Category: Stocks

Stocks are maybe the best way to build wealth. Holding them means that someone owns a share in the company that issued the stock. Exactly this Traders-Paradise wants to explain to its visitors.
The majority of traders trade them, ordinary people are investing in them and they are building their future based on stock quality. If the stock is good, it will increase your capital.
In this category, Traders-Paradise explains what are stocks and why people should invest in them. Our experts’ team explains how to effectively buy an ownership share in the company. You can read what is beneficial, how much you can earn by trading them, and how much by holding them in the long run. Also, Traders-Paradise provides readers a full insight into stocks’ nature, how volatile they can be, why stocks are the best way to build and grow the wealth.
Here we explain what is the primary reason that investors own stock. Just to mention, the returns are potentially great.
Also, we explain how stocks work.
Readers will also find is it better and wise to buy stock in just one company or that could have a negative influence on their investment portfolios. Also, we explain how to structure your stock portfolio when you hold shares of companies from various industries and geographies.

How stocks differ?
Most investors hold common stock, but there are many kinds of them, for example, preferred stocks. Traders-Paradise explains all the benefits from any kind of them, how to profit by trading them. So, here you’ll find trading and investing strategies, all calculations, and methods to evaluate the value of your holdings.

How to profit from The Stock Market Plunging?

By Guy Avtalyon

The stock market is plunging but will it crash or not is still unknown. It isn’t easy to predict the stock market crash because it occurs suddenly. The point is to be prepared for such a scenario and here are several ways on how to do so.

I don’t want to frighten you, but we have to talk about the stock market plunging.

The volatility of the markets is back again. Actually, the market is plunging. That is the data from the first six days in October. The S&P 500 has dropped a total of 83 points. Now it is almost 115 points lower than in September. Having this in mind, the trade war and the inverted yield curve, also, let us know how not to speak about a recession.

The stock market is plunging

These gaps are standard. For the last 70 years, there were 37 corrections in the S&P 500. If our counting is good that is almost every second year. And mentioned drops were about 10%. Now, we have 5% and such were more common in history.

This is the price we have to pay for long-term wealth making. So, you must understand that long-term investors have an advantage against the short-term since they would infrequently experience continuing damage from stock market corrections. Time and patience, wait for a bull market rally. It will nullify the correction in the stock market. Anyway, the point of long-term investing is to buy and hold. Hold on to your stocks, that is the key to winning in the long run.

I warned you how difficult this year can be. But when investors’ fears overwhelm the market and the stock market is plunging, there is still something you can do.

Is a safe-haven stock right move?

Yes, you can thrive during the stock market correction if you buy safe-haven stocks. For example, buy gold. The gold is a store of value, so it is a safe-haven asset.

The truth is that you will not gain a lot of profit by holding gold for a long time. It is a physical commodity, there is no dividends. So think about buying a stake of shares in some companies that produce the jewelry or anything of gold instead. Also, a good choice is to buy shares of mining. This is also a suitable alternative when the stock market is plunging and getting lower.

Stocks with low volatility

Companies that provide constant profits, pay a dividend, and have low volatility can be very beneficial when the course in the market turns. Some of them will give you yield much bigger than the yield of a 10-year Treasury bond, for example. Find some company with the old fashioned model of business. Yes, it can be boring but in the long run, it is excellent. The point is to survive the market plunging.

Basic goods and utilities as a safe investment

Buying stocks of some companies that produce cleanser or hygiene is an excellent choice. People will always need to be clean and they will buy these products no matter how deep the crisis is. Also, stocks of energy companies. They are not low-cost but they are eternal. Even more, these defensive basic-need stock can grow in a volatile market.

What to do when the stock market is plunging?

Many things in the markets depend on risk tolerance. Your investment portfolio is based on risk tolerance. The main problem with the stock market plunging and when it crashes is that they are coming suddenly, no one can be sure that the crash will come and when, or the market will recover. Market crashes happen quickly, there is no warning. The problem with investors’ risk tolerance is that is very hard to adjust it depending on circumstances, especially during the bear market. You’ll be emotional, panicked, you will be encompassed by fears. To avoid all of these, take care of your portfolio structure. You should hold liquid assets, such as cash, bonds. When the market crash occurs you need a through-out scenario to avoid losses. Liquide commodities will provide you that.

