Have You Ever Wondered What Stocks Are and How Stock Market Investments Work?

To many people, the stock market is like a fuel injected engine; they are familiar with the term, but have no idea what it means. We hear about stocks daily. The evening news reports on the Dow while the daily activity on the New York Stock Exchange takes over several pages of your newspaper. But what do all of those numbers mean? And just what is a stock? For that matter, what is the stock market? While the technicalities of these terms would require volumes in order to explain them sufficiently, the general definitions can provide a brief view and introduction into this fascinating world - and perhaps it will serve to whet your appetite for more.

By definition, a stock (also called equities, securities, corporate stock or equity) is an instrument that denotes a position of ownership in a corporation. The stock is a representation of the claim on the corporation's proportional share in its profits and assets. The number of shares that a person owns, when divided by the outstanding total number of shares, determines that person's portion of ownership in the company. For instance, if a company has 10,000 shares of outstanding stock, 500 of which the person owns, then he or she owns 5% of the company. Often the person who owns the stock has voting rights which means that the shareholder has a vote in decisions regarding the corporation that is proportional to the amount of shares that they own.

The only type of company that issues stock is a corporation. Sole proprietorships and limited partnerships do not distribute stocks. The corporations publicly trade stocks on stock markets such as the Dow and the New York Stock Exchange. The term stock market is a broad, general term to describe an organized for the trading of stocks. This is done through exchanges and OTC (over the counter). Securities that are traded OTC are not able to be traded on an exchange because they do not meet listing requirements or for some other reason.

There are several different types of securities, stocks are just one of the types in this group. Mutual funds are a collection of stocks, bonds or other securities of which investors purchase shares. The shares in mutual funds fluctuate on a daily basis and the investor is able to sell their shares at any time. A mutual fund, though, carries less of a risk than a stock because of the diversity of the stocks in the fund and the failure of one will likely be balanced by the returns on the rest of the stocks in the fund.

Trading stocks can be lucrative and there are many different opportunities for getting good returns. For instance, money market instruments carry virtually no risk while individual stocks are considered more of a high risk. There is also the Forex which is the trading of foreign currency. This is an exciting world, and there is something for just about every type of would-be investor. Explore the various options in the stock market world and you are sure to find something that will appeal to you.

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Forex Trading - The Untold Secrets Of Forex Trading

Forex trading is a system developed to allow people to trade currencies in the various markets. For example if you bet $100 on the Yen to go up and it does, you make money. It has become incredibly popular over the last few years not because of its tranquility but because of its volatile nature. Seems sort of strange, but there is a good reason for it.

A volatile market can only mean one thing a series of large spikes both up and down. This means the gains are much higher than in any other form of online trading and it's not strange to see traders making up to 100 times the amount they initially invested.

The forex trading market unlike options and stocks is greatly affected by a number of variables, one of them being the news. During news time when an issue arises, a stir is created in the market. This is a time when some of the largest spikes may occur and a great percentage of people make both huge profits and huge losses.

Sticking To A Strategy

Some of the most successful online traders would agree with this technique finding a strategy and sticking to it. There is nothing magical about forex trading, the prices go up and the prices go down. Whether or not you make money, completely depends on the predictions you make.

There is no room for gut instinct in forex trading. Emotions tend to get in the way of your desired outcome and is one of the biggest reasons why 90% of traders fail within the first 12 months. There are of course many scientific ways of helping to improve your odds when trading in forex.

The Simple Moving Average

One of these strategies is to use a simple-moving average. This is where we extract a set of averages from previous existing spikes. Once you have determined this average you can then make an assumption that whenever the price crosses this average in the future, it's a surefire signal to buy. There are of course programs out there that can do this for you as it can be a fairly time-consuming job.

Some Tips For Beginners

Before you even think about forex trading, spend at least a week reading from people who know what they are doing. Then once that week is over, go back and analyze the information you just read to determine whether or not it was dependable. Then go and read for another week!

If there is anything to say to a beginner to the forex market or any other form of trading, it's this - don't trust anyone but yourself! Sure ask for advice, but make sure the final decision on your trade investments is solely yours. Measure up the investment to also determine whether or not you can afford to lose what you are about to place in and don't ever go overboard!

