Credit Card ’s Talk

The stock market is either a physical or virtual location where buyers and sellers can meet and exchange or trade company shares. If you buy a stock then you become a partial owner of the company. If the company is doing well and makes money, then you make money as well. The stock price will increase. If the company isn’t successful then the stock price will go down and you loose money.

Investing in stocks is a very convenient way to become an entrepreneur. In exchange to your purchase price you get a portion of a company and its profits and dividends. You have a voting right which you can use in the stockholder’s meeting. The advantage for the company is receiving the money from the stock sales. This is one of the best ways for a company to raise money for its business.

In the United States there are several different stock exchanges. The best known one is the so called ?Wall Street? or New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The NYSE is a physical marketplace. That means that all orders to buy or sell stocks are directed to a person who then matches these orders for an execution. These persons are called specialists and each specialist is responsible for a specific stock or company.

The second best known stock exchange is the NASDAQ. The NASDAQ is a virtual market place, that means there are no specialists but only market makers and electronic communication networks. All orders are matched 100% electronically. The NASDAQ is the playing field of the so called day traders who sometimes make hundreds of buys and sells during the day. Because all executions are electronic and therefore extremely quick, it’s possible to buy and sell stocks within seconds.

It’s this technology which has allowed the stock market to grow tremendously the last years. Today everyone with a simple computer and an Internet connection can trade stocks or other instruments like futures or options online with low transaction costs. In earlier days trading stocks was the privilege of a few people only because it was very expensive. The stock market was in the hands of banks, investment funds, insurance companies and wealthy private investors only.

Today you still can’t purchase or sell stocks directly at the exchange yourself but you won’t want to do it anyway. You always have to go through a registered broker who takes your orders and transmits them to the exchange for execution. The broker takes all the hassles away so that you can trade stocks without having to think how your order gets executed properly. Full service brokers offer a wide range of services. You can get investment advice, research data, news and quotes and personal assistance. This includes a higher transaction cost. Experience traders who don’t want or need these services and do their own research can use discount brokers who just execute your orders for a lower fee.

You can make much money with stocks when you have chosen to invest into the right company at the right moment. The timing is very important and can make the difference between profit and loss. Be aware that the stock prices are always in fluctuation because supply and demand determines the current stock quote.

David A. Sorenger is a stock market expert and provides detailed information on the stock exchange at his web site http://www.StockTradingABC.com.

I often play a little game with myself when I have to go shopping; to the post office or on other errands.

Sometimes I will just go about my business and make little comment or eye contact with the person serving me. Other times I will smile and talk to the person. Ask them how they are. Even make a joke!

The difference is incredible. And it is amazing what affect it has on both them and me.

If I take the effort to engage the person in a conversation and make eye contact - almost without exception their face lights up, they smile and are friendly back to me. And best of all, I feel much better.

Instead of it being just a chore, it can make the whole experience more enjoyable. And the only difference is my attitude.

Now what does this have to do with you trading the stock market?

Well, I believe that in trading your success is almost completely determined by your attitude.

If you don’t believe me, play the game I just described.

And then ask yourself, If I can affect my experience so dramatically through a minor change of my attitude in one small area of my life, surely changing my attitude in my trading will have a similar effect.

Just try it.

Look at the stock market with a negative attitude [such as the market is out to get me!. And then review the same information with the view that the market is a wonderful source of financial freedom.

Do you notice a difference?

Do you think the second view is more helpful? Do you think it might give you greater confidence and motivation? And less fear?

Now don’t get me wrong.

I am not saying that positive thinking is all you need for success. Clearly you need the necessary skills and experience to achieve anything in any area of your life.

But having the right attitude and beliefs is absolutely crucial. Because it is this that determines which actions you will take. And when.

You see the reality is that, without a positive attitude, you cannot be come a successful trader. Period. No question.

So give it a go.

Have a look at your attitudes to the stock market and trading and see if they need review.

What have you got to lose? Maybe just some limiting beliefs and attitudes that are restricting your success.

And by the way - try my little game some time!

Be nice to a cashier or a waiter or a bus driver and see what happens. Maybe even try it on someone close to you!

You will be amazed. And so will they!

David Chandler

Ordinary People Making Extraordinary Profits!