Being an investor means you have to put your feelings away. You have to make your decisions separate from them.
Investing is magnificent. But life is also.

During the bear markets, even trivial corrections can be remarkably dangerous. But at the same time, bear markets will offer you great moments. The point is to know what you want and where are looking for. But Warren Buffett thinks about bear markets as buying opportunities. The trick is that in such market periods the stock prices of large companies are going down. When that moment occurs watch in your favorite stocks. The time will do the rest. You should buy it when others are selling.

15th October 2019
How to Defeat the Bear Market?

If you want to know how to defeat the bear market read this post to the end.

By Guy Avtalyon

Who wants to know how to defeat the bear market? Are you scared about the bear market? Yes, you should be scared. A bear market is one of the cruelest events that can happen to investors.
Let’s make clear what the bear market is. A bear market is when the price of stocks falls at least 20% or more from its 52-week high.
It is essential to understand the order of stock market returns, actually the range of return. Investors who do not understand the order may experience lingering effects that will reduce their profits for a lot.

Where the bear market may occur?

In short everywhere. Stocks, bonds, currencies, gold, oil. Literally everywhere where the trade occurs. Of course, when the prices of computers drop we can’t speak about the bear market. We will rather speak about deflation in such a case.

The bear market is brutal and dangerous. It can blot out everything you made in the bull market. The main goal for every investor during the bear market is to keep as much as it is possible the earning and investment.

I hope you know how to survive a bear attack. Do you really know? Did anyone tell this before to you? Well, the best way to survive a bear attack is to pretend you are dead. Just lay down, don’t breathe, don’t move, keep your eyes open to know what is the next bear’s move, but don’t move them. Clear?

Do it all but without panic.

The same comes when the stock market is down during the bear period. Stay calm and don’t panic.

How not to panic when the stock prices are going down?

Just keep in mind that it is the period. Yes, it is a period when the prices are dropping. A slump in investor confidence will indicate the attack of a bear market. You will see them running away as if chased by a pride of hungry lions. They are selling stocks with the speed of light. Oh, how wrong they are! Where they are going when the bear market is full of investing opportunities.

People, there is no need to get panicked.

That’s the natural condition of the market. To paraphrase a famous investor Peter Lynch, if you don’t understand that recessions can occur or the stock market may drop, you are not ready to enter the market, or at least, you will not do well there.

But we’re all on the same ship. There is no reason to panic. You have to know one thing. The market isn’t the Titanic. It will not crash so easily. This boat will correct itself. It will not happen overnight. So you have to be patient and stay calm. Remember how to survive a bear attack? That is exactly how to defeat the bear market.

During the bear market, most stocks will fall. How to stay in stocks in such circumstances? Just count!

Will it be better to have money in a savings account with a zero interest rate? Nope! Even when the price decline, your stocks will give you a better return.

The secret strategy on how to defeat the bear market is to buy and hold. Investing shouldn’t be the last trump card in your hand. You must have more options in your overall financial situation. You can’t defeat the bunch of enemies with one shot.

Except, of course, if you’re Luke Skywalker on the bombing run against the air vent of the Death Star.

How to defeat the bear market?

Buy now! Notice, be greedy when others are afraid. You should buy the stock when everyone else is selling. Evaluate the companies, their historical data, don’t read the news for a while (trust me, I know how journalists can produce breaking news, and highlight the headlines). Just be calm and let it appear. Let the right decision to come to you. The doors will be opened. Enter! Take your position! Ignore the jerks! Don’t listen to them, find your sweet spot. And don’t panic, again!

In the worst-case scenario, which is the most extreme, you can sell all your stocks and put cash to the bank account (to be honest, I don’t think it is smart, but still) or reinvest the money in more stable assets such as short-term bonds. But you have to know, if you sell all your stocks it is capitulation. It is the official term not my opinion about your investing. But if you do so, how will you come back, how will you rebound? You will be lost out. And it will be very hard for you to enter the stock market again.

