this: Are your paper profits unreal too? If your answer is no, then you are suffering from a mental disease highly detrimental to your wealth - SELF-DELUSION.
It is simply not consistent to treat unrealised losses any differently from unrealised profits. The only reason investors do so is that they cannot bear to admit to themselves that they have in fact suffered a very real loss. Typically, they feel a loss equals a mistake, and they are unable to own up to their mistakes.
An example of this is stackers chasing spot price. Why is there such disappointment at buying, only then having spot price drop the next day? Because a real cost has been incurred due to timing.
In the world of investing, opportunity cost is present at all times. The opportunity cost of investing in bonds is investing in stocks that turn out better, or vice versa. The opportunity cost of investing today is investing on a different day when the price is lower. The opportunity cost of holding on to an investment is selling it before the price goes down. Lost opportunity, or opportunity cost, follows along the same lines. Opportunity cost is every bit real. It will cost real value, money, or purchasing power out of your pocket.
An example of this is stackers trading GSR. They are trading opportunity cost by trying to chase the better performing metal. It is real.