Sunday, 7 December 2008

Financial Sector RI Safe


Financial Sector RI Safe

Finance minister: Bad News still beware of the United States

Jakarta – the global financial sector will not provide the impact of the domestic financial sector. Fall of investment bank Lehman Brothers financial difficulties and the insurance company American International Group (AIG) is estimated will not destroy the financial industry soil water.

Director of the State Securities (SBN) of the Ministry of Finance Bhimantara Widyadjala said Lehman Brothers ownership of the international obligations of the Republic of Indonesia is not too significant.If they will release the bonds they buy, they also have not been able to do in the near future.

“The Status Lehman also can not sell the bond. In the release of their assets do not cost now, "said Bhimantara when contacted yesterday (18 / 9). So, from the bond market, Fall Lehman will not affect Indonesia.

Pasar obligasi juga tak akan terpengaruh oleh kesulitan keuangan yang menimpa AIG. Bond market also will not be affected by the financial difficulties that befall AIG. Untu SUN dalam negeri, hanya dikoleksi oleh AIG Indonesia. SUN for the country, only the country by AIG Indonesia. “Itu termasuk perusahaan yang terpisah, karena asuransi harus join ventura,” kata Bhimantara. "It including separate companies, because insurance must join Ventura," said Bhimantara.

SUN that the number of the country AIG also not too big. Bhimantara can not mention the ownership of the AIG SUN, the investors because the data can not be opened by the government "But I can say the amount is not significant," he said.

To AIG in the United States, also collect only a few U.S. international obligations. “They put in many countries.So many baseball, "said Bhimantara.

Although safe water in the soil, the Ministry of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati reminded to remain vigilant against the impact of the market situation in the United States. “Situation is still dynamic. Today none of the Ministry of Finance in the world who believe the situation safe in the bowels bua months ahead. Still appears bad news from the U.S., "said Finance minister in the House Building, Jakarta, yesterday.

Mean while, kolapsnya American International Group (AIG) will be Indonesia efect, PT AIG Life. Action by the Fed rescue by giving Pour EUR 85 billion (approximately Rp 799 trillion) to be quite good, although not fully reinforce the financial market. From the loan, the Fed intended to obtain 79.9 percent of AIG shares.

President Director of AIG Life Robert W. Bush explain what happened in the bank's parent company does not affect business activity AIG life. He mentions, fundamentally AIG Life is very good. AIG Life is also moving independently, not to reley on their parent countries supperpower it.

AIG Life is a separate business entity with AIG in the U.S. We follow the rules in accordance with the law in Indonesia, "said Robert in the official explanation yesterday.


** Source JP, 19/9/2008 **

Examine the Morgan Stanley merger or acquisition


Examine the Morgan Stanley merger or acquisition

Turmoil in financial markets more to worsen. This is related to the news that one of the leading investment banks in the world, Morgan Stanley, began searching for the rescue. That happened after Tuesday (16 / 9) price of the shares up to 24 percent.

According to the CNBC business network, one of the two independent investment banks in the U.S. are negotiating to sell the shares to CITIC (China Investment Corporation). Now CITIC punya9, 9 percent of the shares Morgan Stanley. China BUMN investment that refuse to comment.

New York Times newspaper had reported that Morgan Stanley in the early stage of exploring merger with Wachovia Corporation. These people who do not want his name mentioned, The Times wrote that Wednesday night (18 / 9) Morgan Stanley CEO John Mack received a phone call from wachovia states interested mergers. “They are still the early stages, and there is no agreement, "write the newspaper.

Meanwhile, CNBC resources strong in the U.S. and China without expanding their identity completely that China CITIC Bank are discussing negotiations for the maker Morgan Stanley. However, CNBC stressed that so far there has been no agreement.

To CNBC, a source said yesterday that the U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) to support investment to China a number of financial institutions in the U.S.

Not only that, other U.S. financial giant, Washington Mutual Inc.. (W.M.N), also explored the asset-sale plan assets. It occurs as a result of losses due to mortgage, financial institution based in seattle rent has been reported that Goldman Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley to arrange an auction or find potential buyers. Among them, Citigroup Inc.., HSBC Holdings plc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co..

Analysts estimate the time since the credit crisis will force financial institutions (lenders) fall into the hands of the weak rivalnya stronger.Sales of Washington Mutual, the largest bank in the U.S., widely predicted.

"All things in the world pebankan start the day-to-day sold recently," says Ralph Cole, portfolio manager Ferguson, Wellman Capital Management in Portland, Oregon.


** Source JP, 19/9/2008 **

Thursday, 4 December 2008

The Stock Market System

The stock market system is an avenue for the trading of shares of stock of listed corporations. As a corporation is formed, its initial shareholders are able to acquire shares of stock from the point of subscription when a company is created.

When a company starts to be traded to the public, the primary market comes in where those who subscribe to the initial public offering (IPO) takes on the shares of stock sold from point of IPO. When those who bought into a company at IPO point of view decides to sell their shares of stock to other people, they can do so by going to the stock market.

The stock market is a secondary market for securities trading wherein original or secondary holders of a company’s shares of stock can sell their stocks to other individuals within the frame work of the stock market system.

The stock market has buyers of stocks or those who wants to own a part of the company but wasn’t able to do so during the initial public offerings made by the company to the public when it has decided to list itself as a publicly listed company.

The secondary market or the stock market allows other individuals to sell shares of the company when the initial shareholders may have realized that they want to sell their shares after gaining either significant profit or realized significant loss from point of acquiring a company from its IPO price.

As the stock market has developed and progressed over the years, the way shares of stock are transferred from one individual to another has become more complicated and more challenging to be regulated. Technology has aided in providing more efficient ways of transactions. Front and backend solutions are put into place that helps direct the exchange of shares of stock in timely and secure manner.

Public education over how the stock market works is one of the primary concerns of the investing public in order to promote the trading activities of the stock market to other individuals who may also benefit from doing transactions over this secondary type of equities market.

With the abundance of relevant company information on performance of publicly listed companies, this information will help the investors to become more aware of the directions of the companies where they have share of stocks on and this will also aid them in directing their investment strategies.

The Best Timing In Doing Stock Market Trading

Timing Is Everything

Aim for the best timing in stock market trading. It is the only option for a successful stock market investor.

In order to raise capital and invest in the business, companies issue their stocks and the public may then buy and sell. The price varies depending on the supply and demand. This is what a stock market trader takes full advantage of.

The business of stock market trading can offer better profits to the investor compared to ordinary stock enterprise. The stock market offers a wide variety of stocks to choose from for any investor to go on with stock trading. There is always a moving stock out there amongst the thousands of others registered.

However, a careless attempt to proceed with stock market trading can produce undesirable result. Big losses can be incurred if the market trend is not properly predicted. Small profits would also frustrate the purpose of doing stock market trading. An uninformed stock trader may also end up waiting for that decisive moment that would never come.

Market Timing

To avoid the adverse effects of poor stock market trading, investors use market timing to forecast when the market will change its course. Market timing presumes that the decisive point can be predicted ahead. The direction of the market is predicted through a thorough examination of the price and economic data.

Best Timing

The consistency of such trend prediction is subject to many factors, that is why the aim of any would-be successful investor is best timing. At first glance, market timing sounds like a guaranteed way to make it big. This however requires exertion of considerable effort and persistence in carefully studying the various factors.

Avoid mere speculating. Speculating is a desperate move when the investor hasn't done his homework.

Investors also buy stocks because they got a hot tip from someone. Most of these tips however prove to be false, as they are mostly given by parties with vested interests.

Market timing requires involvement in research to know the company's history and calculate the trend by charting the movement of the stock’s price. This involves analysis of the value of the stock to come close to accurate in predicting the trend. This is ideal in developing standards for when to buy and when to sell for the investor must accurately settle on the proper time to sell. One must also correctly determine when to regain, reselling the stock bought when it reaches its peak value. This way, the maximum profits can be realized.

Sustaining The Future Of Your Stocks Market

After investing your money into the stock market, it doesn’t mean that it has a life on its own and it would generate lots of money every month. Of course, you are the most important factor in the success of your investment.

Whether you are the stock broker or you buy your stocks individually, it is important to be aware of the correct timing in making use of your money. Here are some few tips that could maintain the money you are making from the stock market and prevent future losses:

* Stock listings. For your investments to grow rapidly, you should have your own lists of the companies you have bought shares on. With this listing, you would be able to check up the profit each company is earning every month. Thus, making your money assured from losses.

* Proper timing. Knowing the general market’s condition would play a vital role in the profiting and losing of your money. Although you have invested on a company with stable earning sales, you are still not safe from losing your money. When the market moves into an opposite direction, you would not be making earnings. It is now your decision to buy or sell your stocks.

Note: Never be too attached with investments. Remember that stock market is a game that needs high mental capacity and less emotional burdens. Meaning, you should begin to move on when you have been proven wrong with your timing. Accept your losses and try winning your money back.

* Buying and selling. If you have lost money from the companies you have invested on, don’t fret. It is still in your hands whether you would continue to trust the company’s competence or not. Many brokers advice that cutting down the losses in your list of stocks is significant for the future of your investment.

When buying for new stocks, it is sensible to test the stocks first by investing a smaller amount of money. By doing this, you would be able to analyze the market condition and if losses occur, it wouldn’t be too much of a load in your part.

* Balance. To know which stocks are suitable to buy, you should observe the price, volume, and daily highs and lows in the environment of the stock market. By doing so, you would be able to know the market trends and analyze your prospect companies.

For your stocks to provide you with high ROI, know the environment and trust your judgment in deciding the right timing to buy and sell. By doing this, you would ensure that the future of your investment would be in safe hands.

Stock Market Winning Attitude

Many people often wonder why some make it in the stock market and some don’t. They sometimes sigh and say, “They have all the luck, that’s why.” True enough, luck can be a factor in one’s success or failure in the stock market. As most experts will allow, trading at the stock market is very similar to gambling. They both involve a great deal of risk. But unlike gambling, success or failure in the stock market is not solely dependent on luck. It has much to do with two things information and attitude.

Information has much to do with success or failure at the stock market. First of all, information makes stock trading more than just guesswork. Analyzing trends can help investors make educated guesses regarding their investments.

One important aspect that often goes unnoticed is the proper attitude investors must have towards investing. Too often, investors fall prey to the wrong type of attitude in investing. This leads to wrong decisions, and impulsive buying or selling. What are these attitudes, and how should they be avoided?

1. Many Investors Exhibit an Impatient Manner

Unfortunately, many investors get into the mix just because they are under the impression that they could get rich overnight as result of a few investments. This is so far from the truth. In fact, successful portfolios are built over time. Stocks take time to mature and appreciate. If the investor never realizes this, he or she might be looking to make a quick buck. And when he or she is unable to, he or she may become discouraged or may sell his or her shares for a lower price.

2. Many Investors Look to Take the Risk to Be Overnight Millionaires

Warren Buffet, the Wall Street Tycoon has this advice for investors: don’t bet all your marbles on stocks that seem to be skyrocketing today. They could crash tomorrow. Buffet confides that he has always built his empire over stocks that were stable and exhibited continued growth over the years. He says that these stocks are preferable to volatile stocks that could crash anytime.

Other investors fail to diversify their portfolios. Depending on how much risk one is willing to take, an investor should divide his or her portfolio into low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk categories, and invest in such stocks. Some people are too risky and put their heads on the guillotine with high risk investments. Others will not risk their necks on any investments. One should choose an attitude that is just right for his or her risk tolerance.

Stock Market Trading System

If you are a beginner in the stock market, you should be familiar with how the system works. It is important that you know what you are getting into.

The trading system, in definition, is the choice you would make on what method to use in entering or buying and exiting or selling the stocks. Choosing the trading system is the most vital part for your money’s success.

In choosing a trading system, it is important to research and find a low-risk and high-opportunity companies when buying stocks. Knowing the fundamentals in the price signals and when to sell your stocks when losses occur, would maintain your money’s growth.

The trading system has been divided into several groups for the investors to know which company they would enter shares with.

1) Blue chips. This refers to the shares of the huge companies. These companies have a trace of profit progression and usually have at least 4 billion dollars in returns yearly. Although entering in to blue chips would provide a large capital in the investor’s part, the payment from the shares would be consistent – the dividend is in the middle of winning and losing shares.

2) Growth stocks. This refers to the companies that grow quickly. The management of these companies invests the profits from the stock for the development of their company. Companies with growth stocks seldom pay dividends to investors. And if they do, the payments are lower than other companies.

3) Income stocks. This refers to the companies’ stocks that have high earnings. Income stocks are stable and pay a large dividend or payment to the shareholders. These kinds of shares usually make use of mutual funds for senior citizen plans.

4) Defensive stocks. This refers to the companies’ stocks that always remain stable even if the market falls. These are the kinds of stocks that could easily reclaim its place in the market when it losses stocks. Since these companies defend their stocks, the investor would lessen the risk in losing money. Defensive stocks are always suitable to purchase because it is suitable in an unstable market and when the economy suddenly falls.

But before entering into one of these categories, one should analyze the risks and dividends of the company. Plus, you should think outside the box and cautiously examine the company’s accounting flow, the distribution of the profits to all investors, and other profile of the company.

When you have established the trust on a company’s stock, it would be easy for you to buy or sell in the trading system.

Stock Market Scam And How To Avoid Them

With all the prices going high these days, people would instantly grab the opportunity on anything that will make them earn money. And this is basically where fraudulent people take advantage of.

Today, there are many scams as there are starts in the sky. They had been so rampant that people became so aware of its alarming condition. But still, even if they know that there is a bound to be a scam out there, they could not yet distinguish what is a scam and how can they avoid it.

In the industry, one of the proliferating scams is the stock market scams. A lot of people are getting enticed to join these simply because their offer seems so hard to resist.

Why? Because who wouldn’t resist a “get rich quick” strategy? These are just petty things but are actually bigger problems than what you thought it is.

For people to know what stock market scams are and how to avoid them, here’s a list of the common stock market scam lurking mostly in the Internet today:

1. The “Pump and Dump” stock market scam

This type of stock market scam is mostly disseminated in the Internet. Here, people usually get to see messages posted in the Internet advocating them to purchase a stock at once. This type of scam also urges those who have stocks already to sell their stocks immediately before the value depreciates.

These deceptive scammers claim that they have reliable sources about a threatening development. They even assert that they utilize a foolproof combination of the stock market and the trade and industry data so as to get some stocks.

The bottom line is that this type of stock market scam is detrimental especially to those who are starting small. In reality, people behind this scam would want to manipulate the stock market through small time businesses because small businesses are easier for them to manipulate.

2. Pyramid scam

Just like its motherboard, this pyramid scam in the Net tries to hoard money from the consumers by letting them invest their little amount of money and grow it really big provided that they recruit more people into the company.

These two are the most common stock market scams lurking in the Internet today, and the only way to avoid them is information. It’s a must that people should be aware of them, know their styles, and how they recruit people. If in case, they cannot determine if it is a scam or not, they should verify the claims from the right people. That’s the simplest thing to do.

Stock Market Quotes 101

The stock market quote is the basic collection of numbers an investor must understand to achieve success in the stock market. It is a list of prices for certain stocks at one point within the trading day. In the past, stocks were quoted in fractions, but now, most exchanges use decimals. Stock market quotes are found in newspapers, as well as online. Stock quotes are updated regularly during the trading day.

What are the numbers and columns in the stock quotes mean? Though most are easily understandable, some may be confusing for a stock market newbie. Here is a review of the common numbers in the stock quotes and what they mean.

Newspaper Stock Market Quotes. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) format is easiest to follow.
Listed below are the columns and a brief explanation for each column.

- YTD % CHG – The Year-To-Date Percentage Change. This represents the stock price percentage change for the year. This percentage is adjusted for stock splits and dividends over 10%.

- 52-Week HI & LO – The two numbers in the column record both the highest and the lowest price the stock is traded for within the last 52-weeks. Previous trading day not included.

- Stock (SYM) – This is where the stock name and symbols are listed. Stock names are usually abbreviated. The stock symbol is printed in boldface. Some newspapers don’t print them at all.

- DIV – This stands for Dividend reflecting the annual distribution rate based on the last regular disbursement for a stock.

- Yield % – The yield percentages are the other disbursements paid to stockholders as a percentage of the stock’s price.

- PE – The Price to Earnings Ratio is the per-share earnings over the closing price.

- VOL 100s – This means sales volume expressed with two missing zeros.

- CLOSE – The last price the stock traded for a certain day. But it doesn’t mean that this will be the price the stock opens at the next trading day.

- NET CHANGE – This is the amount at which the stock closed today against yesterday.

- Footnotes – These notations point out any extraordinary circumstances within the listing such as new highs and lows, unusual dividends, first day of trading, etc.

Online Stock Market Quotes. Online stock resources cover the same information as the newspaper stock quotes. However, the difference is mainly with regards to getting the “live” information. Compared to reading yesterdays stock quotes on the paper the next morning, the information presented on online resources are updated constantly within the course of the trading day.

Indeed, stock market quotes offer a wealth of information when it comes to wise stock investment. as long as one understands what the numbers mean.

Stock Market Price

How Stock Market Price Rises and Falls

Understanding how stock market price rises and falls is similar to understanding the prices of other products in the market. It also follows the law of supply and demand. Price of stocks rise and fall due to the following reasons:

1. Company profit projections and image

A company’s growth and profit forecasts describe how capable a company is in delivering its promises to its investors. These numerical projections are carefully prepared by a company based on their past profits and projected additional profits due to new products and services, operations and infrastructure improvement.

Aside from profit forecasts, company image can also make an impact on a company’s profitability. Rumors of change in management, take-over, mergers, and even personal issues about the company’s top executives can affect the company’s image.

For example, a rumor of a merger between two big companies projects more stability and greater profit projections for both companies. As more investors would want to buy stocks from these merging companies, the demand for their stocks will rise. Based on the law of supply and demand: the greater the demand for stocks, the higher will their prices be.

A bankruptcy rumor about a company can send its investors to sell all their stocks. If there are more sellers than buyers of stocks then the supply (of stocks) is greater than the demand for stocks thus, stock price will fall.

2. Political Economy

General news about the local and global politics has an immediate impact on the economy and consequently to stock market prices. Politics and economics are correlated. Positive news such as lower unemployment rates, increased productivity, peace and order, and strong confidence in the government has positive impact on the economy. Such news encourages more local and international investors to open companies in a certain location or country. This in turn would generate more jobs, and as an effect, would encourage more trading in the market at higher stock prices in general due to the increase in demand for stocks of different companies.

On the other hand, negative news such as political instability and turmoil, security problems such as terrorism and insurgency, frequent strikes, and inflation has negative impact on the stock market prices. Investors are driven away by these things and close-up. As an effect, more stockholders would sell out. This creates more sellers than buyers thus stock market prices fall.

3. Interest rates

Higher interest rates are associated with a slump in economic growth. This creates a sluggish environment where investors become apprehensive in buying stocks. Either they keep the status quo or sell out their stocks. When the demand for stocks is not high, prices will go down.

Stock Market Investment Tools

The Use Different Stock Market Investment Tools in making Investment Decisions

There are different stock market investment tools available today that help investors maximize the availability of information in their investment trading activities.

The internet contains a wealth of information about different publicly listed companies in the US. There maybe websites that provide free research information although the information available maybe general knowledge in nature.

There are also companies that publish in-depth research reports on listed companies although they may available on a per subscription basis which may be costly for a retail based investor to subscribe to. These research reports may cost from a hundred to a thousand dollars depending on the quality of the research reports being sold.

News articles, research reports and analyst reviews about companies are tools that provide fundamental information about a company. Fundamental information can be from current news events about a company’s activities or analysis of their previously published financial reports. Investors can then make more fundamental research and analysis from this information to gather more data that aid him in his investing strategies.

There are also tools available today that provide management of raw data such as current stock quotes, historical price data or index performances. These tools can be bought from software companies and can be installed in PCs and these tools will be a big help in gathering, processing and analyzing of raw data available and come out with information that will be more useful to the investor.

From raw data containing the historical closing prices of specific companies, these can be run thru investment tools to come out with information such as historical price trend of one company as compared to an index of companies its being compared with or probably have a report of the volume of stocks traded on these companies on a specific period of time. These reports generated thru these investment tools will help an investor in making more efficient trading strategies from the raw data initially available.

Some stock market investment tools are purchased from software companies and they would usually cost hundreds of dollars which may not be practical for a small scale individual investor. There are analysis tools available on the internet from online stock market trading companies that they are accessible online and are made free to their clients. These tools are made available to their online investing clients as this also helps aid them in their trading strategies.

While the stock market tools, information and research products are available around the internet, careful planning, data gathering and interpretation of analysis made from these tools are equally important to ensure successful trades and long term investment growth of an investors’ portfolio.

Stock Market Investment Strategy

Strategic Moves on Stock Market Investment

Stock market investment is a risky stance, but it should not stop any aspiring investor from taking the first step. The choice to make the stock market endeavor succeed lies upon the investor.

1. Knowledge

A wise investor would only delve into stock market investment upon being apprised with the necessary and crucial information. It is a must to invest on companies only upon learning everything about it, from its past records, current performance and future plans.

