Best Short-Term Return You've Ever Made?

[jt999]

I did not see any thread with this so I thought it would be fun to ask if folks would like to share their best short-term returns they've ever enjoyed? Maybe include %'s in lieu of $.

I typically buy and hold stocks so I'm more of a long-term value investor but my most handsome gain was of the short-term variety in June 2016.

I had been following LinkedIn as I really liked the platform and as most, saw how so many folks used it to make business connections and enhance their careers.

I bought and sold it twice for decent gains in 2015/2016 - I believed in the platform but the stock was so volatile so it was a hard one to hold. After they reported a big earnings miss (I believe it was April 2016), stock fell from ~$170 to $90. I did not have a position at the time but was checking the RSI and I remember it was in the low teens so it was beyond oversold. With my pulse quickening, I bought a really sizeable position (for me, anyways)


The media reports were really negative - I remember watching the business networks and they were saying there was hate-selling (whatever that means).

It rebounded to like $110 the next month and then Microsoft came in and bought out LinkedIn for $180/share in June 2016.

I had not yet heard the news. I remember logging into my brokerage account. and seeing a big green + amount for the day. I thought I logged into the wrong account - I literally thought it was a mistake. It was better than waking up on Christmas morning as a 5 year old.

I think Microsoft eventually upped their offer to the mid-190's but I was long gone by then ...it was a clean double in 2 months but also a gift for Uncle Sam as it was in my Brokerage Account and not my IRA - DOH! - and thus a STCG.


Does anybody have some simple technical indicators (like RSI) they utilize to make better buying and selling decisions? Which ones do you find are the most effective/reliable?

 

[NYEXPAT]

one order of magnitude over a 3-4 hour period back in Oct 1987.

 

[Sunset]

Not a short term, but very little effort on my part.

I had an old insurance policy that cost me $110 per year. They sent me a letter telling me they were changing their corp structure and I was entitled to shares or money.

So I phoned to find out, I still have the insurance nothing was changing but I could get a couple of thousand in cash or leave it as stock with them.
So I left it.
After a year I realized I should have taken the money and called them up, but by then it had doubled so I cashed out right away!

 

[braumeister]

I don't know about best, but the one I enjoyed the most was Enron.

I bought some in early 2000. My skeptical self got nervous about it and sold it later that year for about an 18% gain. Not a big sum, but I've always felt good about it, and even today I smile whenever I hear Enron mentioned.

 

[Winemaker]

Back in 1981 when I first started, my coal company was part of Conoco Oil. After I had accumulated a couple hundred shares in the 20's, the first big corporate takeover war began with Mobil, Dome Petroleum, Dupont, Seagram and a host of others. Tendered at $105, put me in the 6 figures in my corporate thrift plan, after 6 months. From there, I was off to the races!

 

[6miths]

That half hour I spent in the church getting married. Immeasurable gains. None monetary in the short term.

 

[bja1234]

Harness Horses....claimed a pacing mare for $7500, 6 days later raced her in a $10,000 claimer, she won and was claimed away from me. Score: $2500 gain in the difference of claiming price, $5000 purse money, wrote off $100 dinner at the track.....expenses:$300 training bill....Profit: $8200 on $7500 investment in 6 days......now that is fun!

 

[Aerides]

Once on a day cruise I started with 20 at a blackjack table. Within about 10 mins I was up to $80. I thought "well that's a nice pair of shoes!"

I took my money and went up on the deck to get some sun and that was it for my gambling day.

 

[COcheesehead]

Hit two slot machine jackpots in one day.
That and... adopting a dog.

Best short term paybacks ever.

 

[REWahoo]

A bit over $1,500 on a $6 investment on the first cruise DW and I ever took. Won the end-of-cruise pot in a game of progressive blackout bingo.

 

[Jerry1]

Most - Paid $2 for a Powerball ticket and won $50K.

Most “wish I’d have bought more” - Bought gold when it was under $300/oz. Bought one of each coin denomination for my daughters. Still have it.

Most fun - Playing video poker and getting a Royal Flush. Had all the diamonds on the draw except I had the Jack of Hearts. In the draw was the Jack of Diamonds. So on the draw, I had a jacks or better pair. Almost held the two jacks and hit deal until I looked closer at the hand. Gave up the pair and got the Royal. $1,000 - should have been betting dollars.

Sorry, no quick stock money. I’ve done well on a few options trades, but I was in for such a small amount, doubling my money was still just a few hundred bucks.

 

[Bestwifeever]

$75k on a $5 lottery ticket: $25k to taxes, $25k to the person who gave me the ticket, $25k to me! Most fun experience I think I’ve ever had for a number of reasons.

 

[Stonewalker]

That half hour I spent in the church getting married. Immeasurable gains. None monetary in the short term.

+1

 

[LastOfTheBoomers]

The small software company I worked for was too cheap to hand out stock options - but they did let us buy at the IPO price which was $14 Sold on the first day at $19 - it never went any higher than that for the next 2 years - I wasn’t making that much so being taxed at the short term rate was not that big a deal. I only bought a 200 shares.

 

[Closet_Gamer]

I spent a short time in private equity. We researched the hell out of a distressed corporate bond issue for a customer. Customer didn't pull the trigger but we knew enough to know that it wasn't going to default.

Bond was trading at a 30% discount with 6 months left until maturity. Bought and captured the last of the coupon plus got the full face back.

Winner winner, chicken dinner.

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

Got in on Beyond Meat Ipo last week. Made 130% in 5 hours. 6 figure profit. Sold out too quick as it tripled within days. Not complaining, thankful for return.

 

[Midpack]

My big wins were long ago. In terms of short term, I bought OCF at 9-something per share in Aug 86 (hostile takeover attempt cratered the stock) and sold at 38-something in Feb 87.

 

[Markola]

We bought a house in Atlanta in 2011, making the first offer on it in 6 months. Sold in 2014 at 50% higher than we paid, with the proceeds putting our net worth in double comma territory for the first time. We’re on our 4th house and average returns won’t be as good across the lot of them but that particular sale on House #3 worked out well and felt good. Don’t ask me about House #2. House #1 sale went well in 2001 and let us pay off DW’s student loans.

 

[kcowan]

Pure speculation. When Nortel was crashing, I put in a market order when it was 78 cents. Got filled at 82 and sold for 1.86. No analysis. Just a hunch. It eventually went to 7.50 before the final crash and burn. No regrets. Never held it before or since.

 

[flintnational]

Bought a house in the DC area in 2002 and sold it 4 years later for 50% more than we paid. I have probably made a higher percent in a shorter period but this was a larger dollar gain.

 

[ziggy29]

Got in on an Internet IPO during the dotcom bubble of 1998-99. I was eligible to buy 100 shares at the IPO price of 19, which I did, then almost immediately sold for 61 on the first day of trading. Made over $4,000 in a few minutes.

 

[COZICAN]

I bought silver at 14ish and sold at 50ish.

 

[mickj]

Bought in April of this year some of my company stock and I am up 50'ish %

Now the stress of deciding when to sell.

 

[KenZ71]

Held triple leveraged ETFs for 18 months

If memory serves correctly SOXL was a triple, UPRO double, UDOW enough that I sold all 3 and now sit in mostly preferred stock & housing REITS

Most definitely more luck than skill. Might put a small chunk in them after next correction

 

[Car-Guy]

I once made (won) almost 70k in two hours at one casino. I've made 30 to 40k in one day playing at casinos several times. (All table games) Since you didn't ask about short term losses, I'll not common on those, but they far exceed the wins.