bag holding

American  

[bag hohl-ding] / ˈbæg ˌhoʊl dɪŋ /

Sometimes bag-holding or bagholding

noun

1. the act of retaining an unprofitable investment to avoid selling it at a loss, only to suffer an even worse loss when the investment eventually becomes worthless.

   Bag holding is something most traders have done at some point, even the best ones.

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adjective

1. Usually bagholding having, relating to, or characterizing an investment that is or will likely become worthless after the investor’s failure to sell it at a loss earlier in its decline.

   Sites like that give bagholding investors a false sense of security.

   He told me how to identify and avoid stocks that pose a higher bag holding risk.

Etymology

Origin of bag holding

First recorded in 2015–20

Example Sentences

A bag holding $1,000 face value of pre-1965 silver coins—dimes, quarters and half dollars—now costs about $38,000.

From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025

Wells hit a grounder that appeared headed for center field, but Edman smothered it with a diving stop on the second-base side of the bag, holding Wells to a single that loaded the bases.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 26, 2024

Murphy took to keeping a "go" bag holding dialysis equipment in case such a situation arose.

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2022

Allfrey’s father presented Honnold with a congratulatory gift: a grocery bag holding four packages of one of his favorite foods, Pepperidge Farm soft-baked cookies.

From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2015

She shoots me a strange look, grabs a plastic bag holding an aluminum tray, and reaches the back door just as her mother cracks it open.

From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi