trading - What We're Reading - StockBuz2024-03-29T05:44:28Zhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/feed/tag/tradingThese Five Cognitive Biases Hurt Investors the Mosthttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/these-five-cognitive-biases-hurt-investors-the-most2017-10-26T21:00:40.000Z2017-10-26T21:00:40.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p>There is no shortage of cognitive biases out there that can trip up our brains.</p>
<p>By the last count, there are <a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com/every-single-cognitive-bias/">188 types</a> of these fallible mental shortcuts in existence, and they constantly impede our ability to make the best decisions about our careers, our relationships, and for building wealth over time.</p>
<h2 style="margin-top: 0;">Biases That Plague Investors</h2>
<p>In today’s infographic from <a href="http://stockstotrade.com/cognitive-biases/">StocksToTrade</a>, we dive deeper into five of these cognitive biases – specifically the ones that really seem to throw investors and traders for a loop.</p>
<p>Next time you are about to make a major investing decision, make sure you double-check this list!</p>
<div style="clear: both;"><a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com/five-cognitive-biases-hurt-investors/"><img src="http://2oqz471sa19h3vbwa53m33yj.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/cognitive-biases-trading.png" border="0" /></a></div>
<div>Courtesy of: <a href="http://www.visualcapitalist.com">Visual Capitalist</a></div>
</div>Why You Think You're Right, Even When You're Wronghttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/why-you-think-you-re-right-even-when-you-re-wrong2016-07-02T14:56:15.000Z2016-07-02T14:56:15.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p>Have you ever believed a trend is about to change but your basic, every day indicators don't quite support your theory so you insert different studies, looking for one or two which could support your thesis? Yes, soldier and scout mindsets affect your decision making when investing but remember, that's <span style="text-decoration: underline;">your</span> theory.  Does the rest of the crowd believe what you do?</p>
<p><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/julia_galef_why_you_think_you_re_right_even_if_you_re_wrong.html" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p>
</div>Why Most People Fail At Tradinghttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/why-most-people-fail-at-trading2016-02-22T19:55:04.000Z2016-02-22T19:55:04.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p>One item I completely agree with is the pundits and "know it alls" on entertainment <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">news</span> television. They're there to entertain you; not make you rich. I get my economic releases on them and *off* they go the rest of the day. I trust my charts; charts don't lie. People do.</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1291386?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1291386?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="525"></a>Courtesy of <a href="http://www.martinkronicle.com/2013/01/11/itsnotintellectual" target="_blank">Martinkronicle</a></p></div>China, Their Market, Demand For Our Products, Etc.http://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/china-their-market-demand-for-our-products-etc2015-07-08T21:34:11.000Z2015-07-08T21:34:11.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p class="annotatable">China’s market downfall has been dramatic and painful for the investors involved. But so far there has been little immediate impact on the rest of the world, because China tightly limits foreign investment in mainland stocks.</p>
<p class="annotatable">China’s stock markets are, for the most part, a mom and pop affair—about <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2014/12/chinas-stockmarket">80% of the trading</a> that happens in Shanghai and Shenzhen is done by Chinese individuals. They represent at most 14% of the total Chinese population.</p>
<p class="annotatable">But there’s little doubt the effects of this downturn will be felt globally—it just may take some time. After all, Chinese investors have lost more about $3.4 trillion in equity value from the markets mid-June peak until the July 7 close:</p>
<p></p>
<img src="https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/market_value_of_chinese_equity_indexes__shanghai_composite__china_shenzhen_a-shares__chartbuilder.png?w=640" data-retina="https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/market_value_of_chinese_equity_indexes__shanghai_composite__china_shenzhen_a-shares__chartbuilder.png?w=1024" alt="" title="" />
<p></p>
<p class="annotatable">And although the government is <a href="http://qz.com/445291/the-chinese-governments-stock-market-stimulus-is-mostly-helping-the-chinese-government/">supporting state-owned companies</a> in the markets, other companies have seen their market value plummet.</p>