For free mini-course on stock and options trading click the following link: http://www.StockMarketGenie.com

Or visit our blog at: http://stockmarketgenie.blogspot.com/

The above comments are offered for educational purposes only. We are not providing you with financial advice. We are simply sharing with you what has and hasn’t worked for us personally. If you wish to trade or invest in the stock market you should obtain advice from a registered licensed advisor.

I am sure that if you have a brokerage account with a full service broker you have been getting calls about what to buy and sell. If you have big losses in certain stocks you might be hit with that great Wall Street lie to buy more so you can ‘Dollar Cost Average’. It doesn’t work.

In a recent study going back for 5 years a dollar cost averaging program was set up buying the S&P500 Index mutual fund. At the end of 62 months the investor had put in $31,000 and it was now worth $31,162. You would have done better in a savings account at your bank. And that assumes there was no commission or fees of any kind.

Let’s say you owned a stock such as Cisco. This one is held by hundreds of thousands of investors and almost every one of them has a loss. It traded as high as $82 and for more than a year was in a range over $50/share. It was the darling of very broker from here to Timbuktu and when it started down they kept yelling buy more, buy more. Another one in this same category is Lucent going from about $80 to $5. Yuk!

Now Wall Street is trying to get you to buy more of these losers so you can get out even when it goes back up. And pigs can fly. Think about this. The person that currently owns these stocks or any similar ones with big losses is now waiting for them to go back up so they can get out even. Ho boy. It should be extremely obvious that every time one of the monsters sticks its head up it is going to be hit with tremendous selling. There isn’t a chance that any of them will ever get back to their old high prices ? or even close.

What does an investor do? Clean out your garage and have a yard sale. Get rid of this junk and put your money to work where there is a chance to make a profit. And don’t buy any stock that has lost 50% to 80% during the bear market of the last 2 years. Brokers will tell you these are now cheap and are a good buy. Not a chance. There are too many people waiting to sell.

Now is the time to try to find a completely different equity that did not get hammered last year. Look for one that has a nice smooth upward pattern. Buy it and this time know how much loss you will be willing take if it goes down. How do you do that? Very simple. Use a trailing loss limit order called an open stop-loss order about 10% under the lowest price of the previous month - and keep moving it up as the price advances. That way you will not give back profits.

Al Thomas’ book, If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It! has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he’s the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.

Copyright 2005

Are you considering investing in stocks? Many people have chosen stocks as their primary wealth building vehicle.

There are a ton of reasons for investing in stocks but I?ll leave you with the most beneficial reasons.

When you buy a stock you are actually a partial owner of the company and if you do your research you can own a very successful company that will reward you for years to come.

Stocks on average grow over 10% a year and that?s a lot more than a certificate of deposit (CD) at your local bank.

Your risk is minimal as long as you don?t put all your money in one stock or in companies that are similar. You?ll want to diversify some of your money into other companies.

You will be taking part in an American pastime and will be learning more and more about your finances.

You will be helping the economy when a company first sells their stock to the public they have what is called an Initial Public Offering (IPO) which brings money in for the company and helps them grow.

So you see investing your money in stocks is really a good thing and if you have some money you can afford to lose (yes stocks can go down) then you should seriously consider learning more about the stock market and investing some of your money in it.

Reed Floren runs a stock market forum where you can find answers to all your stock market questions register for your free membership at this stock market forum http://www.reedfloren.com/forums/index.php?act=Reg&CODE=00

In a bull market, it is not difficult to generate wealth from investing in stocks and shares. The general trend is up and you can benefit from this.

Trading now is easy - open an online account and the total cost of the buy and sell is small if not negligible.

It is worth noting this: the low cost of the buy and sell means that it is pretty possible to supplement your income by a few hundred or thousand dollars a month. Of course we know that people make millions in the markets, but they also have to risk millions. Take Warren Buffet, his profit from the dollar decline may be making him billions, but it cost him a billion to make the bet.

I’m pretty risk averse and I like to calculate my earnings in hard cash at the end of each month. So it is not unusual for me to cash out everything after only a month and start again, even if the stocks are doing well and I lose out a little in the transaction charges. This approach has many other important benefits, including:

a) it keeps me unemotional. The stock (they call it a share in England) is just an entity that I trade and each month i’ll risk my money on that or any stock that may give me the best return.

b) I don’t fall into the trap of leaving my money somewhere where I’ll forget about it and hope that one day it’ll be worth much more.

c) I get used to the process and always have my eyes on the market. I get to know how strong or weak my stocks are at any point in time. In other Words, I’m keeping an eye on my money.

