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Penny Stocks-Timothy Sykes Millionaire Challenge

Lessons From Penny Stock Hold and Hopers

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Written by Timothy Sykes
Updated 8/5/2021 14 min read

Today, let’s talk about penny stock hold and hopers…

A few years back, this guy contacted me by email to tell me he’d lost a bunch of money investing in weed stocks. He’d been following the Wolf of Weed Street on Twitter. Then he invested his nest egg, watched it grow fast … and watched it tank even faster.

Realization set in. He and the rest of the ‘Wolf Pack’ were headed down a slippery slope. So he went to Florida for a face-to-face with the Wolf.

Later, as he tried to dig himself out of the mess, he got in touch with me. I told him every stock he was in was a pump and dump. Sell it all.

He wrote about his experience in “Men’s Journal.”

“Everything I owned tanked. Hour after hour I sat in front of my computer, watching as prices ratcheted into the toilet.” — Erik Hedegaard, “Buying High: How to Get Rich on Pot Stocks

Later the three of us — me, the article author, and the Wolf — went out to dinner. My treat. Read the article to see what happened. Then bookmark it. Come back to it any time you think the penny stock you’re about to buy is the next big thing.

Why? Because while penny stocks can spike big, too many people fall in love with the technology or the idea behind the company. And they go down with the ship.

Ride the Hype — But Don’t Buy BS

These stocks literally…

Never. Work. Out.

You have to learn to ride the hype, to buy the hype. But don’t hold and hope. Respect the fact that it’s 99.999% likely to fail. It happens over and over again.

Ignorance Is NOT Bliss With Penny Stocks

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Newbies aren’t bad people, they just don’t know what they’re doing. (My FREE guide to penny stocks is a great resource for new traders.) Promoters, on the other hand, they kinda are bad people. But whether you’re just dumb and ignorant or manipulative and ignorant, you’re gonna lose. Either way, you’re gonna be wrong.

The “Men’s Journal” article is one of the best examples of how penny stock pumps work…

Stock Trading Twitter Battles

I warned all the pot investors that the stocks were following big pump patterns. They came back with things like…

“Weed is gonna be legal. So much money is gonna come pouring into this industry.”

And…

“After it happens, no one is going to know who Tim Sykes is.”

So I was battling the Wolf of Weed Street on Twitter. He believed in his companies. Yes, he made a lot of money on the way up. And a lot of his followers made a lot of money. On the way up.

But he didn’t get off the ride at the top. He truly believed pot stocks would just keep going up.

I kept trying to tell them that it didn’t matter if pot became legal. It didn’t matter if it became a big business. The pattern was exactly the same and newbies were getting crushed.

The author of the “Men’s Journal” article believed, too. The ‘Wolf Pack’ believed. They were saying things like, “This is a new industry, Tim Sykes is a dinosaur, he doesn’t understand.”

Then when everything crashed exactly like I said it would, the writer saw what was happening.

It’s the Same Pattern Every Time

What does the big weed stock run of 2014 have to do with today? Everything. The same pattern just keeps coming. Let me show you some more recent examples…

Verb Technology Company, Inc. (NASDAQ: VERB)

A good example is VERB. This was being pumped a while ago. And I was fighting every naive sucker and promoter who was involved because the stock was just going up.

It wasn’t a question of if it was gonna fail. And they were trying to show me product demos and new agreements. I was saying “I don’t care — it’s a promoted stock.”

Here’s the VERB chart:

VERB 1-year chart — courtesy of StocksToTrade.com

When you look at the chart, understand VERB never hit the highs you see. It’s a true penny stock. Ticker changes … reverse splits … all to keep the price up. So the chart starts when the ticker changed to VERB. And just before it changed ticker…

Somebody was putting money into the promotion. They weren’t putting money into product development. So you have to wonder, why is somebody spending money to get the stock higher?

Again, it’s the same pattern. And I’m more focused on the pattern.

Here’s another example…

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories (OTCQB: KBLB)

Back in April, KBLB had a good press release, big volume, and a big percent gain. I was buying the first green day — which is a pattern I like. I thought it would spike again on day two. It didn’t. The big breakout was on day eight.

Sometimes the first green day doesn’t work exactly. But again, I was on the right track. The stock quintupled and then crashed. When it crashed, I tried my dip-buying strategy. But it didn’t bounce perfectly.

Take a look at the KBLB one-year chart:

KBLB 1-year chart — courtesy of StocksToTrade.com

Then when KBLB got all the way back up near its highs, I went for the breakout. It failed, but I recognized it wasn’t breaking out and got out for a small profit. A lot of people didn’t. They believed in the company. And they lost.

Here’s an even more recent example…

Green Holding Corporation, Formerly Discovery Gold Corp (OTCPK: DCGD)

This is a stock that came up from under a penny all the way to over $2 a share. That’s a ridiculous percent gain. Whether it’s promoted or not. (They put out a press release saying they just became aware there was a big promotion. Companies always like to play dumb.) And I don’t care whether they knew or not. The fact is, there was a promotion.

