Do folks here use stop loss orders or stop limit orders for downside protection?
If I use them, I prefer a stop limit just like I generally use limit orders for buying instead of market orders.
If something gets executed buying/selling I want a defined entry/exit, especially if I’m not paying attention closely.
That being said if you use a stop limit you run the risk of it not being executed should you get a wild fluctuation, say off earnings or news or just the overall market like the other week. If you’re just looking to make sure you get out to minimize the loss no matter the price drop then stop loss is better. It depends on your goal.
It’s also a good reason to look at charts and know support levels and such. Say it breaks this support level by such and such percent..okay that’s where I’ll put the stop in etc.. Setting it can be tricky though because you could get stopped out when you don’t want to be if you don’t pay attention to “natural gyrations” of a particular stock.
I don’t tend to use them too often though because I operate in a “safer” space so to speak than some names I see people bring up here. I’m more likely to accumulate on further drops than look to get out and minimize a loss.