Your goal if you don't have one, should be to find a strategy that works and stick too it. Don't go changing strategies just because you got a hot tip from some guy who fluked a trade and made a mint. Find a good strategy that works well and stick to it.

The Fox And The Hedgehog

We can say people are categorized as being one of two things - they are either a fox, or a hedgehog. A fox is a person that knows a little about a lot of things and therefore tends to jump from one strategy to another. In other words, they are very cunning and use a great deal of strategies to try and get the hedgehog. The hedgehog knows a lot about ONE thing. It knows that whatever the fox tries, all it has to do is crawl up into a ball and when the fox pounces, he gets a mouthful of spikes, and so the hedgehog survives.

Don't be a fox, be a hedgehog. Become an expert of one strategy in forex trading and I promise you will reap the rewards.

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Can You Really Make Money Doing Nothing?

There are several well known and well used phrases regarding money. Most of these have been around since the first bank notes were printed and we stopped using the barter system. While many still hold water today, our generation and those that follow may find that the tide is turning on this particular issue.

For example, "money doesn't grow on tree's". If I had a pound for every time I've heard that, I would be much richer than I am now. However the truth is that in some money making systems money can grow on tree's. The problem for average Joe is in deciding which is honest and profitable and which won't give you a dime. Many referral systems will use some sort of tree structure with different payouts depending on which branch of your tree a new user finds. While these can be ongoing, the chances are in my opinion that anyone who attempts to profit using referral systems will be in for a rough ride. Of course if you are the owner of a popular web page with thousands of visitors you are likely to refer many, but often your proceeds will come from your referrals referrals. Can you guarantee the actions of people you don't know? No certainly not, you can't even second guess people you do know half the time, its human nature.

Never gamble more than you can afford to lose. That's not just a popular saying, its extremely good advice. There are however several ways to increase your chances. For example, don't put all your eggs in the forum basket. Forums are full of other peoples baskets and offers and for each post or threat you place there are likely to be thousands of others which are equally appealing or more so if posted by someone more experienced than yourself. Your own site, blogs, post your links anywhere you can think of, Hell, even put it in your local shop if they'll let you. Your referrals don't have to come from Google! A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but the more birds in the bush, the less chance of missing one so the one in your hand has less value.

High risk investment programs are the latest trend, but for me, I would urge caution with any of them. Most are short lived, many will only get you a few percent more than your initial investment, and almost all are only profitable for a short period when they first begin. Once more people join the cake has to be cut into more pieces until eventually only crumbs are left.

For investors its important to realise that fraud becomes much easier within the anonymous culture of the internet. I have heard of and witnessed people chatting online with people thousands of miles away as if they were someone from next-door. But was the Mark you spoke to really Mark, or an Abigail who is stuck at home with the children trying to make her life more exciting? Can you trust what they tell you when it comes to money? NO, certainly not. So if possible, only choose sites that are verified in some way or another, preferably by some party who has an interest in businesses being legitimate.

'Get Paid To' programs always imply minimal effort, nice relaxing read of an e-mail etc, but the truth is, you need thousands to make any real money. Links on each perhaps, and the inevitable possibility of ad ware contamination on your computer as a result. Its not doing nothing, or even close, its hard work for little penance.

My final advice has probably been heard millions of times today alone. READ THE SMALL PRINT. What are your earnings supposed to be, how much work will really be required (there are very few that don't require anything more than a small sign up fee), most will require referral links, selling, or marketing but remember, if you are posting links for a site, thousands of other people are too. We can't all be the link that they see unless there is only one entry point into the system.

I would hate to dissuade anyone from attempting to make money online, I do it, other people do it. Some manage and some fail, but you should be careful and know exactly what you are getting into before you get into it, e-mail and ask questions if you need to be sure. The mistake that most people make is to expect too much too soon, appreciate the fact that if a system is going to make you a lot of money without any effort, it will take a little time.

Billy Middleton is the creator of the Safepay Verified the new poundpyramid system where you earn a FIXED return of 25000 per share.

E-currency Exchange Home Business

If you are reading this article you are probably one of the many people who have spent countless hours searching for unique ways to make money on the internet. Very few people have gone on to succeed and most have failed miserably time and time again.