<p class="annotatable">As of July 8, <a href="http://t.co/cdSs9dzHt8">about half</a> of the stocks that traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen have voluntarily halted trading indefinitely—which potentially puts the brakes on everything from corporate expansion plans and spending to the pay their executives take home. And they’re merely suspending stock losses that these companies will have to take eventually.</p>
<p class="annotatable">How far could global contagion spread, and where could it go? Here are some trouble spots to watch:</p>
<h2>Global banks and fund managers</h2>
<p class="annotatable">Tanking markets are putting foreign banks that have been active in China for years in a tough spot. China’s state media <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/as-china-stocks-sink-some-accuse-morgan-stanley-other-foreign-forces-2015-07-03">pounced on Morgan Stanley</a> for urging investors to steer clear of Chinese stocks in a June 26 note. <a href="http://qz.com/442314/chinese-investors-are-blaming-the-us-for-their-stock-market-drop/">Rumors are flying</a> that short-selling “foreign crocodiles” and “foreign devils” are to blame.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Never mind that foreign investors own less than 1% of mainland stocks, according to Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. Or that the few foreign investors Beijing allows to trade A-shares aren’t even allowed to sell short; or that the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect <a href="http://www.scmp.com/business/article/1832368/talk-foreign-crocodiles-chinas-stock-markets-are-vastly-overrated">caps the number of securities</a> (paywall) that can be sold short to a teeny percentage.</p>
<p class="annotatable">More than creating a temporary headache for Morgan Stanley, the accusations could be used to keep the bank off of lucrative China-related business with state-owned companies for years to come—even though it was the right call on mainland stocks. Others including Bank of America and Credit Suisse identified China’s market as a bubble as well.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Foreign banks have <a href="http://qz.com/192273/if-chinas-economy-craters-the-uks-banks-are-on-the-hook/">lent over $1 trillion</a> to Chinese public and private companies as well, with the majority of that concentrated in Hong Kong, UK, US and Japanese lenders.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Foreign hedge fund investors, meanwhile, have billions of dollars in exposure to China stocks through direct investment and Exchange Traded Funds. Less than two months ago, many were <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102698709">racking up double-digit annual returns</a>, thanks to the stock market bubble. While some had started to speak of “frothy” valuations in May, others felt the China growth story was strong.</p>
<h2>An end to China’s financial “opening up”</h2>
<p class="annotatable">A key part of president Xi Jinping’s plan for China has been the opening of China’s financial system. China needs foreign banks to assist with this opening up, and it needs foreign investors to be comfortable with Chinese assets, including RMB-denominated financial products that are key to internationalizing China’s currency.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Beijing’s reaction to the stock market decline could stymie much needed financial reform, and scare foreign investors from China’s markets for years to come, analysts and financial experts say.</p>
<p class="annotatable">“Unfortunately, it looks like the authorities are putting some of the blame on short-sellers and even foreign conspirators,” Victor Shih, professor at University of California, San Diego, tells Quartz. “This will delay serious reform in the financial market, such as an expansion of share borrowing and enlarging foreign portfolio investment, for some time.”</p>
<p class="annotatable">That will halt the slow but steady peeling-open of China’s financial system—something crucial to creating a less speculative stock market down the road, and introducing new liquidity channels to keep the China’s banking system moving.</p>
<p class="annotatable">China’s <a href="http://qz.com/445454/a-complete-list-of-the-chinese-governments-stock-market-stimulus/">heavy-handed stimulus measures</a> since the markets started falling have added hundreds of billions of dollars worth of liquidity to the market. But rather than reassuring foreign investors, they’ve been heading for the doors—foreign exits of mainland stocks through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-07/as-china-intervenes-to-prop-up-stocks-foreigners-head-for-exits">hit record highs this week</a>, Bloomberg reported.</p>
<p class="annotatable">The Chinese government’s support is “being perceived as negative by foreign investors, as the A-share market is being viewed as rigged and not a true market,” Francis Cheung, CLSA’s head of China and Hong Kong strategy told Quartz.</p>
<p class="annotatable">In the longer term, this episode could leave foreign fund managers and corporate executives hesitant to invest in China for years to come, says Christopher Balding, associate professor at Peking University HSBC Business School, Shenzhen.</p>
