Sep 03 2010

What is an IPO?

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 5:00 pm

Have you ever wondered what exactly is up with Stock Market? This informative report can give you an insight into everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Stock Market.

An initial pubic offering is an IPO. In effect what an IPO does it takes a private company public. It is also a means for an existing company listed on one of the exchanges to spin off or create a new company from its parent company. It all sounds pretty straight forward.

Reasons for going public:

The most obvious reason for a private company to enter the public market is raising immediate liquid assets by way of offering shares in the company. Most private companies would prefer to avoid all of the burden of complying with reporting and other regulations, but sometimes a company needs to expand or generate large sums of money to keep up with competition. The reasons are the advantage of offering a chunk of the company without losing control of the company.

IPOs Past and Present:

If you find yourself confused by what you’ve read to this point, don’t despair. Everything should be crystal clear by the time you finish.

Before the acts of a few bad apples like Enron, WorldCom and others IPOs flourished on Wall Street. From the mid 1990s to the early 2000s each day brought a new public offering to the market place. Some weeks two or three new IPOs were introduced to the public market place. There were necessary compliance issues to deal with and prices to set and then the IPO hit the market and the exchanges decided what to do with the new kid on the block. Millions and sometimes more could be generated on the first day of trading.

That was then and now there is Sarbanes-Oxley a piece of legislation that was supposed to prospectively cure the market place of cooked books, fraud and make the investor feel more secure. There are aspects of this curative piece of legislation that has provided for more transparency in corporate America. The auditor independence section makes perfect sense. It seems like common sense you want your auditor to not have a conflict of interest. The area of corporate responsibility for subordinate acts of fraud, errors and omissions makes perfect sense. Disclosure regarding debt and other adverse actions involving the company almost seems like a redundancy with other securities laws.

The effect of the Sarbanes-Oxley and other methods to cut out bad apples is that it costs a great deal of money to take a company public these days. There is the need to hire top notch consultants and extra staff to comply with the ever increasing paper work and internal structural changes. It is not a bad piece of legislation, but it is burdensome for a heretofore small private company to be able to afford. The net effect is that the IPO is an infrequent event on Wall Street. There may be other reasons in addition to Sarbanes-Oxley.

Recently, the Blackstone Group introduced an IPO to the market place. It was priced well, but overall the event was lackluster. It generated some 20 billion dollars, but all of the expectations were overstated from the hoopla that preceded the offering. Perhaps we have simply become jaded.

The IPO is a launch of a newbie. The era of “what’s next,” may be part of our gilded past. It could be a good thing for the market place or it could signify a final epitaph to the Horatio Alger story which was overblown in the first place.

There’s no doubt that the topic of Stock Market can be fascinating. If you still have unanswered questions about Stock Market, you may find what you’re looking for in the next article.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Aug 24 2010

The Stock Market ? A Quick Run-Through

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 3:19 am

Have you ever wondered if what you know about Stock Market is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on Stock Market.

What, exactly, is the stock market?
How does a stock market operate?

In this day and age, there are still people who have heard about the stock market but are really clueless on the many things connected with it. The following are some definitions and short explanations about the stock market and its various features.

Stock market

Also known as the equity market, the stock market is one of the many vital areas of a country’s economy. Its main function is to provide companies access to capital and investors.

The investors, on the other hand, want a slice of ownership of a company with an eye for potential gains hinged on the future performance of the company.

Stocks and ownership

Basically, a stock is a share in the ownership of a company, and a claim to a part of the company’s assets and earnings. Consequently, the more stocks (or shares or equity) you have, the bigger your ownership stake in the company becomes.

Having some of the company’s stocks means you are one of the many owners (or shareholders) of the company. Technically, you own a very small piece of everything the company owns including its furniture and equipments, its contracts and also its debts.

As owner, you are entitled to your share of the company’s earnings. Some types of stocks also entitle you to some voting rights.

Stock exchanges

These are the entities (corporations or organizations) where the stocks are listed and traded. Their business is to bring buyers and sellers of stocks together, thus providing a marketplace (real and virtual) where real-time trading information is exchanged.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

Stock market participants can be small individual stock investors or large hedge fund traders and their orders are taken care of by professional brokers who execute them.

Some exchanges are physical locations with trading floors where bids and offers are entered verbally. Other exchanges are virtual network of computers where trading is done electronically from traders at their computer terminals.

