| |
| |
|
|
Stocks and Mutual Funds |
|
Successful Trading - Establish Your Risk Level
Before you embark upon a journey of trading stocks or futures, and before you make any trades, you MUST determine and establish your risk level. Traders that fail to do this are usually doomed from the start. The fact is that most trading accounts that go bust are because of the failure to determine at what point the trader will cut their losses and move on to the next trade. Rookie traders are particularly prone to do this. They hang on to losing positions hoping that they will turn around - only to watch the price drop even further. Too much thought and effort are expended on the buying decision instead of the selling decision. The sad truth is that it's the selling decision that will determine your fate as a successful trader. And successful trading is dependent on how long and how well you can protect your account against loss until the big profit comes your way. Setting a risk level for your account and for your trades will provide such protection. If you're like everyone else, you've got an online trading account and you're free to move in and out of positions without the input or interruption of a broker. If you're not doing this, we recommend that you do. So when you buy a position, have you determined where you would to sell it if the price would fall? Many traders only think about the price going up - they never think about what they'll do if it goes down. You MUST determine this limit BEFORE placing a trade. We recommend that get out of the position if it drops anywhere from 7% to 10% from where you purchased the stock, option or commodity (or any other market derivative). Yes, it could rebound and take off 100 points after you sale, but it could also drop 100 points and your account would be wiped out. Consider this, if your account drops 50%, then you need a 100% gain to get it back where you were! This is why you MUST place a stop-loss after every trade you place with your broker. Do this without fail IMMEDIATELY after placing a trade with your online broker. Once you've placed a stop-loss level with your online broker, the system will automatically sell your position when that level is reached. Remember, stay in the game until you hit that big trade! Chuck Cox is a Technical Writer and Industrial Scientist by professional with a background in statistics. He has used mathematical and statistical methods to invest and trade in the stock, futures, and options markets. Chuck has owned various businesses and presently operates several websites. To learn more about trading in the markets, visit his website, http://www.earncashathometoday.com/trading-stocks.htm
MORE RESOURCES:
Stocks-Mutual-Funds - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Buying Stocks and the Importance of Correct Timing An investor can find and research the best stock on the market, one with huge potential but if the general market indices are negative, it will most likely be the wrong time to buy. A stock with tremendous accelerating earnings, rising sales, an up-trending chart pattern and a strong industry group may sound excellent to buy but will mean absolutely nothing if the market is positioned to move in the opposite direction of your expectations. Low Expense Ratio One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds is to tell how low their expense ratio is and that you will make a great deal more money if you buy and hold with them. Partly true, but that is not the whole story. Successful Trading - Establish Your Risk Level Before you embark upon a journey of trading stocks or futures, and before you make any trades, you MUST determine and establish your risk level. Traders that fail to do this are usually doomed from the start. Take The Time You must take the time once a month to review your investment portfolio. It won't take long - less than one hour, maybe 15 minutes. Stock Market Diversification In one of my previous articles (Investing in the stock market -9 powerful tips), tip number one was:1. Do not spread your money too thin. Analyzing Growth Stocks: An Important Focus For Any Investor Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor. This is especially important, since stocks are an irreplaceable part of any good investment plan, and since unbiased stock research is hard to find. How We Eluded The Bear Of 2000 The date October 13, 2000 will forever be embedded in my mind. It was the day after our mutual fund trend tracking indicator had broken its long-term trend line and I sold 100% of my clients' invested positions (and my own) and moved the proceeds to the safety of money market accounts. A Good Fund Manager Every Wall Street analyst, financial planner and broker will tell you that the right way to pick a mutual fund is find a good money manager of a fund that has a long time record.Yes, I believe that too, but it is amazing that when you go back in time to see what this genius did with the mutual fund, you will find years he has had some terrible losses. The 401(K): How The Insider Has Stolen Your Retirement! Mutual funds were moderately successful in creating a presence in the stock market until the advent of the investment retirement account and in particular the 401(k). Corporate insiders persuaded the federal government to allow for the 401(k) in lieu of offering employees the traditional pension. Using Sector Funds to Construct Diversified Mutual Fund Portfolios 'Sector funds are too risky.' 'I doubled my money with Fidelity Select Technology in 12 months!' 'Avoid sector funds. Economists #2 Economists know more about how the fragments of society work than anyone. In school they are taught to break down the economy into its tiniest parts and to quantify each minutiae so it can become part of a formula. How to Find Value in No Load Mutual Fund Investing What are you thinking when it comes to your no load mutual fund selections? Are you saving pennies and sacrificing dollars?Are you spending your time looking at expense ratios, analyzing Morningstar ratings and searching for funds with low fees and no 12b1 charges? If you are like most people, you know these things in and out. You've spent hours evaluating them, and your chosen mutual funds cost little to purchase and maintain. Trading Systems To become a successful trader you must have some kind of method or system to follow that will keep you on track. You may be buying and selling on tips, the weather or phases of the moon (there is a system like that). Lemmings Are Gathering Before they go over the cliff to their destruction these little furry ones get together for a party and celebration. Each tells the other how smart he has been with his investments and buying and selling of stocks and real estate. Roller Coaster I love roller coasters. The steeper the better. The Surgeon General The Surgeon General of the United States says that smoking cigarettes is harmful to your health. It is printed on every pack of smokes you buy. Stock and Fund Dividends When is a dividend not a dividend?The latest thing "conservative" brokers are preaching these days is to buy stocks that pay dividends. Everyone likes dividends. Stock Investment Advice Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get cold called by brokers with the latest investment tip? I have, as have countless others around the globe. Choosing a Stock Broker If you were to find that you had some severe illness that required surgery, would you attempt to perform that surgery upon yourself? What if your car broke down and needed a valve job? Would you get out the Craftsman tool set you got for Christmas three years ago and start tinkering under the hood even though you know absolutely nothing about engines? Of course you wouldn't do either of these things because there are times in life when we know we must seek the assistance of a professional. So why is it that so many people try to make their own investment decisions without consulting a professional stock broker?A stock broker is a trained financial professional who knows how to watch the trends of the stock market, is kept up to date on financial developments by her brokerage firm, and knows how to make wise and sound investment decisions. How To Beat The Mutual Fund Companies At Their Own Game You'd have had to be living on a desert island with no TV, newspaper or internet connection to have missed hearing about the great mutual fund scandal of 2003.The issue was that some mutual fund companies allowed certain hedge funds to engage in after-hours trading, sometimes incorrectly referred to as market timing.
|
||||||||||||||