So how are some people succeeding? The answer is quite simple; they are finding a business that works with their specific strengths and needs. The majority of people today trying to get into the home-based business industry are not salesmen and genius marketers. People fiddle around looking in all the wrong places wasting loads of money on advertising that isnt working and E-books that promise wealth.

It took me five years to find a business that did not involving selling, building a down-line or that required me to recruit more people. That is when I stumbled across e-currency exchange, the fastest growing online opportunity today.

So what is it then? E-currency exchange allows everyday people just like you and I to build a financial portfolio through a complex system of thousands of people exchanging funds from dollars to electronic currency. There are two sides to the trading system, the portfolio side and the console side.

Initially you create a portfolio that receives 1.5% to 4.0% gains per day on the amount of money in the portfolio. For example, if you put in $1,000 and received gains at a rate of .35%, your profits for one day would be $3.50. This money is compounded daily and grows continuously over time. It is not uncommon for people who initially invest $100 to grow their portfolio value to $1000 in 1 month. It is easy to see that over the course of time you can make substantial gains.

Once you have been in e-currency exchange program for 90 days and your portfolio has grown to a value of $5000, you are able to apply for a console. With a console you can now process requests from people that wish to take their money from e-currency and convert it back to the dollar. As a console holder you receive a percentage of the amount being exchanged as profit. There are literally people lined up in a queue that need these exchanges processed daily. There is such a high demand right now for exchangers that it is a very profitable business for those who are able to console.

The only down-side is learning how to navigate through this e-currency network which is extremely difficult without assistance. Most people try it out for a few days, become frustrated and quit because they simply do not know what they are doing. That is why we have developed a guide that will walk you through everything you need to know! We have everything from personal phone support, to forums, to live chat rooms. There is no selling or recruiting and that is what makes this the perfect business!

Learn how I turned a $400 investment into $4,000 over the course of 60 days. For more information and resources check out E-currency Online E-mail: support@e-currencyonline.com

General Guides for FOREX Trading Newbie

Being new to FOREX trading? Dont worry, getting started in FOREX trading is easy and you can always test your skills first in a demo account before you go live with real money. To get started in FOREX trading, we have to get to know what FOREX is. For the inexperienced, FOREX trading involves buying and selling the different currencies of the world. A FOREX deal is made when one buys one currency and sells another at the same time. It is always traded in pairs, Euro/USD, CHF/USD, USD/JPYyou get short in a currency every time to buy another and the profit is made when you buy-low and sell-high.

FOREX market is the largest trading market in the world. It yields an average turnover of $1.9 trillion daily and the figure is nearly 30 times larger than the total volume of equity trades in United States. FOREX trading is very unique as the trades are done between two counterparts via electronic network or telephone connections. There is no centralized location as stocks or futures markets and trades are done around the clock. Everyday FOREX trade begins when the financial centers in Sydney start their day, and moves around the globe to Tokyo, London, and then New York. Traders can always response to the market regardless of the local time.

Although FOREX trading involves such a big volume of trades nowadays, it is not made available for the publics until year 1998. In the past, the FOREX market was not offered to small speculators or individual traders due to the large minimum business sizes and extremely strict financial requirements. At that time, only banks, big multi-national cooperation and major currency dealers were able to take advantage of the currency exchange market's extraordinary liquidity and strong trending nature of world's main currency exchange rates. Only until the late 90s, FOREX brokers are allowed to break huge sized inter-bank units into smaller units and offer these units to individual traders like you and me. Nowadays with the rapid growth of Internet and communications technology, FOREX trading has become one of the hottest make-money-at-home-businesses for those who wish to avoid conventional 9-5 day job.

As a fact in FOREX trading, FOREX is mainly traded in large international bank. According to Wall Street Journal Europe, 73% of the trade volume is covered by the major ten. Deutsche Bank, topping the table, had covered 17% of the total currency trades; followed by UBS in the second and Citi Group in third; taking 12.5% and 7.5% of the market. Other large financial cooperation in the list is HSBC, Barclays, Merril Lynch, J. P. Morgan Chase, Coldman Sachs, ABN Amro, and Morgan Stanley. For market participants segment, approximately half of the transactions done were strictly between dealers (i.e. Bank, or large currency dealer); others are mainly between dealer and non-financial institutions.

