"I'll sell when it gets back to my entry." That sentence has trapped more traders in losing positions than any bad chart. It's anchoring — clinging to a number the market no longer cares about.
NoVo Options Trading ·
Anchoring bias is over-relying on one reference point — often the first number you saw — when making decisions. In trading, that anchor is usually your entry price, a recent high, or a round number, and it distorts every judgment that follows.
Anchored to your entry
The most expensive anchor is your own entry price. "I'll get out at break-even" treats your entry as meaningful, but the market has no memory of what you paid (loss aversion). Waiting to get back to even on a position that has structurally broken down is anchoring holding you in a loser (how to take a loss).
Anchored to old highs and round numbers
"It was $50 last week, so $45 is cheap" ignores that conditions changed — the old high is an anchor, not a valuation. Round numbers ($100, $750) act as psychological anchors too, which is partly why they cluster with real levels (support and resistance). The anchor feels like analysis; it's just a number you got attached to.
The market doesn't know your entry, doesn't owe you break-even, and doesn't care what the price was last week. Only you are anchored — and the anchor is what's sinking you.
Cutting the anchor
Judge a position by where price is now and what the structure says next — not by your entry or a stale high. Let a pre-set stop define "wrong," independent of what you paid (stop-loss orders). A mechanical system has no entry to be anchored to emotionally — it evaluates current conditions and exits on rule, not on getting back to even (mechanical vs discretionary).
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NoVo is a software tool for market analysis, not financial advice. This article is general education, not investment advice. Options trading involves substantial risk of loss, up to and including your entire capital. NoVo makes no guarantee of profit, win rate, or performance, and past results do not predict future outcomes. You are responsible for your own broker account, configuration, and trading decisions.
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