Averaging Down — The Trade That May Never End

Disciplined Trading Strategies · Feb 5, 2026 · 16m

The term averaging can be confusing for newer traders. In simple terms, it means entering a stock at one price and then adding more shares later, which creates an average cost basis based on how many shares were purchased at each price. Buying at higher prices is known as averaging up, while buying at lower prices is averaging down.

In this episode, we take a deeper look at the pros and cons of the three different ways traders add shares to a position. These approaches I refer to as professional, risky, and deadly — and understanding the difference may be the key to avoiding a trade that…