Let us return to driving as a reference. When you first start
driving, you will not enter the highway and take the car at speeds of sixty and seventy miles per hour. Instead, you
will stay in residential areas or at least on the access road,
where there is less pressure to maintain such a high speed.
In the stock market, you will also want to stay away from
any expensive stocks or extremely volatile investments until
you have become extremely comfortable with the process of
trading.
There are small investment opportunities referred to as
“penny stocks”, which will help you try out your sea legs and
get a feel for how the stock market works prior to investing
large sums of money and risking a big financial loss. These
particular stocks cost literally pennies or small dollar
amounts and typically only fluctuate fractions of a cent on
any given day, making them extremely safe for those just
starting out.
Once you get the hang of it and can better judge the market
trends, you can comfortably move on to more complicated
and adventurous areas of the market. It is like removing
the training wheels from your bicycle or entering the
freeway the first time at an hour of the day when there is no
traffic to contend with.
Be aware that, just like you may fall off your bike once or
twice and end up with some scrapes and bruises, you may
lose money in an investment here and there. This is very
typical, and investing in the stock market is a lot like
gambling. In poker, you cannot expect to win every hand,
and the same is true in the world of investments. Learning
to watch the market trends, though, is similar to watching
other cars as you join traffic and determining the correct
speed and proximity to other cars for optimal safety. Such
diligent study can help you improve your statistics drastically
in a short time.
Showing posts with label What the Stock Market is All About. Show all posts
Showing posts with label What the Stock Market is All About. Show all posts
Saturday, February 16, 2008
How Investment Works
Any time you are going to be putting your money into a
fund; it is a good idea to start by understanding what you
are buying into. The stock market is a complicated entity,
and doing minimal business in trading requires a fair amount
of basic knowledge, as well as the understanding and
acceptance of the high risk factor. The more you know in
advance regarding the functionality of the system, the less
likely it is that you will take a heavy hit, ending in
devastating loss.
First of all and probably most important in the trading
business, you should understand what stocks actually are.
When you buy or sell a stock on the open market, you
should keep in mind that you are dealing with real objects,
not pieces of paper; you are buying and selling real parts of
a particular company, its product, or some other various
commodity.
Owning a “share” means that you have actually bought into
the company or product involved and become a partial
owner of that commodity. Of course, you could be one of
millions of shareholders, as most companies and products
are broken into minute pieces of the whole, but you are still
considered an investor in that company or product until you
sell your shares.
Think of it as paying for a tank of gas in the car that your
parents bought for you to drive. You may have even bought
the oil filter that has been put on the car, and you may feel
that this investment makes you part owner. However, when
you look at the overall cost of the car, you have really
contributed very little to that amount. However, as long as
you continue to invest in the gas for the car and take care of
the maintenance needs, you can claim part ownership of the
car.
Because the value of a company and its products or services
can fluctuate continuously, the value of the stocks you hold
will not be the same from day to day and can sometimes
even change hourly. When the price per share drops and is
considered low, it is an ideal time to purchase. This is the
least expensive way to begin your trading venture, and
working with a stock broker will allow you to gain more
information as to what stocks are ripe for the purchase at
any given time.
In doing so, you become a stockholder, and the value of
your holdings will fluctuate from day to day. Your gamble
(and hope!) is that the value of the company or product in
which you have invested will increase or rebound from the
low price at which you made your purchase. This is the goal
of all traders and means that your stock will become more
valuable.
As the value of your securities increases, so does your net
worth. When the price of the stock in your possession
reaches a high point, it is time to sell, making a profit on
your original investment. Ideally, you will always sell your
holdings for a reasonably higher price than the purchase
amount and should never sell when the current value of the
stock is below your initial purchase price. It is important to
make sure that you do not purposely take a net loss because
there are plenty of occasions when you could be forced to
take a loss.
For example, if you purchase shares of a company at twenty
dollars each, you should never sell them for eighteen dollars
apiece. If possible, you want to hold off until they are each
worth perhaps forty dollars, in essence doubling your
money. Of course, this is just an example, and not all
stocks will ever double in value, but the illustration is
meaningful.
There are other, more complex ways to invest in the stock
market. However, much like learning to ride a bicycle, you
do not want to make your first attempt without training
wheels.
fund; it is a good idea to start by understanding what you
are buying into. The stock market is a complicated entity,
and doing minimal business in trading requires a fair amount
of basic knowledge, as well as the understanding and
acceptance of the high risk factor. The more you know in
advance regarding the functionality of the system, the less
likely it is that you will take a heavy hit, ending in
devastating loss.
First of all and probably most important in the trading
business, you should understand what stocks actually are.
When you buy or sell a stock on the open market, you
should keep in mind that you are dealing with real objects,
not pieces of paper; you are buying and selling real parts of
a particular company, its product, or some other various
commodity.
Owning a “share” means that you have actually bought into
the company or product involved and become a partial
owner of that commodity. Of course, you could be one of
millions of shareholders, as most companies and products
are broken into minute pieces of the whole, but you are still
considered an investor in that company or product until you
sell your shares.