The best way is to take a defensive strategy. This means to buy the stocks of big, stable companies. They are strong enough to defend your portfolio from the bear market. Their share prices are less sensitive to a bigger decline. For example, food businesses.

A bear market is a feeling about a particular market mood.

The bear market received its name for the behavior by which bears attack their victims. So, just pretend you are dead when the bear market occurs.

8th October 2019
Preferred Stock Advantages Explained

Take advantage of owning these stocks, they are paying guaranteed dividends, but the owner doesn’t have the voting rights

By Guy Avtalyon

Preferred stock signifies an ownership stake in some companies. It is like a share of common stock but less volatile.
But there are more advantages to hold preferred stocks. For example, they are prioritized when it comes to dividends or bankruptcy. But by owning this stock you will not have the same voting rights as owner of common stock. Actually, you will not have them.

Preferred stock is similar to bonds. See, with preferred shares, you will have a fixed dividend in continuity. And you can easily calculate the dividend yield. All you have to do is to divide an amount of dividend in the currency by the current price of the stock. Yield is the effective interest rate you earn when you buy a share of the preferred stock.

Let’s do some math.

Assume a preferred stock has an annual dividend of $6 per share and is trading at $120 per share. So, the yield is $6 divided by $120 which is 0.05. Multiply by 100 to turn to the percentage. The yield is 5%.

6/120 = 0.05

0.05 x 100 = 5

This is regularly based on the standard value ere a preferred stock is sold. It’s generally determined as a percentage of the current market price after the trade starts. This is a difference from a common stock. Common stock has variable dividends that are published by the board of directors and it is never guaranteed. Moreover, a lot of companies don’t pay out to common stocks.

The added difference is that this kind of stock has a par value. It is in correlation with the interest rate. If the interest rate increases, the value of preferred stock drops. Also, when the interest rate decreases, the value of this stock will grow. You will not find a similar situation with common stock since its value is determined by supply and demand in the market.

Why buy preferred stock?

Investors frequently buy preferred stock for the income the dividends give. The dividends for them are higher than those issued for common stock. And the other benefit is notable. If the company has to miss out on a dividend it collects, it still must pay preferred stock dividends before any common stock dividends come to the schedule. That is why they carry less risk than common stock. Preferred stock owners must be paid before common stockholders if the company failed or in case of bankruptcy.

When evaluating the investment potential of preferred stock, it is most important to compare the dividend yield to the yields of the company’s bonds. You will find that preferred stocks often work similarly to bonds.
Preferred stock is a good choice for investors who don’t want to take a big risk. Moreover, it is less volatile than common stock and provides a better flow of dividends.

How to buy preferred stock?

The process is the same as you buy any stock. You can use a broker’s service, doesn’t really matter if it is a discount broker or full-service broker. The main point is that the company has to be publicly-traded, of course. But before you start finding a preferred stock to buy, you must know why should you do that. Why don’t you buy that company’s common stock?
When buying common stock, you’re actually buying a part of ownership in the company. You’ll have voting right as one of the co-owners. On the other hand, if you buy a preferred stock you’ll almost never get voting right.

They have regular dividends payments

When you buy preferred stock, you’ll get regular dividends payments. That is opposite from the owner of common stock that doesn’t have guaranteed dividends. Even a case that the company stops to pay dividends, your unpaid dividends are still yours and once, when the company decides to continue these payments, you’ll receive them.
The other advantage of buying preferred stocks is that your investment will be repaid in full even if the company goes bankrupt.
The owner of common stocks will get nothing instead.

One thing more is present here.

Those stocks give more options to investors. Let’s explain this. Numerous preferred shares are callable. This means the issuer can purchase them at any time. Investors have a true chance for these shares to be called back at a redemption rate. It can be a notable bonus over their purchase price. The market for preferred shares usually assumes callbacks and prices may be bid up respectively.

And we must point out one disadvantage again. Its shareholders regularly do not have voting rights as the owners of common stock. It may be a problem for some investors.

30th September 2019
Margin Call – How to Profit From The Trade
Every second in your account you must have 25% of the total price of the stock you hold to cover the maintenance margin.