Stock market investment advice should be sought considering the difficulty of locating that right stock that will give big returns. The investor must fully know the fundamental value of the stock he or she will buy.

Invest in a company which belongs to a familiar industry. The stock market investor must have a good understanding of the business in order to realize more the value of the stocks. This will also make the investor less dependent to analysts and advisers.


The sources of information to rely upon must be carefully chosen too. Tips offered in the market should be avoided as much as possible. These are usually given by people with vested interests.

2. Long-term goal

An important consideration in stock market investment is setting a long-term goal. The long-term goal would determine the approaches to be taken and influence the decisions to be made.

The adherence to that goal would ensure regularity in instances of indecision when the stock market gyration comes to play. It would avoid whimsical decisions adversely disturbing the finances. A long-term goal could result to a more stable financial future through steady purchases investments. The key word here is consistency.

3. Calculated Risks

There are risks in any business endeavors. However, this must be calculated to minimize the probability of loss and to increase the expectation of profits. Speculating is not an option.


Never gamble and risk losing big money in the stock market. Investments should not rake in huge losses. It is easy to buy stocks, but money lost would be difficult to gain back. One cannot afford costly mistakes.

The established system in realizing the long-term goal must be strictly followed then. This will reduce the probability of putting too much money just to incur big losses.

5. Discipline

To make the most of the stock market investment, the investor himself must possess the proper determination and discipline to continually persevere in realizing the long-term goals set.

Stock market investment today requires passion and courage to come out as a winner. The stock market gives the opportunities; all that is required of the investor is being prudent.

Stock Market Investment Software

Stock Market Investment Software: A Helpful Trading Tool

When man invented the computer, it became an invaluable tool to many people who has learned to use it and has become a part of their everyday lives. Many people turn to various types of computer software to suit their needs, and most of these softwares are tailored to the clientele it hopes to accommodate.

Nowadays, many people can access their bank accounts online. From this single account, they can enroll other accounts which may include bills for credit cards, utilities such as electricity and water, and even schedule payments for their insurance premium. These advances in the financial world have helped facilitate better, safer, easier transactions which always benefit consumers.

Similarly, when stock market investments shifted from person to person trading to today’s more sophisticated process of online stock trading, companies began putting up websites to encourage their clients to do most transactions online. This is usually done using stock market investment software.

An investor may subscribe for free or pay a certain amount for an account through his trading company’s website. As he does this, he is required to download and install the stock market investment software that the company is using. This is mostly done so that the subscriber and the trading company use the same investment software.

There is a number of stock market investment software available in the software industry today. They can go from the simple to the highly sophisticated one. Most of these application softwares offer the same basic features of a graphical user interface (or GUI) to help a user perform one or more specific tasks. There are types of these stock market investment softwares that are intended for large scale use and there are types which cater for more personalized usage, as in the case of users installing and using personal financial managers in their personal computers and digital assistants.

Investors mostly use the software of their choice to manage their accounts, and check the value of their stocks. This is very helpful to online investors as the software’s GUI facilitates the tasks that they want to perform.

Stock market investment softwares are purchased separately by the trading companies that use them to transact with their clients. They usually have agreements with the company that developed the software so they could avail of their product at a lower price. Some companies hire stock market investment software developers to design their software so that it is easier to tailor it to their particular needs.

Stock Market Investment Software

Stock Market Investment Software: A Helpful Trading Tool

When man invented the computer, it became an invaluable tool to many people who has learned to use it and has become a part of their everyday lives. Many people turn to various types of computer software to suit their needs, and most of these softwares are tailored to the clientele it hopes to accommodate.

Nowadays, many people can access their bank accounts online. From this single account, they can enroll other accounts which may include bills for credit cards, utilities such as electricity and water, and even schedule payments for their insurance premium. These advances in the financial world have helped facilitate better, safer, easier transactions which always benefit consumers.

Similarly, when stock market investments shifted from person to person trading to today’s more sophisticated process of online stock trading, companies began putting up websites to encourage their clients to do most transactions online. This is usually done using stock market investment software.

An investor may subscribe for free or pay a certain amount for an account through his trading company’s website. As he does this, he is required to download and install the stock market investment software that the company is using. This is mostly done so that the subscriber and the trading company use the same investment software.

There is a number of stock market investment software available in the software industry today. They can go from the simple to the highly sophisticated one. Most of these application softwares offer the same basic features of a graphical user interface (or GUI) to help a user perform one or more specific tasks. There are types of these stock market investment softwares that are intended for large scale use and there are types which cater for more personalized usage, as in the case of users installing and using personal financial managers in their personal computers and digital assistants.

Investors mostly use the software of their choice to manage their accounts, and check the value of their stocks. This is very helpful to online investors as the software’s GUI facilitates the tasks that they want to perform.

Stock market investment softwares are purchased separately by the trading companies that use them to transact with their clients. They usually have agreements with the company that developed the software so they could avail of their product at a lower price. Some companies hire stock market investment software developers to design their software so that it is easier to tailor it to their particular needs.

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

Stock Market Investment Newsletter Research

Urgent: Reliable Information on Stock Market Investment

Investors should take full advantage of the unlimited opportunities offered in the stock market. The best way to invest in the stock market is to get hold of important and crucial information. An investor should know the company, stock, records and trends.

However, various sources of information out there proffered as stock market research made available by most commentators and analysts. The reliability of such information still remains doubtful, considering the subjectivity of the ideas submitted. This is not helpful to stock market investors.