Trading

Trading is done when a potential buyer bids for a specific price for a stock and a potential seller asks a specific price for the stock.

Buying or selling at market means there is acceptance to the bid price or ask price for a stock. When there is a match between bid and ask prices, a sale takes place.

This is usually on a first-come-first-served basis, which works fine because sometimes there are multiple bidders or askers for the same price.

In the United States, all stock market trading includes all those listed in such exchanges as the NYSC, NASDAQ and AMEX, including the other regional exchanges like the OTCBB, and Pink Sheets. Other countries have their own stock exchanges.

Types of exchanges

The trading at the New York Stock Exchange is a physical one, the trading being done on a face to face basis on the trading floor. (This is sometimes called ?listed? exchange because only stocks listed with the exchange may be traded.)

At the NASDAQ, all the virtual trading is done over a computer network. The trading procedure is the same as that at the NYSE. The seller gives out the asking price and the buyer provides the bidding price, after which both buyers and sellers are matched electronically.

That, in a nut shell, is how a stock market operates.

Now you can be a confident expert on Stock Market. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on Stock Market.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Aug 18 2010

Investing In The Stock Market

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 6:13 pm

The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with Stock Market.

Investing in the stock market is one good decision you can make if you want good returns of your money. However, you cannot do business in stocks if you do not open an account with a stock broker.

Minimum amount

In opening an account, first find out the minimum amount you have to deposit with your broker, regardless of the account type you choose. These minimum amounts start at around $500 and goes up to $10,000.

The thing to watch out regarding these deposits is your own budget compared to the quality of services and facilities the brokerage firm can offer you. Needless to say, shopping for your best options is the best initial action.

Benefits

A good firm may demand a minimum deposit of, say, $2,500 but will deliver many more values in terms of lower commissions (as low as $1.50 to $3.00 per equity trade). On top of this, your broker will give you free reinvestment plans, and a large number of free trades.

They may not even charge you for inactive accounts. For a beginner, these perks are very important values in the form of risk-free investments and savings.

The next phase is choosing the type of account best for you ? individual or joint accounts.

Individual account

This is issued as an investment account that is for good one person. You must be 18 years old or above to be issued an account. (This entitles you to full legal rights as an adult.)

Another qualification would be that you have to be a U.S. citizen or a resident alien with a valid social security number. (A resident alien is a person who is a non-U.S. citizen but legally resides in the country and pays taxes.)

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Stock Market, keep reading.

Joint account

This is an account opened for two or more people with the requirement that both people who opened the accounts must also reach the age of majority or 18 years old in their states of residence.

A joint account can either be a JTWROS (joint tenants with rights of survivorship) or a JTIC or joint tenants in common.

Opening an account

It is easy to open an individual or a joint account. It can take only around 5 short minutes to open an account on line. Select the account type you want to open and fill in your personal information.

You also have to include reading and confirming the subscriber agreements which includes the account agreement, customer acknowledgment of risk, any day trading risk disclosure statement.

Moreover, you are also required to comply with the exchange rules. This means you have to read, understand and comply with both the New York Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange data subscriber agreements.

Like most public documents, you have to provide personal information that includes your name, address, date of birth, address, marital status, employment, dependents, phone numbers, mother’s maiden name, social security number and country of citizenship.

Finally, choose your user ID and password. You also give out your email address, and follow the instructions on how to retrieve forgotten passwords and others.

After accomplishing these requirements, you shall then be a bona-fide investor, with a legitimate broker and already a part of the stock market industry.

Is there really any information about Stock Market that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Aug 14 2010

Stock Options In The Stock Market

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 3:07 pm

When you think about Stock Market, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Stock Market are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

One of the many fascinating attractions of the stock market is its many choices and options for you to make better decisions while doing the business.

Contrary to what some people think, the stock market is doing everything to try to make everyone a winner. It is good that you should be familiar with the stock market’s options.

Stock options

Stock options are contracts to buy (or sell) stocks at a particular price at a future time. Stipulated in the contract is the option of the buyers of not being obligated to exercise their right to buy the stocks.

However, the option sellers have the obligation of selling underlying stocks if the buyer wishes to buy them presently.

Call option

Call option is the name to describe a contract to buy. Buyers hope prices will rise so that they can have the stocks for a lesser value.

Meantime, the call option sellers either do not expect changes in the stock prices or they accept partial loss of profits made from selling the call options.

