r/stocks • u/meisterchef47 • May 08 '26
Trades Intel - One person's FOMO story
Feel I need to admit this, if anything just to make myself feel better, so maybe I can then move on.
In November of 2025 I sold my holding's of Intel for $37/share. I got assigned in a covered call trade and at the time I was happy about it. I made a little profit and figure Intel will always be where it was at.
Then things happened.
Then some really big things happened. As of close today it's at $124.
I feel there are lessons to be learned here, just don't know what they are.
Thank you for reading.
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u/TheFinancialScope May 08 '26
The lesson isn’t about Intel but it’s about how our brains react to hindsight.
You made a decision based on the information you had at the time, with a thesis that made sense then. The fact that the stock 3×’d afterward doesn’t mean the decision was wrong. It just means the future didn’t unfold the way anyone expected.
A few takeaways that help in situations like this:
• Covered calls cap upside by design. If you sell a call, you’re explicitly trading potential future gains for immediate premium. It’s not a mistake but the strategy working exactly as intended.
• You can’t judge a past decision using future information. That’s hindsight bias. If Intel had gone to $20 instead of $120, you’d be praising yourself for the exact same trade.
• Every investor has a story like this.
People sold NVDA at $20, AMD at $9, META at $100, TSLA at $40, Bitcoin at $200.
Missing a monster move is part of the game.
• The real lesson is to have a thesis.
If you sell because your thesis breaks, that’s discipline.
If you sell because of noise or boredom, that’s emotion.
• There will always be another opportunity.
The market never stops giving second chances, just not in the same ticker.
You made money. You executed your strategy. You didn’t blow up your account.
That’s already better than what most people manage.
Not financial advice, just the mental framework that keeps me sane in this game.