Stock Market: The Land of Greed and Fear

By Leyla Maker

The major players in the stock market emotions are greed and fear. They are the forces that drives all market participants - Stockbrokers, institutional managers, traders, investors and yourself.

Perhaps you are saying that you will never let fear and greed interfere with your trading, but be assured that they will be. It is not something that you should feel ashamed of. It is one thing you have to realize, come face to face, if you are determined to be a successful stock trader or investor

How do greed and fear look in the stock market trading stage?

You have been following a certain stock for a period of time now. It is advancing in price, so you decide to buy. You bought at a low price and now it is to higher price as you expected it would.

Now your greed pops up to the scene and convince you that this security is heading up like a rocket. So you are motivated to buy more of the stock, another possibility is that your stock is advancing higher and reaches beyond the selling price that you have planned to sell for. Now greed makes you believe that the stock will continue in an uptrend till the next day and so you hold on to it.

When stocks make strong moves to the upside greed from all the cumulative market participants joins the move.

Stock prices in most situations drop faster than moving up and when this takes place, fear shows up.

Let us look at the example above, where your stock went through your get out price and you held on because greed was by your side. The next morning the stock price gaps down. There is heavy selling all morning long. Greed is telling you to hang in there the price will come back. The price keeps going down, now you get a knot in your gut, and your knuckles are turning white. Fear is now by your side, but by now it is too late, your nice profit has turned into a loss.

Everyone goes through this until they have mastered the ugly faces of greed and fear. Master this and you are well on your way to becoming a successful stock trader. - 31970

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The Rule of 72 - The Bedrock Of Investment

By Zigfred Maceren

To Albert Einstein is attributed these words: "The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest." The rule of 72 is just a simple mathematical computation of compounded interest.

Some people go as far as saying that Albert Einstein's greatest discovery was the Rule of 72, not the theory of relativity. Others say that the rule had been in existence even before Einstein was born. But most people agree that Einstein popularized it.

How could the Rule of 72 help make investment decisions?

The Rule of 72 helps in investment decisions because it determines the following:

1.) What interest rate enables you to double your money quickly? 2.) How many years do you wait before your money doubles?

For the answer, divide 72 by a certain interest rate. The result is the number of years it will take to double your money. Expressed mathematically, the Rule of 72 is: n = 72 / I, where n is the number of years it will take to double your money while i is the interest rate.

Let's use an example to illustrate: Your P100,000.00 deposit in a savings account will take 72 years before it doubles to P200,000.00 because the bank only gives a measly 1% interest rate. (72 / 1 = 72).

Because of low interest rates for savings account deposits, let's assume you preferred to keep your money in a time deposit account. In the Philippines, time deposits earn an average of 4% interest annually. Your P100,000.00 in time deposit will take about 18 years to double or become P200,000.00 (72 / 4 = 18).

In comparison, consider if you invested your P100,000.00 in a scheme that would earn 12% interest. Now, it would take only 6 years to double your money! (72 / 12 = 6).

There is a cousin to the Rule of 72 that computes the number of years it takes to triple your money - the Rule of 115. Using the same formula, just substitute 115 for 72. - 31970

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Debt Collection - How Much Time Do Collection Agencies Have To Collect?

By Mallory McGuinness-Hickey

Most people are becoming increaslingly aware that they owe a debt that is being pursued by a debt collections agency, yet few know exactly how much time has passed before creditors can go after that debt. Debt Collectors are guided by what is called the Statute of Limitations.

What this means is that after a certain length of time agencies can no longer collect from debtors. Factors include the amount of time, which can vary from state to state, the type of debt, and if there is a signed contract or not.

One example is the state of New Hampshire, where the time alloted to collect a debt is 3 years. If it was a foreign judgement, the Statute of Limitations is as high as 20 years; on a domestic one it is also 20 years. For goods the Statute of Limitations is four years but with a written and signed contract is is three years.

Debtors that do not believe that they owe the money, they can fight the creditors claim may actually withold information regarding invoices or balances due and request proof demonstrating the validity of the debt.At this point, collection agencies must present backup documentation to support their claim.