Relevance of stock market investment research

Stock market research provides for basic and technical overview of the analysis made on the stock. A stock market investment research allows assessment of actual value of the company. It delves upon the records and history of the company. The research also aims to foresee the future trends of the stock. Serious investors will utilize the information to build an excellent system to establish the investment.

Conducting ordinary stock market investment research

In doing stock market investment research several factors are considered. Primarily the stocks are evaluated based on the following:
• Price
• Earnings
• Yearly Profits and Revenues
• Company Ranking
• Future Plans


The data gathered will then be evaluated. From the evaluation, a conclusion will be made, providing an assessment of the company’s stock value and foreseeing the direction the company is bound to make.

There is a problem however in stock market research done by ordinary analysts and brokers. The research is susceptible of being influenced by bias and financial interests of those who evaluate the stocks and the market.

Stock Market Investment Newsletter Research

Making accessible the crucial information through stock market investment newsletter research is a welcome idea at this point.


Conducting investment analysis done by unbiased researchers will provide investors more reliable, insightful, and most of all, independent information about the stocks and the stock market. Ideally the stock market investment newsletter research is conducted by researchers with no financial interests in the stocks or markets evaluated. The goal is to give viable and lucrative investment opportunities.

Stock market investors as such are empowered to make independent decisions. They can now get a clearer perspective of what is in store for them. The upside aspects of the specific industry will be carefully laid out before the investor.

Stock market investors do not only create wealth for themselves. The success would also redound to the benefit of the nation and of the public. This proves the relevance of stock market investment newsletter researches in helping investors make sound decisions.

Stock Market Game

The stock market is a game

As a kid, have you ever played the board game Monopoly? This is a game that deals with properties, banks, infrastructure, and millions of colorful dollars.

Like in Monopoly, the stock market is a game in which you have to decide the buying and selling of your properties. Although in the case of the trading business, you are making stock market decisions.

The money you collect in Monopoly when you have circulated the whole board game would be the dividend or the payment in the stock market. The amount of the money you collect would be determined by the properties you have in the game. Just like in the stock market, the more shares you have, the larger amount of money you would be given.

When you are getting bankrupt in the game of Monopoly, you have the power to sell your colorful houses or building when you need to regain your finances. Just like in your stocks, when the market falls, you have the authority of which shares to sell out and which shares to retain.

In winning the Monopoly game, you are obliged to keep your properties before the construction of your houses and hotels. You would lose to your challenger if you sell these properties to him even for twice the normal price of your property. Just like in the stock market, making lots of money does not mean you are successful in what you’re doing. In order for you to win with your stocks, you should be able to double your property to give you a higher dividend of shares.

In playing the board game, you need an opponent to start the game. It’s your opponent’s job to prevent you from owning many properties and collecting large amount of money from him and from the bank. Just like in the stock market game, there are also factors that prevent you from the success of your shares. These don’t necessarily have to be other investors, but it could be the taxes you are obliged to pay or the interest of your stockbroker from your dividend.

Playing the game of the stock market could be done even with just a little amount of money. Just like in the board game, all you have to own are colorful play-money for you to own properties and collect more money in the future.

Although the trading system could be compared to the board game, you should take the stock market seriously. Why? Because this is real life and real money is at stake.

Tuesday, 2 December 2008

Stock Market For Dummies

"You, the dummy, and the stock market"

Ok, so you want to dabble in the stock market. Unfortunately, you don’t know how and where to begin. So what do you do?

Well, the first relevant thing to do is ask the basic question of what is a stock and its significance.

A stock symbolizes ownership of a company. Some view stock as certificates. So the more stocks a person owns of a particular company, the more of the company they own. And the more the company they own, the bigger the influence they have in running the company. This is called equity investment.

The next thing to do is familiarize yourself with financial terms such as ‘price-earnings ratio’, ‘margin’, ‘option’, ‘earnings per share’ and ‘leverage’.

Then, it’s on to knowing where and how to actually buy stocks.

There are two ways to buy stocks:

1. brokerage service
2. online exchanges (e.g. banks)

Exchanges are services that allow investors to access stocks all over the world. Here, they can buy and sell stocks without the need for a broker. Certain banks allow you to set up your own stock portfolio and buy and sell stocks online using the money you have in these banks.

Brokerage services are rendered by brokers. These middlemen do all the work for you. They research the stock market, give advice, and buy and sell stocks according to the wishes of their clients. These brokers earn a commission from the stocks bought or sold.

Once you have chosen how to buy and sell stocks, the next thing to do is to open an account. As stated earlier, exchanges allow you to monitor and control your stock portfolio personally. If you choose to enter the stock trade with a bank, then ask your bank the specifics of setting up your own account.

If you choose to trade stocks via a broker, find a reputable broker and ask them to open and manage an account for you.

After you have successfully set up an account, it’s time to study the stock market and plan your strategy: will you be conservative in investing your money? Or will you be aggressive? Are you in it for the long term? Or are you a day trader?

After you have identified your plan, it’s time to do some research on the stocks offered in the market. Having a broker will significantly make it easier for you as they will do the research and give you advice. But, it is still best to study the market yourself.

Be warned though, the stock market is volatile. Be prepared for a roller-coaster ride.

Stock Market Crash Course

Stock market is like a market place for businessmen. In a public market, goods are sold to the public. In a stock market however, stocks are sold to the public. Company stocks are sold in the form of shares. The more shares a person buys in a company, the higher his or her stocks are for that particular company.

