How do you play the stock market succesfully?
410999
Go to morningstar and look up the weighted average PE ratios of the funds for stock funds and duration for the bond funds.  As most funds underperform the indices over time, treat them as index funds.\n\nFor stocks, never hold a fund with a PE over 15.  It works out that unless your expected return is very low, fifteen is a good rule of thumb for discounted cash flows to time 0, as an upper bound for price.  You can take the PE, find the estimated growth of the indices and go to moneychimp.com and estimate return.  Keep tinkering with the growth rate until 1.00 in earnings yields a PE of the same value.\n\nFor bond funds, look up the duration and credit quality.  Junk bonds can lose extraordinary amounts in stressful times.  I remember a time in the '90's where one third of junk simply was written off the balance sheets of funds.  In any case, look up the duration.  Figure out the weighting between classes (morningstar should tell you) and go the the Financial Times of London or Barrons or the Wall Street Journal and look up the yield for that approximate duration or average maturity.  That minus the fees will be your yield.\n\nCompare this to your goals.\n\nMy guess is that if you do this, you will be in for a shock and be very upset and disappointed.  You might then look at bankrate.com and buy a moneymarket or CD from GMAC Bank or the State Bank of India (member FDIC).  You will likely do better than in the markets.  Prices are high in most funds relative to what they provide.\n\nMy checking account at GMAC Bank pays me 4.65% and I am globally among the best investors in the world, from a purely statistical perspective.  Most general public investors are in over their heads but they don't know it.  The professionals don't want to tell people because if you withdrawal your money they get lower fees.\n\nThere are not a lot of funds that are reasonably priced compared to their underlying assets, and have a good management history.  I know, I have looked and I am trained to evaluate portfolios.
923463
I would certainly invest in the stock market.  I think the best way to find good investment ideas is to look at what the best traders are buying.  This is the idea behind the site http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site that lets you create a portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money.  Each day the site ranks the best performing portfolios, so you can see how your picks perform compared to other investors.  You can also read posts on investing from the best traders, as well as share your own investing ideas.\n\nHere are this month's best traders:\n\nhttp://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx\n\n\nGood luck!
648735
stockbrokerguide.com compares various brokers.\n\nIts possible to lose money very quickly if you are just a beginner. I would advise you to read an introductory guide to the stock market, such as Stock Investing for Dummies.\n\nThere are many different methods of picking stocks. Personally, after 20 years of experience, I find that Value Investing is the only method that generates profits for me and is safe enough to let me sleep at night. The best book by far on this method is The Buffettology Workbook: Value Investing The Warren Buffett Way.\n\nThere are certain bits of advice you need to remember for years to come :-\n\nDon't invest with money you can't afford to lose\n\nNever ever invest with borrowed money\n\nIt's highly inadvisable to get into spread betting, where your losses and gains are magnified.\n\nCharting is complete garbage (as bad as astrology). Don't let anyone else persuade you otherwise.\n\nGood Luck
582403
Invest in stocks to earn quick money.\nBut at the same time you have risk of getting losses in short term.
439181
I've been studing the market game for about a year now, i didn't knew anything a year ago, I havent invested anything yet, i've just been practicing in stock simulators like stocktrak.com for about 2 months now, im happy i've made almost a 7% in my simulations (im happy with that since i am a rookie), I think I need to do a lot more reading, studing and practicing before I invest a single dollar for real. I think now I understand the markets much better.\n\nSince I am in a similar position as you are, just 1 year ahead studing :) , I would strongly recommend you to start by studing Profr. Peter Navarro's material. First I studied his audio course "Big picture investing", and read his books "when is raining in Brazil buy Starbucks", "when the markets move will you be ready?" and now i'm reading his most recent book "the well timed strategy", for me it was great to start with the audio course, since he explains the basics to understand the market, and it comes with a very didactic printed course guide. Profr. Navarro has been a great teacher for me, I don't think there are other books as good as this for a beginer, and belive me, i've done my research and been reading a lot!! after the audio course i was able to understand and take more "juice" from his books and other books that I have read, I recommend you to do the same thing.\n\nRegarding the Can Slim system teached by IBD's Bill O'Neal, I think he is a real master, his investing approach is great and relatively easy to follow if you use the investing tools on investors bussiness daily and do your research homework every day, actually, I just took the Can Slim Level I Seminar some weeks ago, and I am already subscribed for the level II seminar to be held at the end of this month, BUT, if i hadn't studied Profr. Navarro's material before, I am shure I would understanded much less from the can slim seminar, so I recomend you to start with Profr. Peter Navarro's material, its great material and has been a lot of help for me.\n\nYou can find Profr. Navarro's audio courses and books at barnes and noble, either in the book store or online, is not an expensive material, i would have pay 10 times its price, its worth much more.\n\nAnd, once you start to study, the learning curve never ends!! start with Prof. Navarro, before you buy any material much more expensive and not worth its price, belive me i've done it :(..im shure you will thank me.\n\nGood luck!!!