So if you look at a lot of my recent tweets, you see I’m fighting with DCGD longs, bagholders, or promoters. I don’t know the difference, and it doesn’t matter. All I know is this follows my pattern.

The crazy thing is the bagholders, pumpers, and believers keep trying to tell me how good their company is. And how wise their CEO is. It follows the same pattern. People are just idiots.

I’ve seen this a lot. So yes, I was ripping it even as it was going higher. But just like during the big weed stock run, I was getting blamed when they crashed. I never shorted DCGD. And I never shorted KBLB.

Pump or Not, Always Lock in Gains Along the Way

These are low-priced stocks. You don’t know how far they’re gonna go, and shorting is tough right now. And I don’t mind buying these. But at the same time, when I’m buying I lock in 10%–20% gains along the way. I don’t hold and hope. I trade with these rules.

And recently DCGD made another run. My guess is that the pump a few weeks back was because some restricted shares became unrestricted. Often you’ll see pumping going on right before insiders can sell.

Here’s the DCGD one-year chart:

DCGD 1-year chart — courtesy of StocksToTrade.com

Pumping happens to get the stock price up so insiders can sell at inflated prices. Whether that’s what actually happened … that’s what it looks like. So I was ripping on this long before the crash, and then I got blamed for the crash. But I was buying it. Not shorting it.

To learn all my rules and patterns, read “The Complete Penny Stock Course.” (Hint: see page 193 for pump and dumps.)

“Why anyone would take investment advice from a Twitter handle escapes me at the moment.” — Erik Hedegaard, “Buying High: How to Get Rich on Pot Stocks

Learn to trade rather than follow someone’s Twitter pump. And if you’re gonna learn to trade, be careful choosing your teacher. Do they share all their trades — both wins and losses? Do they know the patterns? Do they have experience?

If you’re ready for full penny stock trading immersion, apply for the Trading Challenge.

Experience and Honesty

I like being honest.

So even if a stock is going higher, I’m gonna say pump it higher. But I’m still not gonna believe in the company. And I’m not gonna be surprised when everything comes crashing down. I’ve seen it too many times.

By all means, ride these pumps up on every breakout and big volume push. But never believe the hype.

Like Trading Challenge student suhwateeze said in chat the other day: “Once you really believe in them, the promoters have done their job.”

So learn to get off along the way. Learn to take profits. And be careful shorting. I wouldn’t short — you just don’t know how high they can go and short squeezes are wrecking people lately.

Study the Past to Prepare for the Future

I’m a glorified history teacher. I’ve been teaching this pattern for over a decade now. I’ve seen it play out countless times over the past 20 years.

The key is not being ignorant. Study up. Learn from the past because it’s the same pattern every time. What you read about in the “Men’s Journal” article — it’s gonna happen again. Will you be prepared?

My goal with the Trading Challenge is to be the mentor to you that I never had. I’m not that great at math. And I became a multi-millionaire without having a teacher. But I made a lot of boneheaded mistakes along the way. I teach so you don’t have to make the same mistakes.

Recent Tweets, Comments, and Trades from Students

Here’s a look at some of my students’ recent comments in the chat rooms and on Twitter…

From the Trading Challenge Chat Room

Profit.ly user BrandoKlein: “played the bounce on $SPNV from yesterday’s crash 6k shares long @.3480 out @.41 for a $380 profit. gl all today. No trades until tomorrow.”

Or this one from Profit.ly user PapaD: “$ONCS: In at $2.09. 1/2 out at $2.27, all out at $2.28. It’s putting me to sleep. Small position, small profit, right morning plan.”

And this from greenking49: “another day in the office. 1 min left. $300 on the day. see yall tomorrow.”

More Comments from the TimAlerts Chat Room

Remember, singles add up…

How about this first trade from Hal3000:  “1st Trade $NM, 5.45 In, 5.70 Out Made $13…..Woo Hoo!!!”

Profit.ly user tdtrader: “$OCGN in@ 1.81 out@ 2.00 7.14%.”

And Profit.ly user forcesteeler: “Sold 2000 shares GHSI quick $300.”

Here’s a nice trade from Profit.ly user Vetdealer: “Got my fill $LVCA 19% profit for $540 Yes!”

What about this awesome trade by Profit.ly user PolishGuy: “Covered 6k shares of $LCI for almost 3k profit.”

And I really love this one from Profit.ly user dani_jeane: “In $COWPP @ .078 out at .1594 100+ percent profit!!”

Congratulations, dani_jeane! Nice.

Student Tweets

Big things have small beginnings….

@ScoutPfft made his first OTC trade on October 10:

And here’s what Twitter user @ScenicSplendor says about “The Complete Penny Stock Course”:

How about new Trading Challenge student @AdamYaretz working hard to grow his knowledge account:

[Please note these results are not typical. These traders have exceptional knowledge and skills that they’ve developed with time and dedication. Most traders lose money. Trading is risky. Do your due diligence and never risk more than you can afford.]

What do you think about penny stock hold and hopers? Comment below, I love to hear from all my readers!


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Author card Timothy Sykes picture

Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. He’s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and more. He’s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity. Read More

* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”