Google’s 4th Quarterly Earnings Report more than Analyst expectation

Friday, January 23, 2009

Google 4th Quarterly Report comes out as a bright spot in the midst of gloomy economy. The Google’s quarterly results encouraged investors and analysts who had been lowering their expectations about Google's performance, as economy's troubles are deepening considerably.Google's quarterly result specifies that search advertising, though not impervious to the economy, continues to look more

Is Stock Market Profitable Business?

Sunday, January 18, 2009

With the recent turmoil in the stock market, long term stock investors as well as short term day traders are vigorously asking the question that is there any profit left in this business? Well this can be a million dollar question for many out there who had lost their hard earn money within the span of last one year! But there are still many investors as well as day traders who find the stock

Wall Street End In Green Even After Banks Report Big Losses

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Wall Street was managed to somehow catch the positive territory even after the major banks report big losses. Stock Market has really seen an erratic session up yesterday after the news of Bank of America receives government support, while Citi Bank splits operations.Dow Jones industrial average was up by 68.73, or 0.84%, to close at 8,281.22. In the afternoon session, the Dow was down nearly

Ten top investment tips from Warren Buffett

Thursday, December 18, 2008

1.
When you know you're the best, you can afford to tell it like it is. Buffett says: "Our insurance business had an excellent year... that party is over. It's a certainty that insurance-industry profit margins, including ours, will fall significantly in 2008. So be prepared for lower insurance earnings during the next few years."
2.
Only four things really count when making an investment (or buying whole companies if, like Buffett, you have $141bn to spend) - "a business you understand, favourable long-term economics, able and trustworthy management, and a sensible price tag". That's investment, everything else is speculation.
3.
Invest this way and you don't need to constantly look for the next "new" thing, with all the risk that necessarily entails.
Buffett's biggest investments (companies he doesn't own in their entirety) include American Express, Wells Fargo, Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola.
These four businesses, he notes, were founded in 1850, 1852, 1837 and 1886 respectively. "Start-ups are not our game".
4.
Businesses are run by people and the best people are not necessarily the ones with the flashiest CVs. Buffett singles out Susan Jacques, chief executive of his jewellery retailer Borsheims. "Susan came to Borsheims 25 years ago as a $4-an-hour saleswoman. She's smart, she loves the business and she loves her associates. That beats having an MBA degree any time."
5.
Even for a super-long-term investor like Buffett, there's always a time to sell. Berkshire Hathaway bought 1.3pc of PetroChina in 2002 and 2003 for $488m, valuing the Chinese oil company at $37bn when Buffett thought it was probably worth $100bn.
When the China share bubble took its value to $275bn last year, way above its fundamental value, Buffett cashed in his holding for $4bn, an eightfold rise in five years.
6.
Buffett believes incentivisation of managers on the basis of earnings per share encourages disingenuous, if not downright dishonest, behaviour.
Take the assumptions about future investment returns in corporate pension schemes. The average in America is 8pc, despite the fact that a quarter of pension funds are in bonds and cash (for which a 5pc return would be a reasonable expectation) and the rest in equities, which rose by just 5.3pc a year on average over the 20th century as a whole (a remarkable period of growth for the US economy).
Managers don't really believe they'll get 8pc, but pretending they will means they can contribute less and so boost their reported profits. "If they are wrong, the chickens won't come home to roost until long after they retire."
7.
Between 2002 and 2007, Buffett notes, the euro appreciated from 95 cents to $1.37, yet the US's trade deficit with Germany widened from $36bn to $45bn, the reverse of what should have happened.
As long as these imbalances continue, foreigners will continue to buy up America on the cheap. "This is our doing, not some nefarious plot by foreign governments."
8.
Buffett has not lost his eye for witty one-liners which, as usual, make his letters a joy to read. Here he quotes John Stumpf, chief executive of Wells Fargo, on the behaviour of lenders: "It is interesting that the industry has invented new ways to lose money when the old ways seemed to work just fine."
9.
He can see the joke, but Buffett also knows that there is something profoundly wrong at the heart of corporate America.
"As house prices fall, a huge amount of financial folly is being exposed. You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out - and what we are witnessing at some of our largest financial institutions is an ugly sight."
10.
Investors should be realists but the best are optimists too. Buffett has taken premiums worth $4.5bn from investors buying insurance from him against four major stock markets being lower in 15 to 20 years than they are today.
He's confident he'll hold on to those premiums and in the meantime he'll use the cash to make another small fortune. What a man.

Online trading: Step by Step Guide

Sunday, November 9, 2008

If you’re new to shares or need a little help, Money's step-by-step guide prepared by Maria Bekiaris tells you how the internet can make investing easier and cheaper.The internet has changed the way many of us go about our day-to-day lives. For investors it’s made it easier, and cheaper, to invest in shares and funds. There are about 20 online brokers in Australia. Commsec and E*Trade are two of the biggest, now controlling close to 80% of the online broking market, but some of the smaller brokers still have a lot to offer investors. When it comes to choosing an online broker there are a number of issues you need to consider.

Website usability

Let’s start with the website – is it easy to navigate, can you find the things you need quickly?

