When should you sell a losing investment vs hold and hope it recovers?

don't sell just because you're spooked or hold just because you can't face the loss - that's emotion talking. the real question is whether the reason you bought it still holds up: if the company's fundamentals broke, the market shifted, or you found better opportunities elsewhere, selling makes sense even at a loss. but if the thesis is intact and you genuinely believe it'll recover (not just hoping), then time in the market beats trying to time it. the key is having a plan before you buy, so you're not making this decision in a panic.