Final answer:
The investor can use the previous year's $5,000 loss to offset this year's $1,000 capital gain, resulting in a $4,000 loss carryover to the following year.
Step-by-step explanation:
The investor's tax situation for the current year, after having a $5,000 loss from the previous year and realizing a $1,000 capital gain this year, depends on the tax laws regarding capital loss carryovers. Typically, capital losses can be carried forward to offset capital gains in future years. Therefore, the $5,000 loss from the previous year can be used to offset the $1,000 gain from this year, resulting in a remaining loss of $4,000 that can be carried forward to subsequent years. The investor's specific tax situation this year would be option 4: He will have a $1,000 gain, which is offset by the previous year's loss, leaving a $4,000 loss to carry over to the next year.