Sample call option

An investor might buy a call option on IBM (for instance) with $50 strike price. The price is the same as the current price in $40 and the cost call of $5.

If the stock price rises above the combined amount of the strike price and the cost of the call price, the buyer can exercise his right to buy. He makes a profit by reselling the stocks.

He seller also gains from the price increase of $55 from the original $40 plus the sold call at $5. If the price stays below $55, the call is not exercised.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Stock Market now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

The seller, however, gains $5 and the buyer loses $5. (The stocks are usually traded in lots of 100.)

Stock details

Options are exercised on specific stocks. It contains the details of the stock: the name, the strike price, the expiration date and the premium.

When the option cannot be exercised after the expiration, it is considered worthless. (Per tradition, expirations usually end on the 3rd Friday of the month.)

Put option

This is the option to sell a stock. The option-holder has the right, but not the obligation, to sell a particular stock within a certain time period for a certain price.

Here, the buyer expects the fall of the stock prices but h refuses an outright sale in case the price goes up again. The seller here accepts the stocks at a low price because he feels the price is stable.

Investment opportunities

These stock options are used to protect against losses and can be used as investment opportunities as well. They are commonly used in combinations in the purchase of stocks.

In a bull market, stocks and call options can be bought and put options are sold. In a bull market, investors are allowed to take full advantage of rising prices.

Stocks and call options can be bought and put options can be sold in a bull market. In a bull market, an investor is allowed to take full advantage of the rising stock prices.

During a bear market, investors can sell stocks, sell calls, and buy put options to limit their losses and generate profits. In an unstable stock market, a mixture of puts and calls are used to maximize profit potentials for all.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Aug 13 2010

Successful Venture In The Stock Market

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 3:55 am

So what is Stock Market really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about Stock Market–info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

Through the years, the stock market has been one of the most viable business ventures one could get into. This is because the nature of the business itself doesn’t take too much one’s time if he or she already knows the ways to get the investment rolling. It is also one of the easiest means of making the value of your money into double, only if you know how to handle it properly.

Getting started

The stock market is all about selling. It’s all about testing your trading skills and how far you could push your limits. If you are among those who would want to take a risk and join the exciting, complicated world of the stock market, here are some keys to help you get started:

- arm yourself with knowledge. You can get enough information on stock market by enrolling to specific courses that focus on it. You can also read a lot of books and other reference materials that talk about it. But the best thing would be is to visit various websites that offer free and seemingly limitless information on it. If you want more first-hand information, by try asking people you know about their experiences in the stock market.

- always persevere and work hard. This formula always works once you get into stock market. Because if you don’t give up and you keep on working hard to achieve your goals, a lot of opportunities will be opened up to you. Persevering and working hard will also keep your feet firmly planted on the ground.

It’s really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Stock Market. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

- look forward to a healthy competition so you would not be complacent. This could be done by keeping yourself up-to-date through always monitoring the current trends in stock market to keep your knowledge up-to-date. This can be done by constantly monitoring the stock market through magazines and news reports in the industry.

- re-assess yourself and know where you stand. This is very important before you get into stock market because it indicates your personal assessment on your current status in the market. Knowing where you stand will also help you determine if you are still in the right path of success.

- device and plot your strategies. Although strategies don’t always work in the stock market, it is best that you have your own strategy to start with. If you are able to come up with your own strategy, it means that you are ready to deal with more difficulties ahead of you.

- always reflect on your goals and realize them. Just like in any business, having a goal is a very important key to achieve success in the stock market. If you know your goals, then you will know if you are still faring well or you need to re-assess all your short and long-term goals.

- don’t give up when your fail. Venturing in the stock market is not always about being success. Keep in mind that there will always be windows for failures along the way and accept that this is part of the industry’s nature.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Aug 10 2010

Stock Market Trading And Exchanges

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 11:40 pm

When you’re learning about something new, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of relevant information available. This informative article should help you focus on the central points.

Traditionally, stock market transactions are done in trading houses generally called stock exchanges. These are the places where buyers and sellers of stocks meet and do business on expansive trading floors.

The original intent of a stock market is to facilitate trading between buyers and sellers in one place to reduce risks. Simply put, the stock market is nothing more than a sophisticated farmer’s market of buyers and sellers doing their business.

Traditional exchange floors

Like any other market place, people in these sites could become agitated and noisy and just plain excited with the prospects of earning money.

