Trader Knowledge » Stocks

Boston Snow Indicator

Administrator — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:12:47 +0000

Since it is nearly Christmas, I thought I would write something about the Boston Snow Indicator.

The theory is that if there is snow in Boston on Christmas day then the price of stocks will go up for the coming new year.

Hmm.. I’m not sure just how valid this economic indicator is, But I don’t think that I will place much faith in the Boston Snow Indicator this (or any) year!

Unfortunately, I have had a good look around on the internet and there does not seem to be much evidence to support the accuracy of the Boston Snow Indicator.

I took a look at the weather reports for 1999, and it seems that Boston did not have any snow on Christmas day. This would support the major drop in the markets for 2000. So maybe there is some truth in the Boston Snow Indicator.

However, there was 0.3 inches of snow on Christmas day in 1995. In the next year, the S&P500 gained about 30%

But I also noticed that the record snowfall for Christmas in Boston was in 2002. The S&P500 continued to plummet in the following year!

So there you go. I would advise taking the forecast of the Boston Snow Indicator with a pinch of salt and a good dose of skepticism.

Incidentally, I was not sure whether to file this under Technical Analysis or Fundamental Analysis, so I put it in both.

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Social Picks – Collaborative Investment Research

Administrator — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:00:41 +0000

SocialPicks.com is a new website that has surfaced on the internet that aims to provide a platform for sharing ideas about investing in the financial markets.

It has features that enable users to:

1. Share investment ideas from friends, and see who else follow their advice.

2. Recommend stocks, and let your track records speak for themselves.

3. Collaborate on market research, and keep updated with relevant market info.

4. Track performance of analysts and get the picture of how well professional experts really perform!

The idea is that users can enter their stock trading activities and thoughts then befriend and rate other users who have similar trading and investment pholosophies.

The reputation of users can be based on their winning trades and trading activity.

SocialPicks is set up to make searching and sharing really easy for traders and has a whole host of features to create a really good investment forum.

However, the website is currently in private beta, but you can register for an invite.

Has anyone tried it yet? I’d be keen to hear some comments.

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Online Stock Market Trading

Administrator — Wed, 17 May 2006 03:27:01 +0000

One of the best ways to buy and sell stocks is by Online Stock Market Trading.

Why? Because it gives you more choices as to where you get you Stock Market information and which Stock Brokers you can use to carry out you stock market trading decisions.

It doing you stock market trading online is generally easier and less time consuming.

However, during the last decade or so that online stock trading has increased in popularity there comes an increase in different aspects of doing your investing via the internet that you need to be aware of.

Even so, with all of this, it only takes a little time to get yourself up to a suitable level of knowledge so that you can confidently carry out you online trading on the stock market of your choice.

To begin, you should have a good understanding of how the stock markets that you will be doing you online trading with works. This of course is a pre-requisite of any type of trading and not just online stock trading.

Another pre-requisite of online stock trading is having the right equipment. Reliability is the key when it comes to kitting out your online trading room. You need a reliable and fast computer. If your finances allow, then try and get two flat screen 17 inch monitors. Not only does it increase reliability, but if enables you to watch more charts in greater detail.

Check out Come Into My Trading Room: A Complete Guide to Trading by Alexander Elder for a chapter on how to kit out a trading room and prepare yourself for trading in your own house.

Of course, an internet connection is paramount for online stock trading, and broadband should be at the top of your list. Shop around for the best deals and make sure the ISP is reliable.

You then need to make sure that you are familiar with a few methods and tricks that will enable you to stand more of a chance of being successful when you take you trading of stocks online.

The best way to familiarise yourself with this is to read some recommended books. There are plenty of books about stock trading, but you need to concentrate on books that are specifically on the subject of online stock trading.

You could start by taking a look at the following:

Trade Stocks Online : Provides all the information you will need to get started in the field of online stock trading. Discusses how to access the market, how to combine financial strategies to produce a personal method that meets your specific needs, and how to approach trading as you would any other business venture.

The Online Trading Survival Guide: An Indespensible Handbook for Today’s Wired Investor : Shows how to open an account, how to fund it, and how to understand account balances and margin basics. Also compares the way the different exchanges execute trades and walks readers through the process of making a trade.

The Trading Athlete: Winning the Mental Game of Online Trading : This book utilizes sport psychology strategies to provide you with the knowledge, confidence, and discipline needed to succeed and profit in the sink-or-swim world of online trading.

What Works in Online Day Trading : A uniquely honest examination of the online day trading concept, the firms that cater to it, and what works online and what doesn’t, so that would-be day traders can avoid the pitfalls-and the losses.

Now you just need to find an online stock broker to carry out your online stock trading.

It is here that you need to be careful. There are many online stock brokers willing to work for you. However, you need to be really careful about what they have on offer and what their reputation is like.

A good place to start this research is online stock market trading forums. These are places where online stock market traders gather on the internet to converse with one another about online stock trading. Usually, these forums will have a section about online stock brokers, and in it you will probably find many different and conflicting arguments about different online stock brokers.

Do your best to cut through the useless information to make up a shortlist. Then visit the websites of these online stock brokers and see if you can find a physical address and a phone number. Then call them on the phone to ask any other questions about them.

Finally, you will need to deposit your trading capital with your online stock broker. Needless to say, that you would have already constructed a online stock market trading plan, and your trading capital will be enough to see you through the losses and draw downs that you will inevitable encounter.

Good luck with you online stock market trading experience, and remember, it is not difficult to educate yourself in this field for very little outlay, but it could save you a fortune in the long run.

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What Are Stocks and How do Stock Market Investments Work?

Administrator — Fri, 28 Apr 2006 01:23:51 +0000

People hear about the stock market every day. Each time the stock market hits a high, or a low, people hear about them.

Daily statements are also issued about the activities of the stock market and its relevant economic implications.

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