948770
Two ways. One is buy low and sell high. Second is by a sound stock that pays dividends and hold it for a long time.
1180201
If you could only realize how silly this question is, you would not try to sound like you know something about investing. Nor would you pose a question with so many unlikely decisions already made.\n\nFirst, "doing well" is subjective; different for everyone. If you cannot be specific, you just don't get it. Investing and trading is precise, not general. Like, how much steel should I use in this building, in general?\n\nSecond, in all of the plans you've made in your life, how often does it work out as planned? Almost never, right? Something's always a little different than the plan. So, how much money you "expect" to make is irrelevant.\n\nThe sad part is, that you "expect" to make money at all, from knowing nothing at all about what you're doing. It just doesn't work that way, or am I the one being silly? \n\nThird, you are focusing on profits, exactly the opposite of what you should be focusing on. The number one rule of investing is capital preservation, which means managing risk and losses first, then if you don't lose it all, profits will come eventually. Warren Buffet's #1 Rule, "Never lose money." Making money comes after you learn something. Making sound investment or trading decisions requires more than a click of the mouse. Cheap and easy does not equal successful trading or investing. Nothing substitutes for research and education. It is a burning desire to achieve mastery that produces success, not a burning desire for money.\n\nFourth, a "good" stock is subjective; different for everyone. What exactly do you mean? "Good" stocks lose money every day.\n\nFifth, if you invest "$2000 into seven stocks," either you're talking about penny stocks, or just a few shares of each one, and just from the initial hit of commissions on seven stocks will put you down by !0% before you ever begin. The $2,000 is barely enough to buy a hundred shares of one "good" stock, let alone seven. If you buy 100 shares of IBM, that will cost you $9,000. Don't even think about penny stocks, where manipulation is rampant and companies come and go faster than you can keep track of them.\n\nYou have quite a bit to learn before you can post a relevant question. Stick it in the bank, and count yourself lucky to have $2,000.
706736
Your question reveals the fact that you are a complete newbie with very weak basic, fundamental knowledge in the stock markets and is about to do something you might regret for a very long time.\n\nInvesting or trading the stock markets never start from asking how to buy a certain stock (lets not even get into why you want to buy SIRI in the first place because you won't be able to answer why either.)... it starts from adequate investment and trading knowledge. There are quite a number of things you need to learn before you can even start thinking of the stock markets ...\n\n1. You need to understand how the stock market works and what it is exactly about.\n\n2. You need to know what are the different styles of trading in stocks and shares. \n\n3. You need to read about why so many people lose their shirts in the stock markets so that you can avoid their mistakes and also decide if this is a risk you want to take.\n\nFor all these issues and more, you can read about them from some of the articles that I wrote at http://www.mastersoequity.com/articles.htm \n\nAfter you are adequately armed with the basic concepts and ideas, you need to know how to find profitable stocks to trade or invest in. You can do that the easy way by subscribing to stock pick services (example http://www.stockpickmaster.com ) or you can learn to use charting tools and softwares to find stocks with parameters that you can pre-define. (example http://www.worden.com ) \n\nAll in all, investment and trading is a lifelong education and non stop learning. No one is ever done learning and catching up with changes in the markets. \n\nIf you care to read about how I went from completely broke to retired millionaire trading stocks and options by 28 years old, you can go to http://www.mastersoequity.com/\n\nRemember, the slogan "Just Do It", Just won't do for the stock markets. If profiting in the stock markets is as simple as buying a single stock , then why are so many people still poor?\n\nAfter you have all the above mentioned knowledge, you need to ask the following golden questions before you can decide whether a stock is worth buying or not :\n\n1. Why are you of the opinion that this stock will rise?\n\n2. Is your opinion valid in the first place?\n\n3. When are you expecting it to rise? Can you hold on for that period of time or longer?\n\n4. What is your expected entry price? After what price would your expected profit margin be too thin to enter upon?\n\n5. Where is your expected stop loss point? What is your stop loss point based on? Where will you tell yourself that it is time to take a loss and get out?\n\n6. Where is your expected profit taking point? What is your profit taking point based on? \n\n7. Does the way you are buying the stock allow you to hold on until your expected profit taking point?\n\n8. How much of your money should you dedicate to this one trade?\n\n9. What is the level of primary, secondary and idiosyncratic risk you are undertaking when deciding how much of your fund to use?\n\n10. What is your cashflow need? Does your cashflow needs allow you to hold the full lifetime of the stock?\n\nAfter you are able to answer all these questions confidently, THEN you are ready to... PAPER TRADE your stock strategy. Yes, even at this point, you are NOT READY to trade for real. You should trade on PAPER for at least 6 months and become consistently successful BEFORE you take your stock strategy into real life.\n\nThen.. you are ready to start... but there is still no guarantee of success as paper trading is very different from real trading. You will need another maybe 1 year or 2 trading very little money and be consistently successful BEFORE you are ready to increase your stakes.\n\n\nSo, as you can see, success in the stock markets is not easy at all the the less knowledge you have, the more risk you undertake.  I lost hundreds of thousands in the stock markets before I become successful.\n\nTake heed and good luck.\n\n\n\n
521753
Investing in the stock market is generally a good thing, but stocks under $5 are usually the 'junk' of the market, and while you might make a lot on a few of them, the vast majority will only lose you money.  I'd recommend paying a few dollars more for something that has greater potential.  I've been following a $9 stock called Landec (symbol LNDC), which I think has potential.  In the under $5 range, you're usually gambling.  UNIB is a gamble that might be viable, but it's hard to know.  \n\nRather than just randomly buying stocks that anyone on the interet is touting, I'd suggest you do a little more reading about the market first.  Pick up some books by Peter Lynch or Benjamin Graham first, and that will help you become a better investor.\n\nBest of luck to you.