Think of it as paying for a tank of gas in the car that your
parents bought for you to drive. You may have even bought
the oil filter that has been put on the car, and you may feel
that this investment makes you part owner. However, when
you look at the overall cost of the car, you have really
contributed very little to that amount. However, as long as
you continue to invest in the gas for the car and take care of
the maintenance needs, you can claim part ownership of the
car.
Because the value of a company and its products or services
can fluctuate continuously, the value of the stocks you hold
will not be the same from day to day and can sometimes
even change hourly. When the price per share drops and is
considered low, it is an ideal time to purchase. This is the
least expensive way to begin your trading venture, and
working with a stock broker will allow you to gain more
information as to what stocks are ripe for the purchase at
any given time.
In doing so, you become a stockholder, and the value of
your holdings will fluctuate from day to day. Your gamble
(and hope!) is that the value of the company or product in
which you have invested will increase or rebound from the
low price at which you made your purchase. This is the goal
of all traders and means that your stock will become more
valuable.
As the value of your securities increases, so does your net
worth. When the price of the stock in your possession
reaches a high point, it is time to sell, making a profit on
your original investment. Ideally, you will always sell your
holdings for a reasonably higher price than the purchase
amount and should never sell when the current value of the
stock is below your initial purchase price. It is important to
make sure that you do not purposely take a net loss because
there are plenty of occasions when you could be forced to
take a loss.
For example, if you purchase shares of a company at twenty
dollars each, you should never sell them for eighteen dollars
apiece. If possible, you want to hold off until they are each
worth perhaps forty dollars, in essence doubling your
money. Of course, this is just an example, and not all
stocks will ever double in value, but the illustration is
meaningful.
There are other, more complex ways to invest in the stock
market. However, much like learning to ride a bicycle, you
do not want to make your first attempt without training
wheels.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
What the Stock Market is All About
In any business or moneymaking venture, preparation and
foreknowledge are the keys to success. Without this sort of
insight, the attempt to make a profitable financial decision
can only end in disaster and failure, regardless of your level
of motivation and determination or the amount of money
you plan to invest.
In the stock market, this rule applies to the nth degree, as
you are investing your own money in what could be
considered a high risk wager, and you are playing with fire if
you do not have at least a general background knowledge of
how it functions. Since having a background in any area is
helpful in guiding you down a path in that particular region,
the more solid your basis of investment knowledge is, the
more likely you are to profit from any attempt to trade on
the open market.
In many ways, trading on the stock market can be
compared to driving – you do not have to be an expert to
get behind the wheel of a car, though you are expected to
have some previous knowledge about basic traffic laws,
including moving violations, safety regulations, and other
legal vehicular infractions, which are learned through either
specific study and coursework or even through some form of
5
simple exposure (such as the years you have spent riding
with your parents and others who have driven for years).
You should be able to comprehend the basic tools used to
navigate a car (where the break pedal is located versus the
gas, and how to use the rearview mirror, for example), even
if you have never touched a steering wheel.
The same is true in entering the world of the stock market.
While you do not have to know all the terminology (you will
not be short selling or determining your own long and short
positions at first, so you do not have to understand these
references completely, though you should be aware of
them), you should certainly be versed in the basic
functionality of trading stocks, bonds, securities, and other
commodities. And just like someone who is behind the
wheel of a car and getting ready to touch the gas pedal for
the first time, you should start out with caution and work
your way in slowly. A first time driver will first set the
mirrors to his or her own liking, then put the car in gear,
look for any interfering traffic, and ease onto the gas pedal,
never flooring it and testing the engine coming out of the
gate on the first attempt. Likewise, when you select your
first investment, you should choose something stable with
little fluctuation and not invest a large sum of money on this
first venture.
When a person is learning to drive, he or she will be
accompanied by another individual who is more experienced
6
and can assist them in making better driving decisions and
offering corrections that will aid in learning to handle the car
more efficiently. In the stock market, there are
stockbrokers and other experts who can give you input and
advice to help you in building your knowledge of the
commodities in which you are interested, essentially
“steering” you toward better stock market buying and selling
decisions.
You could spend hours and hours researching the stock
market and its functionality, learning how to become
involved in the trade and who to contact to get in the game,
especially if your interest lies in the Foreign Exchange
Market, which goes far beyond the level of complication of
the domestic stock market. However, in this book, you will
find all the basic information you need to get started down
the path to trading success. All of the leg work and tough
research has been done for you, collecting the data and
knowledge into one source from which you can gain enough
insight to make you a successful trader on the open market.
All you have to do is read in order to gain knowledge and
wisdom, step by step that will bring you to a heady level of
success. In this ebook, you will find all such helpful
information, all brought together in one single source for
ease of reference.
7
How Investment Works
Any time you are going to be putting your money into a
fund; it is a good idea to start by understanding what you
are buying into. The stock market is a complicated entity,
and doing minimal business in trading requires a fair amount
of basic knowledge, as well as the understanding and
acceptance of the high risk factor. The more you know in
advance regarding the functionality of the system, the less
likely it is that you will take a heavy hit, ending in
devastating loss.