Sometimes, you can see glimpses of these transactions in news reports ? traders talking on two-way radios or telephones, waving and yelling, and furiously sending signals with the other traders on the floor.

Virtual stock exchanges

Lately, with the advent of the computer and the development of the internet, another type of stock market exchanges came into existence. These are the virtual stock market exchanges, usually a network connected by computers where the trading is transacted electronically.

Market types

The stock market has two distinct types of market ? the primary and the secondary market.

The primary market is the place where securities are created by means of IPO (initial public offering). The secondary market is where investors trade previously-issued stocks without the participation of the issuing owner-companies.

This is the market we all know (and see) today at the stock market exchange floors. (In the stock market business, the company need not take part in the trading of its stocks.)

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Stock Market, keep reading.

NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange is the most prestigious in the world. It was founded more than 200 years ago in New York City by the original 24 stockbrokers and merchants.

With companies like Wal-Mart, General Electric, Coca-cola, McDonald’s, Citigroup, and Gillette among others in its rosters, the NYSE is the market of choice for the biggest U.S. companies.

Traditional trading

In NYSE, the first type of exchange was done on the trading floor on a man-to-man basis. From the brokerage firms, orders go down to the brokers who transact business at the trading post where buyers and sellers are matched.

The prices are determined using the auction method ? the current price is the highest amount the buyer is willing to pay, and the lowest price someone is selling. As soon as a trade is completed, the deal is sent to the investor who placed the order via the broker.

NASDAQ

The new and 2nd type of exchange is the virtual kind called an over-the-counter (OTC) market, led by the very popular NASDAQ. These markets do not own central locations or floor brokers. Trading is completed through a computer-and-telecommunications network of dealers.

The tech boom of the 90s made NASDAQ a serious NYSE competitor today. Now, the NASDAQ is home to many of the largest technology companies (Microsoft, Oracle, Cisco, Dell, Intel and others).

Other exchanges

All the major cities and business hubs around the world have their own exchanges and trading houses. Some are still doing traditional man-to-man transactions while others are into the modern high-tech models of selling and buying stocks.

Whatever trading models are used (traditional or high-tech), the stock market is here to stay.

Is there really any information about Stock Market that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Aug 09 2010

Benefits Of Virtual Stock Market Trading

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 6:39 pm

The following article lists some simple, informative tips that will help you have a better experience with Stock Market.

The old images of stock markets used to be large cavernous stock exchange floors where brokers excitedly carry on with their business of buying and selling stocks.

With the advent of computers and the internet, online stock trading took over the market and made conventional brokerage move into the new frontiers of the future. It brought with it ease, speed, and convenience to the industry.

Reach and edge

When online stock trading came into being in the mid 90s, it drastically transformed the financial services industry.

Its initial edge was in creating a virtual world of trading that is within the reach of anyone from anywhere.

Lower commissions

Online stock trading gave brokers easy and economical way in carrying out their trade. The boom it created was also due to lower commission structure compared to the old conventional brokerage.

Aside from the tremendous increase of online trading accounts, there was also a major increase in the volume of transactions. More and more people became aware of the many benefits afforded by the new online style of doing stock market business.

Easy access

With the advent of the internet, online stock trading brokers all have easy access to the market. With an online stock trading account, a trader can check out real time stock quotes and historical stock price trends.

With a click or two, they can assess the market analysis and do their own researches on various firms and companies. With chat rooms and other forums, brokers can readily interact with other online stock trading brokers.

Less expense

With online stock trading account, it is more economical than asking for help from conventional traders who naturally want to make money out of their clients.

So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Stock Market. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

In online trading, brokers only charge a fixed amount of commission in their work. In comparison, fees and commissions of traditional brokerage houses turned out to be more expensive.

Doing away with middlemen

Online stock trading brokers have eliminated the line of middlemen involved in stock trading. It allowed traders to invest wisely and make the old business of stock trading easier and simpler.

It also allowed traders to directly contact online stock trading brokers from anywhere at anytime without any trouble.

Wider investment choices

Today, the traders have a bigger and wider latitude in terms of investments. They can invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, mortgages, insurance, derivatives, futures, options, and others.

When trading became online, the choices offered extensive variety of products to the traders.

Rich information source

Online stock trading had bridged the gap between the traders and the commercial market. With the internet, the traders (and the investors) can extract any information related to stocks, companies, market trends, and the like.