<p class="annotatable">“It <span class="s1">is one thing for people to tacitly accept strong government presence [as foreign investors have in the past]. It is another to essentially witness it in the brutal financial market sense,” Balding tells Quartz. “</span><span class="s1">This debacle, even if the market bounced back relatively quickly, is going to leave a deep impression on domestic and international investors.”</span></p>
<p class="annotatable">It also stands to damage Beijing’s chances that the <a href="http://qz.com/412082/chinas-yuan-is-no-longer-undervalued-says-imf/">IMF will add the yuan</a> to its basket of reserve currencies, which would have invited more inflows of foreign liquidity. Paradoxically, this goal was probably one of the reasons behind the government’s all-out market stimulus package.</p>
<h2>China’s consumer spending power</h2>
<p class="annotatable">Chinese consumers have become the world’s powerhouse when it comes to spending on luxury goods, tourism, property, and international schooling.</p>
<p class="annotatable">It is impossible to know how much of this spending has been fueled by stock market gains, rising incomes, proceeds from corruption, or property market windfalls—and the market really only started rising in recent months. Some were even <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/shanghai-stocks-offer-little-fuel-for-chinas-economy-1434920557">delaying buying new cars</a> to put money into the stock market, as the Wall Street Journal reported last month.</p>
<p class="annotatable">But investors said recently that stock windfalls helped them fund <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/business/dealbook/chinese-mom-and-pop-investors-who-borrowed-are-hit-hard.html?_r=0">overseas travel</a>, property purchases, and car buying. Because trillions of yuan of stock-buying was done with so-called margin finance, or loans used to buy stock, so investors who are losing money are going to need to curb spending even further to pay these loans back.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Tourism:</strong> Chinese tourists spent more than those from any other country on overseas travel last year—a <a href="http://media.unwto.org/press-release/2015-04-15/exports-international-tourism-rise-us-15-trillion-2014">massive $165 billion</a>, up 28% from the year before. And their impact on major cities is massive.<br />
Tourists from Beijing alone <a href="http://qz.com/422237/beijing-and-shanghai-are-keeping-new-york-and-los-angeles-tourism-flush-with-cash/">spent $1.4 billion in New York City</a> last year, as Quartz previously reported, and those from Shanghai spent nearly $900 million in Los Angeles. In London, they accounted for one-fifth of all spending <a href="http://gbtimes.com/business/chinese-tourists-top-foreign-spending-londons-west-end">in the West End</a> and in Thailand <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-chinese-tourists-boost-thai-economy-but-stir-outrage-2015-7">they’re much-maligned</a> but still expected to bring in $5.6 billion this year.</li>
<li><strong>Luxury goods:</strong> Chinese also <a href="http://qz.com/389469/china-is-the-worlds-fastest-growing-market-for-vanity-spending/">buy 12% of the world’s luxury goods</a>, with most of that shopping done overseas, where they accounted for <a href="http://www.cnbc.com/id/102393832">40% of France’s</a> luxury good sales last year.</li>
<li><strong>US, Canadian, and Aussie schools:</strong> Nearly <a href="http://monitor.icef.com/2015/03/number-of-chinese-outbound-students-up-by-11-in-2014/">half a million Chinese students</a> studied abroad last year, up 11% from 2013, and 92% of those paid their own way, rather then relying on financial aid or scholarships. These students have been a windfall for universities and private secondary schools, particularly in the US, Canada, and Australia, the top destinations.</li>
<li><strong>Property:</strong> Property markets from New Zealand to Los Angeles have been boosted by billions of dollars in Chinese investment in recent years. These buyers have snapped up suburban homes and penthouse apartments, often paying cash.</li>
</ul>
<p class="annotatable"><span class="message_content">These households most likely to be spending on overseas property, education, and travel are the ones that dabble in the market.</span></p>
<p class="annotatable">China’s stock market are the “plaything” of a limited number of households in China, financial services company GaveKal said in a recent report. “T<span class="message_content">he pain of the crash is affecting probably no more than 20mn to 30mn Chinese households, most of which range from upper middle class to very wealthy.”</span></p>
<h2>Hong Kong’s economy</h2>
<p class="annotatable">Hong Kong remained <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/money-wealth/article/1808983/hong-kong-still-top-choice-chinas-rich-investing-outside">the top investment destination</a> for wealthy mainlanders last year, and Chinese investors’ stock market losses are sure to bite here. But a bigger concern than property or shopping is the effect on businesses in Asia’s financial capital.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Hong Kong’s stock markets have already been <a href="http://qz.com/412975/a-tidal-wave-of-chinese-money-is-causing-chaos-in-hong-kongs-stock-market/">whip-sawed by money</a> from China in recent months, and as China’s markets sank, they have too.</p>
