Shocking But True: 90% of People Lose Money in Stocks (2024)

FAQs

Shocking But True: 90% of People Lose Money in Stocks? ›

Lack of Patience and Undisciplined Trading Behaviors

One of the reasons for the loss in the stock market is that people do not decide the amount of their investment. This is also a big mistake. Because the investment amount is not fixed, they invest most of their money in the stock market. Due to which they do not have enough money even for emergency times.

Based on several brokers' studies, as many as 90% of traders are estimated to lose money in the markets. This can be an even higher failure rate if you look at day traders, forex traders, or options traders.

That's a roughly 1-in-4 chance of losing money in stocks in any given year. In 19 of those years, the loss was more than 5%. On the plus side, there are a lot of winning streaks. There would have to be for investors to enjoy an annualized return of 10% over the long-term.

Lack of knowledge

The single biggest reason why most traders fail to make money when trading the stock market is due to a lack of knowledge. We can also put poor education into this arena because while many seek to educate themselves, they look in all the wrong places and, therefore, gain a poor education.

This rule encapsulates a stark reality: approximately 90% of individuals who venture into forex trading fail to achieve sustained success, while the remaining 10% flourish. It's important to recognize that this rule is not a rigid statistic but rather a general observation drawn from market dynamics and behaviors.

So even though it might feel like someone is taking your money when your stock declines, the cash is simply disappearing into thin air with the popularity of the stock.

1. George Soros. George Soros is a Hungarian-American businessman, author, and philanthropist. Soros also runs a hedge fund called the quantum fund which gave an average return of 30% from 1970 to 2000, making him one of the most successful investors of all time.

Day trading can be profitable, but it's far from guaranteed. Many day traders end up losing money before calling it quits. Success in day trading requires a deep understanding of market dynamics, the ability to analyze and act on market data quickly, and strict discipline in risk management.

This is one of the most important reasons why most people fail to make money in the markets. Unrealistic expectations. First of all, you're misquoting Zerodha (Nithin). The actual stat was - 99% traders on Zerodha (mostly retail traders) fail to earn more than the risk free rate of return (FD returns used as proxy).

Do I lose all my money if the stock market crashes? ›

Do I lose all my money if the stock market crashes? While your stock holdings will likely take a hit in value during a stock market crash, most stocks generally retain a portion of their value.

When a stock's price falls to zero, a shareholder's holdings in this stock become worthless. Major stock exchanges actually delist shares once they fall below specific price values.

“In other words, the money did not exist or disappear for long-term investors if you did not make any transactions. However, for short-term investors, when stock prices go up or down, the money would be transferred among them as a zero-sum game, i.e. your losses would be others' gains, and vice versa.”

According to various studies and reports, between 70% to 90% of retail traders lose money every quarter.

According to research, the consensus in the forex market is that around 70% to 80% of all beginner forex traders lose money, get disappointed, and quit. Generally, 80% of all-day traders tend to quit within the first two years.

If your financial adviser responds by telling you that “everyone” lost money, don't settle for that answer. Even if the stock market took a nosedive (such as in response to the coronavirus pandemic), it simply isn't ever true that “everyone” lost money.

The emotional aspect of trading often leads to irrational decisions like panic selling. When the market moves unfavourably, many traders, especially those who are inexperienced, tend to panic and exit their positions hastily. This panic selling often occurs at the worst possible time, leading to significant losses.

Fear of missing out (FOMO), fear of losing, a lack of patience, and greed are common causes of rash decisions and costly blunders. Ineffective Risk Management: Failure to manage risk properly, such as putting too much money at risk in a single trade, is a common cause of failure.

Ultimately, many people lose money in the stock market because they simply can't wait long enough for meaningful profits to arrive. History shows that the longer you remain invested (in diversified stocks) the less chance you have of losing money in the stock market.

One of the primary reasons why traders lose money is because they fail to manage their risk effectively. It's crucial to set stop-loss orders and appropriately size positions to control your losses when trading stocks. Without proper risk management, even a single bad trade can wipe out a good chunk of your profits.