First of all and probably most important in the trading
business, you should understand what stocks actually are.
When you buy or sell a stock on the open market, you
should keep in mind that you are dealing with real objects,
not pieces of paper; you are buying and selling real parts of
a particular company, its product, or some other various
commodity.
Owning a “share” means that you have actually bought into
the company or product involved and become a partial
owner of that commodity. Of course, you could be one of
millions of shareholders, as most companies and products
are broken into minute pieces of the whole, but you are still
considered an investor in that company or product until you
sell your shares.
foreknowledge are the keys to success. Without this sort of
insight, the attempt to make a profitable financial decision
can only end in disaster and failure, regardless of your level
of motivation and determination or the amount of money
you plan to invest.
In the stock market, this rule applies to the nth degree, as
you are investing your own money in what could be
considered a high risk wager, and you are playing with fire if
you do not have at least a general background knowledge of
how it functions. Since having a background in any area is
helpful in guiding you down a path in that particular region,
the more solid your basis of investment knowledge is, the
more likely you are to profit from any attempt to trade on
the open market.
In many ways, trading on the stock market can be
compared to driving – you do not have to be an expert to
get behind the wheel of a car, though you are expected to
have some previous knowledge about basic traffic laws,
including moving violations, safety regulations, and other
legal vehicular infractions, which are learned through either
specific study and coursework or even through some form of
5
simple exposure (such as the years you have spent riding
with your parents and others who have driven for years).
You should be able to comprehend the basic tools used to
navigate a car (where the break pedal is located versus the
gas, and how to use the rearview mirror, for example), even
if you have never touched a steering wheel.
The same is true in entering the world of the stock market.
While you do not have to know all the terminology (you will
not be short selling or determining your own long and short
positions at first, so you do not have to understand these
references completely, though you should be aware of
them), you should certainly be versed in the basic
functionality of trading stocks, bonds, securities, and other
commodities. And just like someone who is behind the
wheel of a car and getting ready to touch the gas pedal for
the first time, you should start out with caution and work
your way in slowly. A first time driver will first set the
mirrors to his or her own liking, then put the car in gear,
look for any interfering traffic, and ease onto the gas pedal,
never flooring it and testing the engine coming out of the
gate on the first attempt. Likewise, when you select your
first investment, you should choose something stable with
little fluctuation and not invest a large sum of money on this
first venture.
When a person is learning to drive, he or she will be
accompanied by another individual who is more experienced
6
and can assist them in making better driving decisions and
offering corrections that will aid in learning to handle the car
more efficiently. In the stock market, there are
stockbrokers and other experts who can give you input and
advice to help you in building your knowledge of the
commodities in which you are interested, essentially
“steering” you toward better stock market buying and selling
decisions.
You could spend hours and hours researching the stock
market and its functionality, learning how to become
involved in the trade and who to contact to get in the game,
especially if your interest lies in the Foreign Exchange
Market, which goes far beyond the level of complication of
the domestic stock market. However, in this book, you will
find all the basic information you need to get started down
the path to trading success. All of the leg work and tough
research has been done for you, collecting the data and
knowledge into one source from which you can gain enough
insight to make you a successful trader on the open market.
All you have to do is read in order to gain knowledge and
wisdom, step by step that will bring you to a heady level of
success. In this ebook, you will find all such helpful
information, all brought together in one single source for
ease of reference.
7
How Investment Works
Any time you are going to be putting your money into a
fund; it is a good idea to start by understanding what you
are buying into. The stock market is a complicated entity,
and doing minimal business in trading requires a fair amount
of basic knowledge, as well as the understanding and
acceptance of the high risk factor. The more you know in
advance regarding the functionality of the system, the less
likely it is that you will take a heavy hit, ending in
devastating loss.
First of all and probably most important in the trading
business, you should understand what stocks actually are.
When you buy or sell a stock on the open market, you
should keep in mind that you are dealing with real objects,
not pieces of paper; you are buying and selling real parts of
a particular company, its product, or some other various
commodity.
Owning a “share” means that you have actually bought into
the company or product involved and become a partial
owner of that commodity. Of course, you could be one of
millions of shareholders, as most companies and products
are broken into minute pieces of the whole, but you are still
considered an investor in that company or product until you
sell your shares.
Introduction to the FX Market
Forex, or Foreign Exchange, is the simultaneous exchange of one country's currency for that of another. In the FX market, all currencies are traded in pairs, for example EUR/USD or USD/JPY. Traders are able to BUY or SELL currency pairs. If you BUY a currency pair, you are buying the first (base) currency in the pair and selling the second (quote or counter) currency in the pair.
A trader buys the pair if he believes the base (first) currency will appreciate relative to the quote (second) currency. SELLING the currency pair implies selling the first (base) currency and buying the second (quote or counter) currency. A trader sells the pair if he believes the base (first) currency will depreciate relative to the quote (second) currency.
On the Global Trading System, if the rate is rising, buyers are making money; if the rate is falling, sellers are making money. You can buy or sell any currency at any time, and thus can profit in any economic situation. To learn more about the basic aspects of trading currencies, including margin/leverage, spreads and rollover
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