<p class="annotatable">On Wednesday, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index sunk more than 8%<strong>,</strong> to its lowest level since the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect, linking Hong Kong and mainland markets, opened. It was the index’s <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-08/hong-kong-s-hang-seng-index-plunges-most-since-financial-crisis">worst one-day performance</a> since the financial crisis of 2008.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Stocks of Hong Kong-based <a href="https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/buzz-china-market-sell-off-070827698.html">banks and brokers</a> are plummeting, and dozens of Hong Kong stocks have voluntarily suspending trading as well to try to sit out the downturn—putting their own expansion plans and company operations at risk.</p>
<p></p>
<img src="https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/screen-shot-2015-07-08-at-11-47-56-am.png?w=640" data-retina="https://qzprod.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/screen-shot-2015-07-08-at-11-47-56-am.png?w=947" alt="" title="" />
<p></p>
<h2>US-listed Chinese tech stocks</h2>
<p class="annotatable">Concerns about China’s market and particularly the effect that <a href="http://qz.com/445291/the-chinese-governments-stock-market-stimulus-is-mostly-helping-the-chinese-government/">propping up</a> state-owned enterprises at the expense of <a href="http://qz.com/445469/china-is-neglecting-the-internet-and-tech-startups-that-are-supposed-to-fuel-the-economy/">internet and tech companies</a> is already wreaking havoc on US-listed Chinese companies, and particularly tech and internet stocks.</p>
<p class="annotatable">China internet giants Weibo, Sina, Youkou, and Sohu.com all <a href="https://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ%3AWB&ei=EaqbVcmXGoev0ATGsKCACA">dropped significantly</a> this week in US trading. While these companies have a different set of investors than China-listed internet and tech stocks, their business is nearly all in China, which seems to be giving investors pause:</p>
<p class="annotatable">Tech companies that announced buyouts to leave the US markets, and re-list in China, are <a href="http://qz.com/447694/chinese-firms-trying-to-leave-us-markets-are-now-stuck-in-limbo/">being punished severely</a>. US investors are responding to their desire to leave US markets by leaving their stocks.</p>
<p class="annotatable">In a worst-case scenario, these downturns could leak over into the non-China tech sector, as investors burned by losses seek less-risky investments.</p>
<h2>Turmoil in China’s economy</h2>
<p class="annotatable">A plummeting stock market could drag the economy down with it, though it’s hard to gauge how deep the impact will be.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Brisk business for the domestic financial services sector has buoyed the economy in the last three quarters; a stock collapse could shave around a percentage point off GDP growth, according to Capital Economics.</p>
<p class="annotatable">Chinese corporate profits will likely take a hit too. Over the last year, the stock market was the lone guaranteed way to make money in China, drawing in corporate funds as well as retail investment.</p>
<p class="annotatable">A market nosedive will certainly endanger China’s financial system. A sharp fall could <a href="http://qz.com/445477/to-save-its-stock-markets-china-is-putting-its-whole-financial-system-at-risk/">trigger a wave of defaults</a> as companies and individuals that have used <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-firms-put-cash-to-work-in-stocks-1434463023">loans and savings</a> to bet on stocks go bust. This could eat a big hole in bank balance sheets, notes Andrew Collier, head of Orient Capital Research.</p>
<p class="annotatable">It’s hard to tell just how big that risk is, though. The margin trading frenzy has already shifted what David Cui, strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, estimates could be as much as 6 trillion yuan ($970 billion) in borrowed money into the market, putting the equivalent of nearly 10% of China’s GDP at risk.</p>
<p>The ultimate question is what <a href="http://qz.com/444592/xi-jinping-has-run-into-the-one-thing-in-china-he-cant-control/">impact this could have on Xi</a> and the government he leads. By urging households to buy stocks, Xi has put his credibility—as well as that of the Communist Party—on the line. The stimulus measures’ failure may incite outrage among those very mom-and-pop investors who have lost everything. Though it’s impossible to tell what might ignite it, mass social unrest in China would shake the entire world.</p>
<p>Courtesy of <a href="http://qz.com/445344" target="_blank">Quartz</a></p>
