Sep 4 2009

Plan For Success: A Trading Plan Primer


Let me tell you what's essentialy an open secret for stock traders: a trading plan is pretty much the only way to succeed in the stock market. Actually, it should be pretty obvious: well-made plans have always guaranteed success for anyone who's set out to do something, from a lowly carpenter to a well-respected general. What I'm going to be telling you about now is how to set-up your own trading plan so you can walk that path to profit and success.

Let's start with what a trading plan is not: a trading plan is not some vague instructions on a piece of paper, gathered advice from well-worn trading books, no. That's what you call a roadmap to disaster. The stock market is a treacherous place and going into it with only vague instructions will have you end up bankrupt faster than a blink of an eye. Trading plans, real trading plans, are seriously thought out pieces of self-examination and complete research into a market or a field. They are like mirrors of a trader's personality, guiding him to do actions that would maximize profit and minimize loss.

So, how are these masterpieces created? First of all, good trading plans are made from the bottom up. The foundation for these plans are made when a trader takes stock of himself: what his personality is, what his interests are and what he is aiming for. Goals often define a person and plans are no different. When you're starting to make a trading plan, you should ask yourself this question: what exactly am I hoping to gain with this plan? Financial security's a good answer but it needs something a bit more specific. Setting a weekly profit and loss margin for yourself would be a good start, then slowly working yourself up to monthly, then yearly. Creating goals in this manner give you something to aim for and define a sense of progress for yourself. Of course, you shouldn't aim too high or you'll end up getting disappointed.

Next thing on the agenda is what market and stocks you'll be trading in. There's an old saw that goes that you should get a job you enjoy so it won't feel like work and that holds true here, too: choosing a field that you have prior knowledge about or interest in can help you keep focused on the market's progression. That way you won't suddenly find yourself caught by some new trend and end up losing money. Once you've chosen the market, that's when good-old research comes in. Picking stocks by performance and your goals should be easy, although you sometimes have to dig a bit deep to find any underlying patterns to their progression.

Finally, you should set-up your trading strategies. Trading strategies pretty much hinge on your personality. If you're a bit of worrier, then you'll probably be aiming for conservative strategies, the ones that aim for slow but sure profits over the long term. But if you're the daredevil-type who wanst that big payout immediately, buying and selling volatile stock would probably be more fitting for your personality. Remember to try and make your trading plan's strategies work with your personality, that way it would be easier to follow. Risk-taking trades would probably be too much mentally for a conservative trader and slow, boring ones would put a risk-taker to sleep, with the same end result of you suddenly becoming careless and losing a lot of money.

Well, that's pretty much the basics of trading plans. If you want to know more, there are several good books and resources available on the market and the Internet.



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Sep 4 2009

A Brief History Of Stock Market Trading


Any brief history of stock market or share trading has to immediately start by recognizing that the exact origins are lost in the mists of time. There are conflicting reports that Muslim and Jewish merchants in Cairo were the first to establish a stock market while the traditionalists maintain the oldest ones were actually in Italy and these are usually the starting point when considering a brief history of stock market trading.

The 13th Century Italians almost certainly had the closest share trading markets to what we would recognize today. The Venetian traders were probably the first ones to begin dealing with government securities and even back then there was insider trading going on. In fact as early as 1351 there was a law passed in Venice which was designed to stop people spreading rumors that would drive down prices.

As more formal commerce spread around Europe so did the need to have stock markets. By around the 16th and 17th centuries Amsterdam had begun to become the main stock market in Europe. It was there that the very first company to issue stocks and bonds was formed. This was the Dutch East India Company who issued the first share ever to be sold on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange.

The Dutch as leaders in this new field soon began to develop some of the financial instruments that we are all still familiar with today. They introduced things such as traded options, short selling, unit trusts and even debt-equity swaps which were revolutionary at the time.

After the early success of those Dutch pioneers other countries soon began to see how they could copy this new trading model. Perhaps the most successful were the English with the London Stock Exchange. The LSE even today is acknowledged as the leading stock market in the world.

It was to London that the first American Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, turned when he wanted to begin development of economic power in the New World. Hamilton founded the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in the late 18th century where it was joined around fifty years later by what is now the American Stock Exchange. Both the NYSE and Amex remain on Wall Street to this day.

Throughout the history of stock trading there have been many stories of huge successes such as the Dutch East India Company. There have also been many spectacular financial failures. Two of the most notable are the South Sea Bubble and the 1929 Wall Street crash but they all go to make up the fascinating and brief history of stock market trading.


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Sep 4 2009

Understanding The Stock Market 101

If you are looking to get started with investing in stocks and shares you really need to get to grips with understanding the stock market. While you don't need to become an expert or have an in depth knowledge you certainly need at the very least a basic understanding. The stock market is in its simplest form just an auction but it is one with a sting in the tail for the unwary.

To help you start understanding the stock market you need to think of what makes it work. Very simply the market is driven by supply and demand. That means that if there is only a very limited number of shares in a particular company available the demand for them will be far greater than if the market place is awash with them. So you can see that just like an auction where there are a lot of people who want what is on offer the price will increase to reflect that demand.

Once you have grasped the concept of how the stock market works you can then begin to look at how to spot in advance whether there will be a rise or fall in demand for those stocks and shares that you are interested in.