For more information regarding the Statute of Limitations, it is wise to speak to a legal advisor in your own state. While there are many collections agencies out there that use unreputable practices, there is also a number of legitimate agencies who are willing to help out. Agencies such as Rapid Recovery Solution are always willing to help out. For more information, consult rapidrecoverysolution.com. In this trying time of economic hardship don't be bullied by illegal tactics by illegitimate collection agencies. There are laws out there to protect debtors and everyone should know their rights. - 31970

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Day Trade Your Life Away

By Myer Thompson

There is no room for mistakes. In fact, never make the mistake of thinking day trading is something you can dabble in. It is not a dabbler's field. Though you think you might have a great hunch or have the inside scoop, one bad trade could wipe you out. Losing all the money you ever had is not an experience that lifts people from the doldrums of their day-to-day lives.

There are no quick fixes and no easy answers. Though the high point of day trading as a means of making a buck had its heyday in the late 1990s, people still think they can make the crucial decisions that can help grow their financial portfolios. For the most, this may true. There are some very successful day traders who do their homework, invest widely, and don't jump the gun when it comes to downturns and losses.

Making a good run boils down to one thing: knowing the score. The key to their success is a fair amount of learning. You can't expect to pass a test without studying. You can't expect to make a career -- or even a lucrative pastime -- out of day trading without knowing the terms and best practices. You wouldn't just start taking your car engine apart. Why would you just start day trading without having the necessary skills?

Men and women don't do this just for the sheer thrill. In fact, what drives most day traders is a sense of control and deep desire to not be taken advantage of. People have a difficult time believing what happens at large brokerages. There is a massive gray area that dominates the minds of most investors. Is by broker qualified? Am I being taken advantage of?

Putting the kibosh on these pesky questions is what tends to drive people into take charge of their time investing in the Stock Market. If you're going to lose, it may as well be you making the decisions. The key to not losing, whether you're doing this all by yourself or not, is knowing the tricks of the trade. That you can only get from the professionals. - 31970

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Learn More About Taking A Stock Market Course

By Johnny M Junior

There are some simple aspects about trading you will need to know before trying to get in on the many profits made by the stock market, especially if you are not familiar with the procedures and methods. Taking a stock Market Course is vital in making the right decision on your money. You can find Stock Market Course software online and in book stores. If you are just wanting to see if its for you, you can find free online starter kits that will help you make sure this is something you want to do.

Learning how to trade in company stock and derivatives is important. Making sure you that you know how to buy, sell, and trade at a agreed price. Since the beginning of October 2008 the size of the worlds markets were at $36 trillion US. There is enough money to go around and this is why its so important to take a course.

Stock investors are in one place and one place only. They are the ones that work to make everything go round. Auction markets were created for providing a market place buyers and sellers to safely trade. The concept for trading money between business and individuals came from France in the 12 century. Shortly after the trades began, in 1351 bankers began to trade in government securities.

It is very important to learn how to buy, sell, and trade. In order to do this effectively and efficiently. It can and will get rather confusing if you try to do this on your own with little to no knowledge of the trade. Taking a course will ensure that you get the right set of skills to achieve what you are looking for.

Having the educational skills to learn the correctly buy, sell, and trade is more than important. When you know the nature of trades, it makes it easier to understand the changing market. On going with a course will ensure that you get the right knowledge for what you are doing. Just in the last 18 months the opportunity for traders has greatly improved.

The skills you will acquirer from taking a educational class, are skills that we teach every day in our 30 financial education centers worldwide. Join us at a free workshop to learn more about how you can acquire these skills and have more success in the market.. - 31970

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Tips And Guidelines For The Stock Market

By Jimmy Villaruel

Two well known traders discuss entry and exit points and stock market tips are discussed. They also answer a question about how to find good momentum trades.

David: A question has been asked to us about entry points. 'Every entry I make, the trade seems to go against me. I've tried every indicator known to man and different timeframes. I've tried other people's systems and they don't work either.'

Stuart: It's often not the entry that's at fault. Often it's the exit that's at fault. We may be using an inappropriate exit and not allowing the conditions that got us into the trade work their magic and do what we want them to do for us in the trade.