</div>10 Apps For Investing And Financehttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/10-apps-for-investing-and-finance2013-05-17T21:30:00.000Z2013-05-17T21:30:00.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><p><em>We've spoken numerous times in Chat about various apps for our smart phones and tablet, but how many apps are truly out there?  Google is alleged to have over 700 apps in Google Play however I've never counted and I'd imagine that number fluctuates continually as old, blah apps are deleted and replaced with hip, upbeat inspirations.  Of course this still does not include apps for <strong>Apple iPhones/tablets</strong> and those apps just sitting out there on blogs and websites.  It boggles the mind so I began a search and came across <a href="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/2010/09/07/best-iphone-applications-finance-investing/" target="_blank">this list</a>, which strangely misses <a href="https://play.google.com/store/search?q=tdameritrade+mobile&c=apps" target="_blank">tdAmeritrade's Think or Swim app</a>; but what apps do YOU use?  Please add them to the comments below or give us your opinion on those shown.  I'd love to hear from you!<br /></em></p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>1. CNBC Real-time</strong> - <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=HIJIRBijN*Q&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fcnbc-real-time%252Fid334125582%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> - Free app that allows you to view real-time quotes before, during and after market hours. Other features include watching CNBC video clips, viewing charts, and managing a watch list.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/cnbc-realtime-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="cnbc realtime iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13208" height="100" width="101" /></p>
<p><strong>2. Yahoo! Finance</strong> - <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=HIJIRBijN*Q&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fyahoo-finance%252Fid328412701%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> - Yahoo's free stock app offers the best of Yahoo Finance on your iPhone. I leave Yahoo Finance open on my computer throughout the day and the App is just as good. Manage a watchlist, view videos, research stocks, and more.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Yahoo-Finance-iPhone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="Yahoo Finance iPhone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13210" height="102" width="102" /></p>
<p><strong>3. E*TRADE Mobile</strong> - <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=HIJIRBijN*Q&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fe-trade-mobile-pro%252Fid313259740%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> - Free app that connects you to your E*TRADE account for trading anytime, anywhere. E*TRADE has the best mobile app out of any of the brokers which is why it is featured (full <a href="http://www.stockbrokers.com/review/etrade" target="_blank">Etrade Review</a> on <a href="http://www.stockbrokers.com/" target="_blank">StockBrokers.com</a>).</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/etrade-mobile-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="etrade mobile iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13212" height="100" width="101" /></p>
<p><strong>4. Mint</strong> - <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=HIJIRBijN*Q&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fmint-com-personal-finance%252Fid300238550%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> - Free app that allows you to view your mint.com account right on your iPhone. Manage your bank accounts, credit cards, set budgets, goals, and more. Mint was bought out by Intuit in 2009.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/mint-mobile-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="mint mobile iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13214" height="101" width="100" /></p>
<p><strong>5. Chase Mobile</strong> - <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=HIJIRBijN*Q&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fchase-mobile-sm%252Fid298867247%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> - Your bank's mobile app is always a must have free app. Highlighting the Chase app, you can find Chase branches, ATMs, or sign in to view your credit card bills and/or bank statements, make payments, transfer money, etc. For maximum convenience, Chase and Bank of America, amongst a few other banks, allow you to take a picture of your checks and deposit them via your iPhone.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/chase-mobile-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="chase mobile iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13213" height="102" width="101" /></p>
<p><strong>6. Credit Karma</strong> - Free app which allows you to see your credit score for free without any catches or fine print (I've personally used the site for over two years now) and monitor credit updates as they are reported by the bureaus.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/credit-karma-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="credit karma iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13211" height="101" width="103" /></p>