The stock market consists of the primary market and the secondary market. Primary market is where companies raise finances for their operating expenses by selling shares to investors. The secondary are investors who buy and sell those shares to other investors. Their decisions are constantly based on changing market conditions.

A stock market is like an auction house. It is a systematic method of buying and selling. In a stock market though, it is a common sight to see people shouting and gesturing at one another.

The buying and selling of stocks begins in different places. If a person decides to purchase stocks in a particular company, a broker is contacted. This broker in turn takes the money of the investor and coordinates with a floor broker at the stock exchange. Usually a floor broker works for the broker or with the company selling the stocks.

At the stock exchange, floor brokers purchase the stock that the investor wants. When a deal is consummated, it is made known to a broker and the investor becomes a stockholder of the company.

That investor may decide to sell the stock. This is usually done when the price per share has gone up. This entails profit for the investor. For example, if a person bought 100 shares at $20.00 per share and the price increased to $25.00, selling those 100 shares results in $500.00 profit.

The economic principle of supply and demand is the driving force of the stock market. The number of shares of stocks that are open to the public dictates the supply and the number of shares that investors want affects the demand.

Movement of stocks in a certain market causes the constant changes in the prices of stocks.

For example, if most people believe that the economy is growing, they would buy more stocks. But if the economy is in a downfall, their tendency is to sell their stocks.

Many businessmen choose to make a long term investment in the stock market. There are instances where stocks decrease in value causing a stockholder to lose money. The stock market does not guarantee profit. The better a person is in reacting to the changes at the stock exchange; the better his chances are for profit.

Risks Of A Stock Market

Stock market risks: Is my money really worth it?

So, finally, you have your money you can call your own. Naturally, you want to see your money grow. Saving your money in a bank doesn't entice you, seeing it offer too little growth potential. You want something that gives a little more risk, with the hopes of having a much larger financial return. You turn to the stock market.

But wait! Are the risks involved in investing in the stock market worth my money? Investing is a good tool to increase you money, but you have to keep an open mind and know what to look for.

Needless to say, investing in stocks is a risky business. There are some risks that fortunately, you can control.

For example, you must guard against investing in "hot" stocks. True, some get wealthy in investing in "hot" stocks such as the "dot-com" bubble in the 1990s, but when the initial buzz around these stocks begin to slide, so does your investment. Once they fall, they really fall hard in a short period of time. This includes your money and others like you who invested in these stocks. If you really need to invest in these stocks, you have to keep a constant eye on them and try to sell them when they start to level off or drop.

To avoid such risks, you must diversify your portfolio. Basically, it means buying a little bit of a lot of different types of stocks and bonds. In that way, if one stock gets down, another one of your stock might be up and will help you recover some of your losses. It is a good idea to have some stocks in the technology sector, telecommunications, biomedical, and consumer corporations. In time, you could add your portfolio with precious metal and diamond indexes, and some general investment funds.

There are also companies that offer "safety stocks". It will be a sound decision to have several shares of companies such as this in your portfolio. This is because such stocks rarely fluctuate and most often offer a slow and steady growth, thus giving you an assurance in your investments.

Do not rely on tips saying that this stock is "going to be big" and the like. These tips are often unfounded, and these stocks are almost worthless. Investing in these stocks might give you a higher return but in the long run, these stocks will just give you worries. Read the Wall Street Journal or watch the stock reports on news networks to know more about your stocks. Also check relevant websites to see how your stocks have been performing in recent weeks.

Monday, 1 December 2008

Pros And Cons Using Your Credit Card On The Internet

With today’s technology and the E-commerce, using credit cards on the Internet is now more practiced and favored by consumers and online businesses alike.

For people who are not familiar with shopping on the internet using their credit cards, here is a list of the pros and cons that you must be adept with before considering using your credit card in the internet.

1) As a buyer and owner of the account, there are pros and cons in using your credit card on the internet:

* Online, you don't have to wait on a queue to purchase anything with your credit card. On the other hand, you might get ripped off since you don't know the seller.

* Shopping in the internet with your credit card gives you a wider selection of products with low prices. In contrast, shopping in the internet would not give you a chance to examine the product more thoroughly.

* Using your credit card online gives you the advantage of purchasing products anywhere in the world. However, some sellers may not be trustworthy enough to really deliver what you bought.

* Accessibility of shops 24 hours a day could be provided for you when using the internet. Also, 24 hours a day somebody out there could just be lurking waiting for you to key in your credit card number for him or her to use.

* Although there is a large selection of products to supply the needs of the customer, records have it that there is only an average of 1/10 stocks obtainable on the internet.

2) As a businessman using the internet to sell products and services, there are pros and cons in using your credit card on the internet:

* In using the internet to sell to customers that use credit cards, the company’s market sales would increase. But, purchasing hardware and software to support these transactions would cost the company a large amount of money. Also, regular maintenance is required to ensure that all transactions happen smoothly.

* Because customers make use of credit cards through the internet, the company would be able to expand their sales globally. On the other hand, a company must make sure that the stocks are enough to supply the global market when the demand suddenly spikes.

*Through the large number of consumers using their credit cards online, the company's profits won't be that hard to increase. But this entails keeping up with the competition since there a lot of other companies vying to get the most out of the credit card phenomenon.