Maybe the entry is too complicated and perhaps they were changing it or shifting it because it was too complicated. Ditch the indicators. They'll work for some people and that's fine. My personal opinion is to ditch them because they don't provide much for me. Keep things simple, and it may be worth looking at the exits more than the entries.

David: For the next question: out of the thousands of stocks that are out there, how do I pick a few that have moved with a chance of high probability each day every day without scrolling through each one.

Stuart: You've got to have a way to narrow them down. I remember this when I started out. There are two thousand stocks on the ASX and I only want four or five to get going. How do I narrow it down to four or five? I think the easiest way, and one of the best stock market tips, is to get software that allows you to input you own entry criteria, the conditions you want to see in stocks. Software and PCs now does it within minutes or seconds and presents you with a small list for you to then assess yourself each chart by itself.

You need software which allows you not just to bring up the chart, but to go through data, perform calculations and identify your own criteria.

David: If you do not have access to charting software, come up with a trading method that is calculated, based on some data you might find in newspapers. Some newspapers will mark which stocks are making new six month highs or fifty-two week highs. That might be a way to thin the thousands of stocks to a few. But get yourself a charting package.

Stuart and I use Metastock, but there are plenty out there, and one can start with that.

For the next question is how to find good momentum trades.

Stuart: Find stocks that are already in well established trends. I do that all the time. I just buy things that have gone through that period of consolidation and have now started to move up. Look for higher peaks, higher troughs, sitting above their medium term moving average whether it be 30, 50, 60 day moving average and showing the capacity and the potential to keep moving higher. With a fifty week high, clearly this stock has an upside, because with a fifty two week high there must be great demand for this stock. This is a simple way of doing that.

David: The next question is entry and exits - what is a good stop? For entry, have a methodology to identify what's going up. Exit points - choose an appropriate one. For good stops, you can use percentage, ATR or technical and the lowest low.

Find the appropriate entry and exit points and buy some software to sort out the best stocks to buy. These are the best stock market tips for any beginner trader. - 31970

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Beginners Overview Of ETF Trend Trading

By Patrick Deaton

There are many programs and services available on the Internet that offer services when a person wants to participate in ETF Trend Trading. When choosing a service or program an individual will want to take some time to consider what their needs are and how the service or program can help in making successful trades.

When doing an accurate technical analysis a person will need an analytical tool. There are many available that will give the detailed information that will help to identify trends and patterns in a sector. The programs usually are broken into short term, intermediate, and long term trends within a sector. Some of the programs offer other charts and graphs that provide information on the trends that are occurring within trends.

A trend trader does not just rely on the analytical tools that are available. They also do the historical research necessary on the sector to find the trading volume, moving average, and other technical trends that will help to identify trends within the trends. In many cases, a disruption in a trend may be the result of a significant event within the sector.

However, this trend may not be repeated again in the sector for several years. A person making a future trade based on the indicators of the analytical data alone would not know this and the trade made would not be as successful as might be expected.

The idea of ETF trend trading is to jump in when a stock is on the rise or fall with the idea that is going to continue in that direction for a period of time. When the stock is rising a person takes a long position. When it is dropping a person takes a short position. In either case, when the trend begins to reverse, a trade is made. The most closely that the beginning and end of a trend can be predicted, the better the gains will be on the trade.

When an individual is going to begin doing the necessary analytical work to make effective trades they will want to take a holistic approach. Including historical data, current market climates in that sector, and any anticipated significant changes to that sector will all act to make trades more successful.

Setting buy and sell limits will act as a safety net, should a trend begin to reverse too soon. When a person gets involved with a sector through analytical and historical analysis, they sometimes get too involved. It is important to have a limit and stick with it when trend trading.

There is a lot to learn when one wants to delve into ETF trend trading. It is very helpful to visit websites and forums run by successful traders to use different types of trading, methods, and strategies to widen the base of knowledge that one has about trading. By getting information from people who are successful, it is much easier to develop a technique and strategy that will be most effective in making the successful gains that are possible with ETF trading. - 31970

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