<p><strong>7. Bloomberg</strong> - <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=HIJIRBijN*Q&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fbloomberg%252Fid281941097%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> - Free app and the best app for international market news. Customizable homepage feature allows you to read any headlines for any market or Bloomberg category of your choice.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/bloomberg-mobile-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="bloomberg mobile iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13216" height="102" width="102" /></p>
<p><strong>8. Paypal Mobile</strong> - <a href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=HIJIRBijN*Q&offerid=146261&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fitunes.apple.com%252Fus%252Fapp%252Fpaypal%252Fid283646709%253Fmt%253D8%2526uo%253D4%2526partnerId%253D30" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Download</a> - Free app that allows you to manage your Paypal account via your iPhone. Transfer money to and from your bank, send money securely to other paypal members, view your history, and more.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/paypal-mobile-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="paypal mobile iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13215" height="100" width="101" /></p>
<p><strong>9. Zillow Loan Calculator</strong> - Free app that allows you to quickly calculate a mortgage, total interest, etc. This the best mortgage calculator app for free and it comes from Zillow which is an awesome site to search for new homes.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/zillow-mortgage-calculator-iphone-app.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="zillow mortgage calculator iphone app" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13209" height="101" width="102" /></p>
<p><strong>10. EZ Financial Calculators</strong> - Great for quickly calculating tips when eating out. The app also has a variety of other calculators including a loan calculator, currency converter, retirement calculator, and a auto loan calculator, among others.</p>
<p><img src="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/ez-financial-calculators.png?9d7bd4" alt="" title="ez financial calculators" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-13217" height="101" width="102" /></p>
<p>I have personally been using the iPhone for years now and these free top stock iPhone apps definitely stand out among their peers. With thousands of apps to choose from I focused on the best apps within specific groups for example mobile banking and <a href="http://www.stocktradingtogo.com/online-stock-brokers/">online stock trading</a>.</p>
<p>Do you have a favorite app for stocks that was not included above? Share your thoughts via comment below and let us know your pick.</p>
</div>Trading Based On Calendar Timinghttp://stockbuz.ning.com/articles/trading-based-on-calendar2010-10-26T23:30:00.000Z2010-10-26T23:30:00.000ZStockBuzhttp://stockbuz.ning.com/members/1t2xbcvddkrir<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZA89OEY2M0I/TMXW-b3DaxI/AAAAAAAAEOE/A27Oox6VaeM/s1600/image.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; WIDTH: 207px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 154px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532064085413423890" border="0" name="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532064085413423890" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ZA89OEY2M0I/TMXW-b3DaxI/AAAAAAAAEOE/A27Oox6VaeM/s400/image.jpg" /></a><br />
<p><em><font size="2"><strong>Hat tip to Stockchartist for lumping these all together in one handy place. The link to his blog at the bottom of the post. While he does leave out Presidential and mid-term election year theories as well as a few others, these are the basics you'll hear about as you learn to navigate the market.</strong></font></em></p>
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<p>For years I thought the key to investment success was good stock picking; find the right stocks and you're going to see your portfolio grow. Doesn't "you-know-who" continually say there's always a "bull market somewhere" and all you need to do is find it?</p>
<p>Actually, I, along many others, stopped drinking that cool-aide in 2003 after seeing retirement and savings investments shrink by about 40%. That's when I embraced another belief system. One based on the belief that the key to outstanding financial performance is successfully timing the market. "If you worry about the downturns, the uptrends will take care of themselves."</p>
<p>But there are all sorts of market timing techniques. Right now we're at the beginning of one called the "mid-term election year cycle". Over 80 years and 25 presidential elections, the stock market has followed a fairly definite course during the period surrounding the mid-term elections.</p>
<p>Since 1931, the 5-quarters surrounding that election (one quarter before through 4 quarters after) have always been up with an average return of 25.5% plus dividends. Had you invested $1,000 in the Dow Index only during these 4 quarters (31% of the time) it would have appreciated to $68,200 by the end of 2009. A $1,000 investment in the Dow only during all remaining trading days (69% of the time) since 1931 would have grown to just $1,800.</p>