Pros And Cons Of A Stock Market

Understanding the nature of the stock market, including its pros and cons, doesn't have to be confusing one. Many people fear that in order for them to know the nature of the stock market, they have to understand a gamut of stock and marketing terms and all that jazz.

On the other hand, some people saw behind the veneer of all these economic gibberish, and saw the potentials of what they could get from investing in the stock market.

In a nutshell

Simply put, the stock market is the market to buy and sell stocks and shares. This is where company stock gets traded. The term is also used to describe the totality of all stocks in one country. That is why we hear reporters talking that "the stock market was up today" or that "the stock market went down after the dollar fell to the euro."

What are the pros and cons of the stock market?

One of the reasons why we need the stock market is because it is an important factor for the US economic system to operate. Through the stock market, US companies improve their financial viability and expand their operations by raising funds from selling stocks. Without the stock market, our companies become slower in their growth and might falter in the increasing competition in the US as well as against international companies.

Another reason for the existence of the stock market is that it also has role in personal financial planning. This is because many individuals buy stock shares as part of their personal financial strategies. More importantly, most Americans have a stake in the stock market because retirement programs invest in stocks. It has shown that retirement programs earn a lot more by investing in common stocks than other options such as saving the funds in banks.

Of course, the stock market also has its downsides. Remember that the stock market is not a tool for instant success. True, there are cases of one getting wealthy by investing in the market, but this involves having shares in various company stocks, which means a lot of research, time, and money. One also gets rich when some stocks become "hotter" such as the "dot-com" bubble in the nineties, but when the initial buzz around these stocks falter, the value of these stocks tend to crash.

Problems With The Stock Market

"Investors often cause stock market problems"

With the advent of online banking and online trading, the stock market has opened its doors to virtually every person willing enough to grow their money.

And yet, despite this, not everyone has joined the bandwagon. The biggest factor being the potential risk involved in trading stocks.

The stock market is among the most volatile financial institutions in business. And it’s this volatility that tends to be the biggest problem with the stock market.

Almost any reason, real or imagined can cause these extreme fluctuations that often affect the stock market’s credibility.

Real factors such as the weather, political instability, political decisions, war, terrorist threats, boycotts and strikes, economic trends and international trade or even company scandals also become factors to the stock market problems.

Bad weather such as hurricanes affects certain industries such as oil production. This then drives the cost of petroleum products higher as production gets limited. This causes a cascading effect that drives stocks of oil companies higher.

Political instability in a country can affect investor confidence thus lesser investing is done. This causes the shares of local companies to slide downwards.

Boycotts, strikers and terrorist threats have also proven to be the bane of the airline industry. Shares of airliners have tumbled throughout the years with every terrorist attacks all over the world.

But aside from uncontrollable factors such as natural disaster (or war), the common underlying link that allows these other reasons to affect the stock market so significantly is investor psychology.

Humans are prone to herd mentality. Often, people confirm with the actions and directions of other people.

This is a common mistake in investing.

An example of this is during the early 90s when dozens of dot com companies sold their stocks in the stock market. It created an artificial demand for stocks of companies that did not even provide real and concrete services.

These stocks soared in value as more and more enthusiastic investors bought them. This happened up until the time it was realized that these companies did not actually post any considerable profit to sustain the value of the shares.

The stocks then tumbled and virtually lost value as investors frantically sold their shares.

This tendency to panic and depend on the direction of others is among the real causes of problems with the stock market.

There are two actions arising from this mentality:

a.) panic buying
b.) panic selling

Of the two, panic selling causes the most harm since it causes a steep and quick drop in the value of shares.

The best way to avoid causing these problems is to practice due diligence and to keep a level head while investing.

Online Stock Market Trading

How to avoid the dangers of online stock market trading

Online stock market trading has made it possible for millions of individuals, especially those who are not keen on investing in stocks the traditional way, to play the stock market game. Almost anyone, from novice investors to expert day traders, can participate in online stock market trading.

But online stock market trading has many dangers and if you are nit careful you could end up losing instead of earning lost of money.

Online stock markets trading allow individuals to participate in the stock markets at greater speed. But because of this, it has also become easier to make investment mistakes. Therefore, the fundamentals of smart should still be applied in online stock market trading to avoid falling into traps.

One of the most common problems with first-timers in online stock market trading is they think they can make a lot of money online even without any investment skills and knowledge. This is probably brought about by stories of overnight successes. They must keep in mind that for every ten investors that makes lots of money from online stock market trading there are at least ten who lose money.

New online stock market traders think that they could survive in online stock market trading without any investment skills and knowledge is because markets have been bullish recently. For the past six or seven years, common investors made significant profits from any buy and hold strategy. Investors only start to realize the importance of being financially savvy when markets show bearish signals. That’s the only time they employ smart financial planning through diversification.

What potential online stock market investors need to realize is that online stock market trading is really no different from traditional stock market treading. The web hasn't changed the fundamentals of smart investing it has only made it easier to invest. Individuals – like most professional day traders - should still have a set of rules and guidelines to help them avoid the dangers of online stock market trading.

Like in traditional stock market trading, the first thing you have to do is to arm yourself with basic information about the company you’re investing into so as to avoid “gambling.”

Perform some fundamental analysis to determine if the stock is worth the price. You can do this by researching. Good source are websites of major brokerage houses, finance publications and mutual-fund companies.

Because online stock market trading is easier, it becomes tempting to trade often. But it's tough to beat the market on a consistent basis. For the long term, a buy-and-hold strategy is the best way to invest even in online stock markets.