Quick deal executions

Today’s computer-aided transactions have speeded up the process of commerce, and not just in online stock trading. Things are now available and accessible to the traders.

Moreover, the processes that sometimes took days and months before can now be completed and done in a matter of minutes.

Online stock trading is a boon to today’s stock market and the whole business of buying and selling. Today, things are much easier, faster, and nearer, all of which translates to convenience.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Jul 27 2010

Trends And Timing In The Stock Market

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 8:03 am

The following paragraphs summarize the work of Stock Market experts who are completely familiar with all the aspects of Stock Market. Heed their advice to avoid any Stock Market surprises.

From grizzly stock market veterans all to the way to savvy market observers, almost every one would concede that in the business of trading two things are of the essence: timing and trends.

Trends are important because they affect the market in big sweeping tides. Timing, on the other hand, is the learned investor’s inner business radar at work. The more experienced he is, the better is his sense of timing.

Market trends

Market trends are the tendency of particular stock prices to go up or down for considerable periods of time ? triggered by some big events, influential persons, or sometimes whatever is the current fashion.

A simple case in point is the September 11 terrorist attack. It had set off a trend where stock market prices for tech companies went down.

Product demands

World events would also have great effects on the stock market. Oil crises and some political problems in concerned countries would definitely have an effect on world oil prices.

To those who have to buy oil and gas, the prices would go high. Those with investments in oil stocks would be raking it in because of the high demand and the high price. Demand for a product affects the price of its stock.

Price fluctuations

The first factor that influences price is the basic law of supply and demand. If the company has only a few shares of stock to sell, and there are a lot of interested buyers, there would a rise in price.

Truthfully, the only difference between you and Stock Market experts is time. If you’ll invest a little more time in reading, you’ll be that much nearer to expert status when it comes to Stock Market.

Working the other way around is the fact that when there are a lot of shares but few interested buyers, the stock’s price goes down.

Outside factors

Usually, big world events affect stock market trends ? wars, the economy, oil prices and currency collapses. New oil discovery does the same influence on the market, albeit the other way around.

The upward movements in prices of certain market sectors that last for months or years are nicknamed bull trends. Those that are on the down movement trend in prices are called bear trends.

Timing

Timing is that special knack of investors who knows the exact time to buy or to sell any stock. For most investors, timing is simply being alert.

They watch market prices closely, keeping an eye on the rise (or decline) of prices looking for a trend. If they see a trend and the market is rising, they tend to hold onto their stocks.

On the other hand, if the market price of a stock seemed to go on a downward roll, most investors tend to sell their shares because they want to hold onto the profits they have already made.

Timing, for most investors, is actually identifying the trends in the market needed to identify in turn the right time to buy or to sell. The enterprising investor takes advantage of news about the economy, interest rates, conflicts and many others.

Last words

Timing and trends in stock market mean many different things to different investors. Those who want to make a quick dollar do their buying and selling regularly. However, if you are investing for the future, you do not look at the market the same way as everybody.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new GVO affiliate site: GVO



Jul 19 2010

Name-Calling At The Stock Market

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 6:27 pm

You should be able to find several indispensable facts about Stock Market in the following paragraphs. If there’s at least one fact you didn’t know before, imagine the difference it might make.

After so many years, most groups (businesses, professions, affiliations, etc.) usually tend to develop their own character ? in their specializations, language (names and terms of things in their group) and in many other aspects. The stock market is no exception because it, too, has its own distinctive jargon and names.

For the layman, the following is a short list of stock types and what they actually are.

Stocks

Stocks are certificates indicating a person’s part-time ownership of the company that issued them. In turn, stocks are broken into different categories.

Common stocks are the usual type sold and owned by most people. On paper, one stock has one voting right. (Usually, this is mainly for voting in the company’s officers.)

Common stocks are also the riskiest. If the company gets bankrupt (and is liquidated), holders of common shares of stock will be the last to be paid. The creditors, the bondholders and the preferred shareholders (in that order) are paid first.

However, common stocks are the highest-yielding in the long run.

Preferred stocks

Preferred stocks are those without voting rights but are guaranteed a fixed dividend payment. Their owners are paid ahead of common shareholders, although common stocks sometimes have bigger dividends. (This, however, is dependent on the company officers’ decisions and the company’s fortunes for that given year.)

These stocks are also ?callable?, meaning the company has the option to buy them back from their holders.