To start trading on FOREX, one must first learn how to read FOREX quotes. Foreign exchange quotes are always listed in pairs (e.g. USD/JPY 109.2): the first listed currency is known as the base currency with a constant value of 1 unit; while the currency listed in the second is known as counter. In our given example, USD/JPY 109.2 means a dollar of United States Dollar is equal to 109.2 Japanese Yen. In other words, the quote shows the relative value of one currency compare to the other. It means the value USD had been increased when USD/JPY quote goes up

However, a two-sided quote (e.g. EUR/USD 1.2435/1.2440) consisting of a 'bid' and ask is often seen. The bid price is the price at which you can sell the base currency; while the ask price is where you can buy the base currency. The different of bid & ask price is commonly known as spread. In the example of EUR/USD 1.2435/1.2440, this means you can buy 1 Euro Dollar with 1.2440 USD or sell 1 Euro 1.2435. Currency brokers make their profit through these differences of bid & ask price and this is how they manage to provide their services to individual investors without charging them commission fees.

You dont need much tools to trade in FOREX market. A computer with Internet access, a funded FOREX account with foreign currency exchange broker, and a trading system should be sufficient to get things started.

To reduce the risks of losing money, some basic charting knowledge is as well recommended before you start trading FOREX. FOREX charts assist the investor by providing a visual representation of exchange rate fluctuations. Many variables affect currency exchange rates, such as interest rates, bank policies, geopolitics, and even the time of day may affect exchange rates. As stated by expert FOREX trader Peter Bain, charting is an essential tool in FOREX trading. In his newsletter, he reveals that daily charts, hourly charts, and 15-minute charts are used while trading in FOREX. As quoted from his informative newsletter -- Daily chart will help you define the overall trend from a position trading point-of-view, and the hourly (one hour) chart will give you a feel for the intraday trend. The 15-minute chart is used for entry and exit with assistance from the five-minute chart, where price is moving quickly, and you need to be closer to the action.

Being one of the technical method, FOREX charting is based on the principal history repeats itself. FOREX traders who study charts predict the market future by evaluating past market performance. The time frame used for charting might differs for different traders, some analyze the past one week, some prefer six months analysis, and there are also traders who analyze the market for the past five to ten years before getting involved in a FOREX trade. A huge variety of FOREX charts are available in the market. Some charting methods are very simple, using a few FOREX indicators to show trading direction; other charts may include up to forty indicators and those are mainly for advance traders that are more skillful. MACD Divergence, RSI, RSI range, and price are some of the well-known indicators in charting.

As the article is meant for FOREX rookies, you are probably one of those who are looking forward to get involved in the FOREX market. However, there is no shortcut to be success in FOREX trading. Trading in FOREX is not as simple as it seen from outside. Especially theres margin involved in FOREX trading, you might lose a lot of money in the beginning and learn your lessons in a hard way. Take all the time you need to learn this new trading skill well -- practice everything you learn with a demo account before you consider going 'live' with your own money. Seminars, eBooks, Internet, papers, as well as video courses are all your needs to get involved. I wish you good luck and good profit making in your FOREX trades.

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The Foreign Exchange Future Market: A Good Mechanism

First things first, what is a Foreign Exchange Market for futures contract. In the United States, this type of contract basically means that it is an agreement wherein both parties agree to buy and/or sell a particular currency (not the USD) at a specified price on a specified date in the future, as according to a standard contract that is agreed by all the participants involved in such a currency exchange.

In such an agreement, it is important to know that none of the parties are really selling or buying any one thing. What is being agreed on is that both parties definitely agree to sell or buy currencies on terms that have already been agreed on and at a specified date in the future, that is if the contract reaches maturity. Although, it does so rarely.

Another matter to take into consideration as well as be aware of is that a Foreign Exchange Market futures contract is basically similar in concept to that of a forex forward contract. What is similar to both is that they are agreements that specify that a particular amount of a particular currency is to be bought and sold on a certain future date. Their difference lies on the following: the futures contract is publicly traded, however the forward contracts is traded in an over the counter fashion.

In a futures contract, the currency terms are made in standard form and of which could be traded and are all subject to specific rules in trading of a particular exchange with regards to limits in the daily price.

A future contracts is also adjusted everyday, as there are maintenance and initial margins as well as settlements in cash.

