Category Archives: General Tips
What the Fall of the Coal Industry Means for Your Portfolio
The energy sector might be a cyclical industry in terms of stock performance, but the need for energy is something that will always exist. But with so many various forms of energy available, traders are left with a hard choice to make about where to invest. The political climate seems to shifting away from fossil … Read More
Is a Strong Dollar Good for the U.S.?
One of the most common rhetoric in American politics is the campaign promise to make the U.S. dollar strong. At face value, it sounds like anything that’s strong should be a good thing, but globalization makes the answer tricky. The short answer of whether a strong dollar is good for the U.S. or not is … Read More
Demystifying Bonds for the Average Investor
Bonds are considered one of the most essential parts of a well-balanced investment portfolio, but most investors are lost as to how bonds actually work. Even experienced investors only hold bonds as part of a mutual fund and don’t actually own bonds directly. Unlike stocks, bonds are valued both by their face value as well … Read More
The Political Impact to the Markets
The economy functions largely as an autonomous entity dependent on things like consumer spending, manufacturing, interest rates and a slew of other factors. Usually, it’s not too difficult to determine the impact a particular market or event has on the markets, but there’s one risk that tends to be enigmatic to investors – political. One might … Read More
Don’t Be Fooled By Deceptive Figures: What to Know about Lying Ratios
Investors are divided by how they analyze stocks. On one side, chartists use technical data, like chart patterns, momentum, volume and other data points in order to make predictions about future price movements. On the other side are fundamentalists, who disregard charts and graphs and focus more on financial and economic data along with things … Read More
Why Earnings are the Biggest Risk to Markets Right Now
The markets are at record high values right now, while volatility has seemingly disappeared. All the good news has been priced into stocks, while bad news doesn’t appear to be reflected in most industries. While the third quarter of earnings statements is well under way, all eyes are already focused on what year-end results will … Read More
3 Trading Strategies to Maximize Profits and Minimize Losses
The perfect investment pays off far more than you expect with no chance of turning negative. If such an opportunity existed, investors would create such a high demand with an equally high multiple, that it would eventually become just another trade. The quest to maximize potential gains, while risking the least amount possible is what drives … Read More
How to Measure Risk and Reward in the Market
It might be an obvious statement to say that the goal of investing is to generate profit, but that’s not to say that all profits are created equal. Basing a successful strategy off the basis of total returns alone isn’t a valid methodology. There needs to be an accountability of risks taken to achieve the … Read More
Safe Haven Assets: Does Gold Really Hold Up?
When economic times get tough, there’s one asset investors run to more than any other – gold. The glittery metal is viewed as highly defensive, since it tends to hold its value and preserve wealth, while stocks and fiat currencies like the dollar can fluctuate. Investors think that gold has an inverse relationship with stocks … Read More
Can This Bull Market Keep Heading Higher?
The stock market has continued its long bull run, up nearly 14 percent year-to-date. It’s the second longest bull market in history, which was born in March 2009 following the Great Recession. And it’s that longevity that has investors wondering – when will it end? Despite setbacks, like the oil crash prompted by OPEC’s war … Read More