What it costs

The fees are based on the size of the trades and are usually tiered. Mark Johnston, director of Investment Trends, says it’s important to look at the base price rather than the discount price when comparing brokers. Another thing to look out for is whether a monthly access or subscription fee is charged on top of the brokerage fee. If you think you may need to make trades over the phone, make sure you find out about the price for that too as it tends to cost more.

Trading products

Most brokers let you buy and sell shares listed on the ASX, but it’s worth finding out what other products you can trade. This may include managed funds, options, warrants and international shares.

Trading tools

Find out what tools the online broker has that can help you manage your portfolio and monitor market movements.

Doing your homework

Before making any investment decisions it’s important to do your homework. The more research available on the site, the better off you’re likely to be. You’ll generally get access to news services, ASX announcements, market commentary and regular newsletters. You may even get access to buy/sell recommendations. Some brokers even have regular seminars their clients can attend.

Account requirements

No matter which broker you choose, you’ll need a bank account to settle your trades. Some brokers will require you to set up an account with a particular institution, while others let you use your normal account. Also find out whether you need to make a minimum initial deposit or maintain a minimum balance. It might be tempting to go for a broker with the most bells and whistles, but if this costs more you really should weigh up whether you really need all the extras.

Looking forward

Over the next few months and years we’re likely to see the online broking industry continue to grow and change. “All of the online brokers will be seeking to match one another’s offers,” says National’s Maddock. “Consequently, we can expect increased evidence of CFDs, short selling and retail managed funds appearing as part of online offers.”Infochoice’s Orrock says we can expect continued consolidation, as evidenced by the news in early June that E*Trade had taken over HSBC Stockbroking. Johnston agrees, saying that although there’s already been a fair bit of consolidation in the industry, we’re likely to see more in the future.

Determine Your Financial Future

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

the following five profitable and distinct educational financial targets:
1. With the Online Investing Education and the Investing, Stock Market and Financial Planning Tutorial and guide:
To provide you with all the free information and financial advice, so that you can learn to invest profitably in stocks and be able to successfully manage your financial future.

2. With the Investment Guide:
To help you easily acquire many new profitable investing skills and expand your economic, savings, financial, investing and stock market knowledge.

3. With the Stock Market Guide to Profitable Investments Book:
To present a clear, easy and safe investment e-Book and educational method by which you will be able to invest profitably in the stock market.

4. With the Profitable Expert Financial Services and Investing Advice:
To bring you in a position to accomplish profitable investments in equities, easily manage to make money now and plan for your financial future and

5. With the Professional and Expert Stock Brokers and Financial Advisers:
To achieve excellent returns on your stocks and investments and to familiarize and provide you with our excellent financial news, stock market investing, finance, art and stock brokerage services.

A Guide to High-Yield, High-Risk Stocks

Saturday, November 1, 2008

The classic image of the stock market is that of a place where fortunes are made and lost throughout the course of the day, and where those who take the biggest risks are rewarded by a hefty payout when all is said and done. Of course, this is the movie version of the market… no matter how thrilling the day-to-day dramas of investment trading become, they'll never compete with the images of the stock market that have been created for the silver screen.

There is a small grain of truth to those images from the movies, however… those individuals who choose to deal in high-risk stocks can make a lot of money if they handle the risks correctly. If they don't, however, then there's a good chance that they could lose their entire investment. Below you'll find more information on the world of high-risk (and high-yield) investments, including ways to help insure yourself against major losses when dealing with higher levels of investment risk.

Defining High-Risk Investments The first thing that needs to be covered when talking about investing in high-yield, high-risk stocks is exactly what is meant by the terms “high-risk” and “high-yield.” The risk of the investment is usually due to the very fickle nature of that particular stock… though it may be growing in value rather quickly, it's obvious that the growth is going to stop soon and a very rapid and severe descent is going to begin. The yield of the investment, on the other hand, refers to the money that could potentially be made by buying stocks early on in the increase in price, and then selling just before the value starts to plummet. Fortunes have been both made and lost (sometimes in the same day) with high-risk trading; the key is knowing exactly when to start buying or selling.

How to Trade High-Risk Stocks When trading high-risk stocks, it's almost essential that you have access to your brokerage account and that you'll be able to buy or sell shares as soon as the price begins to fluctuate in one direction or the other. This can be done online, via the telephone, or in person if you don't use an online brokerage firm. You can also usually set up hold orders which will start buying the stock when the price reaches a certain level (up to the amount that you've specified) and that will begin selling shares as soon as the price drops below a certain point. Many online brokers allow these types of hold orders, and they can allow you to go about your regular day without having to watch the market ticker the entire time.

Guarding Against Loss Of course, even with hold orders or a dedicated broker you can still end up losing money when dealing with high-risk stocks… that's how they earned their name. In order to minimize this potential for loss it's important to have a well-diversified stock portfolio to fall back on. If your high-risk investments begin to fall in price too quickly and you end up losing money by the time the shares have been sold, the relatively stable value of some of your core portfolio stocks and indexes will help to even out your losses. The fall of the higher-risk stocks might even stimulate some other portions of the market, causing an increase in other stocks in your portfolio. This will help take some of the sting out of your loss, and may end up giving you a greater long-term gain than you might have had from your short-term investment that went sour.