There are many ways that investors try to work out which way the market or an individual stock will move. They will look at any number of technical indicators that they feel will give them a clue as to what may happen. Of course outside influences can also affect matters. These can happen very rapidly without warning and send prices shooting either up or down and totally confounding the indicators.

A feature of any stock market that further complicates matters is the fact that there are several prices for any one stock. You really need to be sure which price you are referring to if you are going to fully understand the stock market. While the opening and closing prices clearly refer to the price at the opening or closing of the stock exchange each day the bid and ask ones perhaps are not so obvious. The easiest way to remember is to realize they are stated from the brokers point of view. This means that the ask price is the price being asked for by the broker and the bid is what they will bid for any stock you wish to sell. It's all a matter of understanding the lingo!

Stocks and shares can be profitable and fascinating but only once you begin understanding the stock market


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Sep 4 2009

Setting Your Goals On Stock Trading

For novices in stock trading, the process of building decisions—especially in controlled and reasonable methods—can seem to be a hard task at hand. With all these problems that one might encounter along the way, people—those who are not in the field of stock trading—might speculate why do traders continue to stay on this field where there is only competition and pressure.

But, little do they know that these people who are into stock trading experience not only the hardships but also the rewards of the venture. But, if you are one of those persons who are thinking of getting into stock trading, the first thing that you should focus on is where to start and where are you planning to see yourself.

Experts say that one of the best ways to overcome hesitation and fear in getting started with stock trading is by learning all about it. If one has stock trading knowledge, you will know how to maneuver your strategies that will give your investments greater chances to flourish.

By arming yourself with ideas and information—which can either be from online sources, books, or magazines—you will have a peek of what it is like to be involved with stock trading. You can also get first hand information from experienced traders. If you talk to seasoned traders, you can shape your own thoughts about the approach of stock trading that will best provide you in your fastidious situation.

Where are you headed?

Having a goal in mind is one of the best things that would ensure your success in stock trading. If you have already decided in involving yourself with stock trading, here are some of the goals that you must consider.

1. The "growth" focus. If you are starting with stock trading, you must know where your focus is. If you are into the venture's growth, then you should focus it by centering the stock trading strategies that would engage in finding those that are on the brink of growth and development. Try to get stocks from companies that are just starting since they have better chances compared to those who have been already there for a long time. Growth-centered stock trading with those companies that are just starting are better chances compared to those that are on the edge of collapsing. If you are the type of trader who is after growth-oriented stock trading, you must direct your goals into making it really big. As they say, a growth-oriented type of stock trading is not for those that have weak heart.

2. The "value" focus. If you are stock trader who is pursuing value focused investing, then you should be looking for under-priced stocks. It is a better option to search for companies that how to demonstrate a presentation rather than those who don’t. Here, the thought is to buying these stocks, then turning these an income in the marketplace is a great strategy. One best ways to find companies that are meant for value is by discovering those that have lower face value of stock when compared to its direct competitors. Care must be in use to assure that the company in question is truthful and honorable business so that no mention of reprehensible transactions, which makes the stock price, go down instead of steady increase. Always bear in mind that value focused stock trading is more often riskier than others so it would be best to prepare full-proof plans to carry it of.


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Sep 4 2009

Unveiling The Common Mistakes In Stock Trading

Over the years, stock trading has continued to become so viable because this is literally the field that doesn’t sleep—at all. The reason behind this is that when it comes to stock trading, the transactions of services and businesses are being held 24/7 in a fast and reliable system and approaches.

The pitfalls to look out for

Nowadays, nobody could question the viability of stock trading as a business for people. However, there are also those who do not succeed in this industry because they are not prepared to handle the challenges that they will face ahead. If you are one of those who are trying to set foot on the complex yet exciting world of stock trading, it is best if you familiarize yourself with everything about it.

It is best that you understand that not all people are fit for this industry and not all people can indulge into it without proper credentials and experience on the finance industry and in the stock market. To be able to be successful in it, it is a must for you to get as much exposure, knowledge, and experience on what stock trading is.

You can get information through research—which could either be online or by reading reference materials such as business magazines and books. You can also get additional knowledge if you ask people who have tried their luck in stock trading and get first-hand tips from their experience. If you want to get exposure, you can experience the thrill and the excitement of stock trading by visiting the stock market and observe how it works as well as how people inside handle it.

Experts say that knowing all the basics in stock trading is very important because these keeps you up to date with everything that is going on. But, if you really want to be successful in this field, it is a must that you know what are the common mistakes committed by stock traders. By knowing what these mistakes are, you can avoid them and can even develop various strategies to complement various unavoidable circumstances.

The following are the most common mistakes most stock trading neophytes—and even those in the business for a short span of time—commits. Make sure that you memorize them by heart to avoid committing and repeating the same mistakes. If you are new into stock trading, you must know that:

1. The records that stock trading robots create are not reliable at all times. Many first time traders believe that the records that trading robots create are trusted so they don’t do back research. If you want to be notches higher, do not always rely on these reports because chances are, these are manipulated or made up with no actual basis.

2. The money can be made through day trading or scalping. This is also another big bluff in the stock trading industry because simulations are used to promote and create transactions that are not based on actual statistics. Don’t rely on the voices that you hear—either online or in the stock trading market—because these only aim to lure you into transactions that don’t guarantee anything.

3. The short-term goals in stock trading don’t guarantee success in the future. This is because short terms can be random and fluctuates easily, thus, not ensuring anything on your transactions in the coming years.



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