Meanwhile, a forward contract is customizable so that it would be able to meet the needs of customers. In this type of contract, payment via cash is not required (though a collateral could be needed). In this type of contract, the agreement is made by two parties directly, with the absence of a clearinghouse.

Basically, a futures contract could then be seen as a series or a portfolio of forwards, with each day covering a period that is longer, or one that is in between settlements in cash.

Therefore, it is the futures foreign exchange market that, in the end, provides an effective mechanism wherein users could very well alter positions in portfolio in ways that is different than the conventional spot or cash market. Thanks to the futures market, it therefore facilitates risk transfer. Another add-on is that the market of forex futures contributes much to information and discovery of prices of market functions.

Meanwhile, there also exists options in currency that are exchange-traded. Transactions that arise from such a trade are made through clearinghouses of the particular exchange where they are traded. The clearinghouse then guarantee a particular party against the others default.

In this particular transaction, there also exists the buyer-option, this entitys role is that once the premium has been paid by him or her, there also no longer exists any obligation for such a trade, financially speaking. For this person, margin payments are no longer necessary.

Fortunately or unfortunately, it is an entity called option-writer that carries the risks as it is this person that is basically required to put a margin initially as well as on additional payments. That is if the price market moves opposite to what his position is.

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FOREX Trading: Risky Business

You can see the claims on some FOREX web sites, implying that FOREX is a risk-free pastime. No investment is risk-free.

In FOREX you are trading substantial sums of money, and there is always a possibility that a trade will go against you. There are several trading tools that can minimize your risk, yes, but eliminate it, no. With caution, and above all education, the FOREX trader can learn how to trade profitably and minimize loss.

The Scams

FOREX scams were fairly common a few years ago. The industry has cleaned up considerably since then. Still, you should exercise caution before signing up with a FOREX broker by checking their background.

Reputable FOREX brokers will be associated with large financial institutions like banks or insurance companies, and they will be registered with the proper government agencies. In the United States, brokers should be registered with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission or a member of the National Futures Association. You can also check with your local Consumer Protection Bureau and the Better Business Bureau.

The Risks

Assuming you are dealing with a reputable broker, there are still risks to FOREX trading. Transactions are subject to unexpected rate changes, volatile markets and political events.

Exchange Rate Risk: refers to the fluctuations in currency prices over a trading period. Prices can fall rapidly, resulting in substantial losses unless stop loss orders are used (see below).

Interest Rate Risk: can result from discrepancies between the interest rates in the 2 countries represented by the currency pair in a FOREX quote. This discrepancy can result in variations from the expected profit or loss of a particular FOREX transaction.

Credit Risk: is the possibility that 1 party in a FOREX transaction may not honor their debt when the deal is closed. This may happen when a bank or financial institution declares insolvency. Credit risk can be minimized by dealing on regulated exchanges, which require members to be monitored for credit worthiness.

Country Risk: is associated with governments that may become involved in foreign exchange markets by limiting the flow of currency. There is more country risk associated with "exotic" currencies than with major countries that allow the free trading of their currency.

Limiting Your Risk

FOREX trading can be risky, but there are ways to limit risk and financial exposure. Every trader should have a trading strategy; i.e., knowing when to enter and exit the market, and what kind of movements to expect. Developing strategies requires education, which is the key to limiting risk. At all times follow the basic rule: Never use money that you cannot afford to lose.

Every FOREX trader needs to know at least the basics about technical analysis and how to read financial charts. He should study chart movements and indicators and understand how charts are interpreted. There is a vast amount of information on FOREX trading available both on the Internet and in print. If you want to be successful at FOREX, then educate yourself.

Stop-Loss Orders

Even the most knowledgeable traders, however, can't predict with absolute certainty how the market will behave. For this reason, every FOREX transaction should take advantage of available tools designed to minimize loss.

Stop-loss orders are the most common way to minimizing risk. A stop-loss order contains instructions to exit your position if the price reaches a certain point. If you take a long position (expecting the price to rise) you would place a stop loss order below the current market price. If you take a short position (expecting the price to fall) you would place a stop loss order above the current market price.

Stop loss orders can be used in conjunction with limit orders to automate FOREX trading. Limit orders specify that an open position should be closed at a specified profit target.

Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit FOREX4U to learn more about this fascinating trading vehicle.