Classes of stocks

Sometimes, companies customize different classes of stocks. Mostly, these are shares of stocks with different voting rights. The reasons are varied, but the company sometimes wants the voting power in the hands of certain groups, usually in clique with the owners.

It seems like new information is discovered about something every day. And the topic of Stock Market is no exception. Keep reading to get more fresh news about Stock Market.

An example would be the shares for the select group are entitled with ten votes per share, while the second class of investors would have their issued shares enjoying only one vote per share. (The usual designations for these stocks are class A or class B shares.)

Dividends

Dividends are the payouts the company pays to stockholders as profit earnings to the stocks they own. As had been pointed out, dividend payouts are not dependent on the company’s good or bad performance for a given year.

Rather, they are determined by the company’s policies and objectives.

Blue chip

These are the highest-valued companies (GE, IBM, Wal-Mart and others) in the stock market. Their stocks are generally expensive but are usually safe in both good times and bad.

The term blue chip came from poker where the blue chips are assigned the highest values.

Penny stock

The term is used to denote those stocks that trade for less than a dollar. These are stocks that are generally new in the market, with no history or reputation to back them up.

Lately, penny stocks refer to stocks that are considered very speculative. They present the prospects of large gains or large losses as well.

More names

Actually, in the stock market business, there are more items that have names unique to the industry. The above-mentioned names are only some of the more familiar ones.

Also, some of these names are not really permanent. Stocks that were once speculative may become blue chip, and cyclical and non-cyclical stocks sometimes interchange. Like the others, the stock market is also evolving daily.

Knowing enough about Stock Market to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you’ve just learned about Stock Market, you should have nothing to worry about.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit his new site for adsense publishers: Free Adsense Websites



Jun 22 2010

Animals At The Stock Market

Category: Stock Marketanderseriksson @ 8:09 am

As most everyone knows, the stock market is that place ?where shares are issued and traded either through exchanges or over-the-counter markets? at an agreed price. These stocks or shares are securities listed on the stock exchange.

The stock market (also known as the equity market) is one of the most important sections of a market economy. It is one of the important sources for companies to raise money for their expansion or capital infusion.

Sometimes, this market is split into two parts ? the primary and the secondary market. New issues are first offered at the primary market. The subsequent trading is done at the secondary market.

Question: Where are the animals coming from?

It is said that on Wall Street, the bulls and bears are in a constant struggle. Actually, the animal names are simply nicknames on certain situations and kinds of people in the stock market business.

Bull

When everything in the economy is in tiptop shape, when people have jobs, when the gross domestic product (GDP) is growing and the stocks are rising ? it is a bull market.

This is the time when everything is coming up roses in the stock market. This is also the easiest time of the year to pick stocks because everything is going up.

Bull markets cannot last forever, though. Because things were looking good in the bull season of the market, it sometimes can lead to dangerous situations if the stocks become overvalued.

The ?bull? connotation had jumped fence and is now into mainstream lingo. If a person is optimistic and believes that stocks will go up, that person is called a bull. His attitude had been called all these years as having a ?bullish outlook.?

Bear

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

The bear is the opposite of the bull. In a bear market, recession is looming and the prices of stocks are falling. Bear markets is a tough time for investors to pick profitable stocks.

Some experienced stock brokers sometimes resort to making money. They would use a technique called ?short selling.?

Another strategy is to wait out the bear market on the sidelines, anticipating the return of the bull market. If a person is pessimistic or thinks the stocks are going to drop again, that person is called a ?bear?, and is now labeled as having a ?bearish outlook?.

Chicken

Chickens are those who are deathly afraid of losing anything. Their fear blankets their need to make profit. Consequently, they would turn only to money-market securities. (Some get out of the market entirely.)

While it is true that one should never invest into something which you will lose sleep, it is also true that you will never see any return if you avoid the market completely and do not take risks.

Pigs

Professional traders love the pigs ? it is from their losses that the bulls and the bears collect their profits.

Pigs are those investors who love high risks, and are always looking for that one big score in a short period of time. They buy on hot tips and invest without doing thorough research.

Usually, they are impatient and greedy about their investments. They are usually drawn to high-risk securities without putting time and effort to learn about their investments

Assuming these animals’ characteristics in the stock market, what kind of investor would you be?

Knowing enough about Stock Market to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you’ve just learned about Stock Market, you should have nothing to worry about.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, feel free to visit my latest acquisition: Adsense Sites and make sure to download the free adsense sites package!


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