I’ve started a newsletter to share my experiences: www.wanttosaysomething.com

15th May 2006

Shares crashed today. Apparently due to a predicted rise in interest rates, but also the weakening dollar and the unknowns of the Iran situation. This just goes to show the benefit of diversifying, but also the fact that no one knows anything.

Normally the strategy is to attempt to make your capital appreciate quickly, which inevitable means investing in higher risk stocks. But on days like this, it is the blue chips, [which grow incredibly slowly that retain most value.

Still, days like today are a good time to buy. Problem is knowing where the bottom is. Do I risk buying today when they could fall again tomorrow. Best strategy is to wait and see what happens tomorrow. If I see red, I’ll wait. If I see green…well you know what that means.

Learn more?

Click to view the new online newsletter: http://www.wanttosaysomething.com/

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Share my investing experiences at WantToSaySomething.com

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the URL links remain active.

I cringe every time I hear a novice investor tell me that they only purchase low priced stocks because they offer higher potential gains. A common phase I hear is ?I like to buy $1 and $2 stocks because they can double easily and I will make a 100% profit?.

My reaction is to always let these people know that ?stocks are priced low for a reason, just as stocks priced high are there for a reason?.

Like anything in life, quality is never offered at a discount. When I am in the market for a car, I don?t expect to purchase a Mercedes for the price of a Pinto. No pun directed towards Pinto car owners as I am just providing an example.

Stocks are valued at their current market value or perceived value under the current situations. A $1.00 stock is trading at this level because it is only worth this much in investor?s eyes. A stock priced at $50 or $100 is trading at these levels because of a quality that the lower priced stock does not have. Institutions, such as mutual funds, will not purchase a stock at $1 based on strict internal rules and fund guidelines. Stocks move based on vast amounts of support from institutions that have the buying power to propel prices 100%, 200% or more in less than 12 months.

A quick study of stock market history will prove that the majority of stocks priced at $2 or less will be de-listed or bankrupt before they ever give an investor a triple digit return. High quality stocks are typically representative of high quality companies that usually have innovative products or services that are increasing revenues and earnings thus peaking institutional interest. I have seen more stocks double or triple from the $20-$50 range than any other price level during the past five years.

A stock going up 25% in one month?s time is the same whether it is from $5 to $6.25 or $60 to $75. It happens every year. The novice investor is usually hesitant to buy a stock that is priced at $50 or more as it looks too expensive to the untrained eye. What?s expensive to an uneducated investor may be a bargain to an educated investor.

Always buy the stock that presents the highest probability of success based on both fundamental and technical analysis. The price should never matter nor should the lot size. A 25% gain will always be the same whether you buy a $2 stock with 5000 shares or a $100 stock with 100 shares.

I agree that the chances for a quick 25% gain on a $5 stock seems greater than a 25% gain for a $100 stock but it’s also much greater for a 25% slide on the $5 stock than it is for $100 stock. Your downside protection is limited with a low priced stock as it can move quickly and present you with an illiquid position that a higher quality stock may not present.

Here is a very basic example:

If you buy a $2 stock and it gains $1 in two months, you now have a 50% gain. But, if the stock falls $1 in two weeks, you now have a huge 50% loss in your portfolio, a number that usually devastates most traders.

If you buy a $60 stock and it gains $30 in two months, you will have a 50% gain. Now, if the stock starts to fall rapidly and is now down $10 in a few days, you still have a chance to sell the stock within 10% of your purchase price and prevent further loss and devastation to your portfolio. You, the investor will most likely be able to spot negative action or red flags and get out quickly enough without the sudden 50% drop that the lower priced stock could blindside you with.

Don?t buy a stock based on low prices or a quantity of shares. Always buy a stock based on quality looking towards the fundamentals and technicals and the price and volume action. Study our archives and look at the number of stocks that have gone on to tremendous gains from the $20, $30 and $40 levels.

Chris Perruna - http://www.marketstockwatch.com

Chris is the founder and CEO of MarketStockWatch.com, an internet community that teaches you how to invest your money with solid rules. We don’t stop at just showing you our daily and weekly screens, we teach you how to make you own screens through education. Through our philosophy, you will be able to create your own methods and styles to become successful.