What is the 20 25 rule in stocks?

Asked by: Pearline Schuppe  |  Last update: July 31, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (20 votes)

IBD founder William O'Neil formulated this rule in the early 1960s, when he noticed that most stocks broke out of well-formed bases, ran up 20% to 25%, then corrected sharply in price. O'Neil learned to sell on the way up.

What is the 7% stop loss rule?

Always sell a stock it if falls 7%-8% below what you paid for it. This basic principle helps you always cap your potential downside. If you're following rules for how to buy stocks and a stock you own drops 7% to 8% from what you paid for it, something is wrong.

What is the 40 60 rule in stocks?

A 40% stock, 60% bond portfolio might be warranted under today's conditions, when higher interest rates have led to higher expected returns for fixed income, the firm said in a recent note. On top of that, high starting stock valuations imply that investors may not get adequately rewarded for holding equities.

What is the 70 20 10 rule in stocks?

The 70:20:10 rule helps safeguard SIPs by allocating 70% to low-risk, 20% to medium-risk, and 10% to high-risk investments, ensuring stability, balanced growth, and high returns while managing market fluctuations.

What is the 20 to 25 profit taking rule?

The 20%-25% profit-taking zone is based on the stock's ideal buy point. That may differ from your own purchase price. As we saw in How to Buy Stocks the ideal buying range is from the ideal buy point up to 5% above that price.

How To Sell Stocks: When To Take Profits | Learn How To Invest: IBD

27 related questions found

What is the 20 25 rule for stocks?

One strategy to make a profit in stocks is to sell as soon as your potential gain reaches the range of 20-25%. This way, you gain from the stock while it is still on the rise. Aiming for this base value will make sure that you are able to gain sound returns. The 20-25% rule is significant.

At what percentage gain should I sell a stock?

20%-25% profits-taking rule

Profit-taking means selling a stock when it reaches a certain price to lock in your profits. There are different ways to make profits in the stock market. One common method is to set a specific percentage, like 10%, 15%, or 20%, as your profit target.

What is the 90% rule in stocks?

The Rule of 90 is a grim statistic that serves as a sobering reminder of the difficulty of trading. According to this rule, 90% of novice traders will experience significant losses within their first 90 days of trading, ultimately wiping out 90% of their initial capital.

Which is better, 50/30/20 or 70/20/10?

It can work well if your essential expenses are within 50% of your income and you want a balanced approach to spending and saving. 70/20/10 Rule: May be better if you aim to save more aggressively or have higher essential expenses that exceed 50% of your income.

What is the 4% rule all stocks?

One frequently used rule of thumb for retirement spending is known as the 4% rule. It's relatively simple: You add up all of your investments, and withdraw 4% of that total during your first year of retirement. In subsequent years, you adjust the dollar amount you withdraw to account for inflation.

What is the 1 rule in stock market?

What Is the 1% Rule in Trading? The 1% rule demands that traders never risk more than 1% of their total account value on a single trade.

How much stock should a 60 year old have?

Charles Schwab recommends an allocation of 60% stocks, 35% bonds and 5% in cash for investors ages 60-69. Some investors may instinctively feel that this is too high of an allocation, as they've been told for years that they should reduce or even eliminate risk from their portfolios as they approach retirement.

What is the Cramer rule of 40?

Rule of 40 Definition: In Software as a Service (SaaS) financial models, the “Rule of 40” states that a company's Revenue Growth + EBITDA Margin should equal or exceed 40% to be considered “healthy”; companies that exceed it by a wider margin may be valued more highly.

What is the 2% stop loss rule?

One popular method is the 2% Rule, which means you never put more than 2% of your account equity at risk (Table 1). For example, if you are trading a $50,000 account, and you choose a risk management stop loss of 2%, you could risk up to $1,000 on any given trade.

What time of day is best to sell stock?

So just to quickly summarise:

If you're looking for the best time to either buy or sell a stock during the trading day it is; During the last 10-15 minutes before market close. Or about an hour after the market opens.

What is the 3000 loss rule?

Capital losses that exceed capital gains in a year may be used to offset capital gains or as a deduction against ordinary income up to $3,000 in any one tax year. Net capital losses in excess of $3,000 can be carried forward indefinitely until the amount is exhausted.

What is the best money rule?

The 50/30/20 rule is a streamlined plan for anyone looking to spend and save responsibly. This rule recommends that you spend 50% of your post-tax income on necessities (housing, food, utilities, transportation, insurance, childcare); and 30% on wants (travel, gym memberships, cable, dining out, etc.).

What is the 80 20 rule for retirement?

Using the 80/20 budgeting method, 80% of your income goes toward monthly expenses and spending, while the other 20% goes toward savings and investments.

On what areas do most Americans spend outside of their budget?

Going over budget is nearly universal

Food is a major reason for overspending — nearly half of Americans (47%) say groceries are among the spending categories they find themselves overspending on most often each month, while 34% say the same about dining out.

What is the golden rule of stock?

2.1 First Golden Rule: 'Buy what's worth owning forever'

This rule tells you that when you are selecting which stock to buy, you should think as if you will co-own the company forever.

Is 100% stocks a bad idea?

On average, the researchers found, a 100% exposure to stocks produced some 30% more wealth at retirement than stocks and bonds combined. To accrue the same amount of money at retirement, an investor gradually blending into bonds would need to save 40% more than an all-in equity investor.

What is the rule number 1 in the stock market?

Warren Buffett and his mentor, Ben Graham, championed Rule #1 for one fundamental reason: minimizing loss. By minimizing losses, even in subpar investments, you increase your chances of finding winning investments over time.

At what age should you get out of the stock market?

The reality is that stocks do have market risk, but even those of you close to retirement or retired should stay invested in stocks to some degree in order to benefit from the upside over time. If you're 65, you could have two decades or more of living ahead of you and you'll want that potential boost.

How to avoid paying capital gains tax on stocks?

7 ways to avoid capital gains tax on stocks for any investor
  1. Donate stock to charity.
  2. Hold stock shares for more than one year.
  3. Invest in retirement accounts.
  4. Pass it on in your estate plans.
  5. Sell stocks when you're in a lower tax bracket.
  6. Offset your capital gains with losses (aka tax-loss harvesting).

Which month is best to sell stocks?

Best Months to Buy or Sell Stocks. Our analysis of S&P 500 data from 2000 to 2024 also revealed some clear monthly patterns. November is historically the strongest month, with an average daily return of 0.107% and positive returns 57% of the time. April and July are the next strongest months.