707253
Find a good job is the best way. Unless you have money to put into the stock market. Otherwise it's hard to make money without spending a little.
740737
If I were you I would definitely stay out of the stock market altogether right now.  You need WAY more knowledge than it appears you have and any money you "invest" without knowing what you are doing is basically just outright gambling.\n\nAlso, you say is there a good "stock" when in fact the most important rule is to diversify and buy many stocks. If you buy only one, it could go bankrupt, which has happened to me twice in the past when I was young and didn't know better.\n\nWhen you do buy stock though, one good strategy is to find a product or service that has just come on the market and you and your friends love it.  If it is that good, then probably lots of other people will love it as well, which means more sales and more profit for that company.  Just make sure it is a product/service that is innovative and just came out, like....krispy kreme when people were first getting into it.
649413
Stock markets are everywhere.  If you know which stock to pick, you will make money in any market.  Do your research and invest properly and you will make money.
193129
Pick the right stock to buy or pick the winning lottery numbers. You can also sell your body for scientific research.\nOr ask everyone here to give you a dime.
574240
To get indepth knowledge of how stock market works you will have to devote time and have patience.\nStart watching CNBC and NDTV Profit and start reading Economic Times.\nSlowly you will be able to understand all the factors which drive a share market and also learn about the performances of individual stocks.\nAlso on net you can visit www.moneycontrol.com and www.profitfromus.com . These sites ahve Q&A sections and Blogs which will help you in better understanding on the subject.
423889
The best way to do anything yourself is to learn something about it first. You'd be surprised at the thousands of books available on this one subject at your local library.\n\nBut most people spend more time deciding the color of their new car, than they do on a mutual fund advisor, for example. \n\nAre you really wanting to do this yourself, or are you asking about someone who is an expert who can do it for you?\n\nIf you invest in the stock market right now, or just buy into all the ETF's you can afford, it's a crap shoot, like rolling the dice, and the odds are probably not in your favor, whether you have an expert fund manager or not, because mutual funds are always "in" the market.\n\nThey say "Buy and Hold" for the long term is better, but that depends on when you get in, and what your definiton of "long term" is. \n\nThe Dow is now approaching all-time highs last seen in Jan 2000, so if your long-term definition is more than seven years, then you won't mind waiting another seven years for a profit.\n\nIn my opinion, the name of the game is capital preservation. When the risks are high, like right now, you get out of the stock and bond markets and park your cash in a interest bearing money market fund or CD or Treasury Bill.\n\nThis is simply not a good entry point for investors. Be patient, wait a few months, and you'll be able to buy much more stock a lot cheaper, the risks will be lower (even though they will seem higher), and your chance of success greater.\n\nIf you wish to research the “Buy and Hold Strategy” further, or perhaps trade yourself, I recommend two book titles. One is called "Which Is Better, Buy-and-Hold or Market Timing?" The other is "Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Market Timer?" They will give you plenty to think about.
222319
The ups and downs, the key is watch the volume trading.  When you read the newspaper the greatest of all time low go buy stocks & sell bonds, if greatest of all time high sell your stocks and buy bonds.
985987
I think the best way to invest is to first see what the best traders are buying and selling.  Then use that knowledge to hopefully improve your portfolio's return.  This is the idea behind the site http://www.top10traders.com - this is a free site that lets you create a portfolio of stocks with $100,000 in "play" money.  Each day the site ranks the best performing portfolios, so you can see how your picks perform compared to other investors.  You can also read posts on investing from the best traders, as well as share your own investing ideas.\n\nHere are this month's best traders:\n\nhttp://www.top10traders.com/Top10Standings.aspx\n\nGood luck.