<p>But there are other interesting calendar-based timing rules:</p>
<ul>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">January Effect</span>: The hypothesis that stock market performance in January predicts its performance for the rest of the year. If the stock market rises in January, it is likely to continue to rise by the end of December. This rule of thumb has an outstanding record for predicting the general course of the market each year, with only five major errors since 1950, for a 91.5% accuracy ratio. Since 1950 this trend has been repeated 32 of a possible 39 times.</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Santa Claus Rally</span>: a rise in stock prices in the month of December, generally over the final week of trading prior to New Year. The rally is generally attributed to anticipation of the January effect, an injection of additional funds into the market, and to additional trades which must, for accounting and tax reasons.</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Superbowl Effect</span>: The Super Bowl Indicator says that the stock market's performance in a given year can be predicted based on the outcome of the Super Bowl of that year. If a team from the American Football Conference (AFC) wins, then it will be a bear market (or down market), but if a team from the National Football Conference (NFC) wins, then it will be a bull market (up market). The indicator has been correct 33 out of 41 times, as measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Average - a success rate of over 80%.</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Daily</span>: On a typical market day, volume will often look U-shaped being heaviest in the first 90 minutes of the day, again in the last 60-90 minutes and usually light in between these periods, with the lightest volume occurring during the noon hour period (Eastern).</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Weekly</span>: It’s been said that “amateurs” trade on Mondays and Fridays while pros trade mostly during the middle of the week.</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Years</span>:
<ul>
<li>Years ending with the digit “0” have been the worst year in the decennial cycle for 127 years. For the last nine decades, the market ended up on only three occasions for the years ending in “0”.</li>
<li>Another annual cycle that comes close to being constant is <em><strong>the four-year-cycle</strong></em> with the Dow Jones Industrial Average making lows in 1950, 1954, 1958 and in 1962....there are bottoms in 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982 and 1987....the market reached bottoms in 1990, 1994, 1998 and again in 2002....It appears that [the market] wants to make a bottom every four to four-and-a-half years no matter what we think should happen. Not actually declines but there was a consolidation pause in 2006 preceding an up leg.....will 2010 follow suit?</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Options Expiration</span>: Options expiration days can be and usually are extremely volatile with unpredictable results as to whether the market winds up or down.</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Ordeal of September and October</span>: While September is known to be the worst month of the year, most Crashes take their biggest tolls in October, with most Black Fridays or Black Mondays occurring during those two months. Between 1939 and 2009, the S&P 500 suffered an average loss of .33% in September... the only month when the average change was negative. Had it not been for the major crashes, October would have been no different than any other month.</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Summer Doldrums (aka "Sell in May ....")</span>: Whether due to the fact that most Americans take vacations during the summer or because of the overlap with the September/October Ordeal, statistics bear out the fact that if investors were to take their money out of the market at the end of April and reinvest six months later at the beginning of November, performance would improve appreciably. Here are some of the facts:
<ul>
<li>Since 1950, the DJ 30 has produced an average gain of 7.4 percent from November through April vs. 0.4 percent from May through October.</li>
<li>Investing $10,000 in the DJ 30 during the "best" six-month period and switching to bonds during the "worst" six months every year since 1950 would have posted a $527,388 return. Doing the reverse would have cost the investor $474.</li>
<li>The same approach with the S&P 500 index all the way back to 1945 shows November=April returns beating the remaining months 71 percent of the time.</li>
<li>Adhering to the practice also would have reduced risk by avoiding the stock market crashes of 1929, 1987 and 2008.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Lunar</span>: Finally, many adherents believe that the periods around new moons are bullish as compared with periods around full moons (see "<a href="http://stockchartist.blogspot.com/2010/10/lunar-cycle-update.html"><font color="#225588">Lunar Cycle Update</font></a>").</li>
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