[isatrader]

I think I was not brave enough originally - I believe I ought to have put the original stop somewhere near 1100 but I put it nearer the MA30. I can see a stop going in in November at the time of the low with a value of about 1480 - but as an investor I don't see another opportunity to raise it unless the late January dip to around 1800 counts as a good time to raise the stop. I think you are saying that is where a stop should go - I think we're agreeing, but you are the experienced one.

I did actually mean the November low still, as the January low would be be debatable as to whether the investor stop could be raised, as you aren't allowed to raise to the next swing low until there's a continuation breakout or the 30 week MA begins to flatten, which neither happened in this case, and so the November swing low is the maximum it could have been raised to currently imo.

But one thing I learnt from some additional study that I've done on the stop loss positioning in the Elite section of the site using examples from the Global Trend Alert Newsletter that Weinstein does, is that the investor stop loss can be raised more frequently than the book suggests, as long as it stays below the significant swing low and the 30 week MA. And so, in this case it could have been raised from the 1400s placement in November gradually up to just under 1650 as long as it stayed below the 30 week MA. I haven't got clarification from Weinstein on this, and it's something I intend to ask directly. But my research of his GTA examples suggest that it is the case, as there were multiple examples in his newsletter of the investor stop loss still under the swing low, but having been moved up with the 30 week MA.

I'll need to read up on the scoring system. Certainly the shape of the chart, the approach this week close to the Nov swing low, rang alarm bells for a potential stage 3. However, given my understanding the problem is that I might not go to the stage 3 stopping process until after it has done such a move as over the last few days. Phrased another way - without a lower low or a 'toppy' shape I should not yet be using such an aggressive stopping scheme?

It had a lower low, and is making a toppy shape - possible left shoulder and head visible on chart, and price well below the 30 week MA, plus other deteriorating technicals like the relative performance significantly weakening and close to it's zero line. So it is certainly very likely it's in early Stage 3A, which Weinstein defines as: "Stage 3A - Looks as if a top is starting to form. Be sure to protect holdings with a close stop."

So if it is in Stage 3A, then you should be considering a more aggressive stopping scheme from now on with it, as it's no longer behaving like a Stage 2 stock should and so you need to protect your gains.