By Guy Avtalyon

A margin call is something that every trader would like to avoid.
- Buying on margin means borrowing money from your broker to buy stocks.
- There is no profit without the risk involved.
Have you ever seen a better movie than Margin Call? A movie about the Financial Crisis? It just crossed my mind when I started to write this.

Okay, never mind. The subject of this article is a margin call in the stock market.

Let’s start from the beginning.

What turns around and around the stock market is a risk. I know that is the major problem for most of you. How to take the risk? Because the risk has its bright and dark side and you know that. For example, you are trading some stock without guarantees that it will perform well.

The identical risk that boosts stock prices one day can lower them tomorrow. Yes, the identical. Pretty scary.

But here we come to the bright side of the margin call. For investors who want to profit a lot and quickly nothing is better than buying on margin.

Buying on margin means borrowing money from your broker to buy stocks. Basically, it’s a loan from your broker.

How “buying on margin” works?

You can borrow from your broker up to 50% of the price of a stock.

For example, when the stock price is $20,000 you will pay $10,000 and your broker will lend you the rest which is another $10,000.

Let’s look at the possible scenarios.

Assume the stock price grows at $24,000. The return on your investment will be 40%. You invested $20,000, but you have to give back to your broker $10,000 and you will end with $14,000 in your hands. But you invested yours $10,000 so you will have $4,000 of profit. This is good and you can be happy because you made a profit.

But things may go in another direction.

Assume the stock price went down at $16,000. You will end up with a 40% loss on your investment. Even more, you have to give back the borrowed money to your broker increased by charges, fees, and interest on the loan, of course.

Buying on margin may be extremely risky. You may lose your entire investment. But you may lose more because of something known as a margin call.

Every second you must have an adequate amount in your account to cover the maintenance margin. That amount is 25% of the total price of the stock you hold.

What can happen if you don’t have enough cash in your account? Your broker will issue a margin call. That means, your broker is demanding you to cover the difference with more deposit and reach that 25% maintenance level.

Let’s go back to our example and situation when things went wrong. What will happen if the stock price drop at $12,000? Your loss is $8,000 and now you have only $2,000 in your account. The rule is that you MUST have 25% and $2,000 is not enough to cover that. So, you lost $8,000 and at the same time, you have to deposit an additional $500 in your margin account to stay in the market. Also, you have to pay back the money to your broker.

Is margin call dangerous to investors?

It can be extremely dangerous. In our example the missing deposit is small as the money invested isn’t big, but you can count how it is an enormous loss when the value of the investment is $200,000, $500,000, or million dollars.

The most frightful detail about margin call for you as new investors is that your broker has no obligation by law to warn you that your margin account is too low. So, what the broker will do?

The broker will sell your stock and liquidate your assets if it is necessary. He or she needs to ensure the maintenance level in your margin account. Even more, the broker can begin selling your stock even the margin call is issued. Such will not wait for you and will not give you a grace period. Damn, you are dealing with a un-patient broker. This is an extremely painful and dangerous situation. If you come up to this situation how will you earn your money back when the market turns in your favor. You have nothing to trade with.

The other danger about margin call is that you do not have an influence on which stock your broker may sell. Of course, the broker will choose the best players to cover fast and smooth the maintenance margin.

Moreover, the brokerage may change the rules and issue the margin call based on them. You will not have even zero chances to delay paying the margin call.

How to avoid the potential risk of a margin call

First, stay away if you don’t have enough experience in trading. Second, open some other account for an emergency with enough money to cover the margin call.

I can understand that you are willing to enter the market as a big player. At least to earn a big profit. Nothing is bad with that. Everyone wants the same. Just keep these things on your mind when you want to trade on margin. Buying on margin is an extremely exciting method, risky but with great potential to profit.

If you are 100% sure that you have a great player in your hands, and don’t have enough money to buy it, do it. Borrow from your broker. Sometimes, a great risk will bring a great profit. In the end, there is no profit without the risk involved.
13th September 2019
How Long To Hold Stock?

Patience is golden, but even being a golden rule of stock investing, it isn’t enough, there is more.

By Guy Avtalyon

Yes, you are asking the right question, because many stock investors ask: “How long to hold stock?” There are some possible answers.
You may hold your stock until it provides you a profit, or break your stop-loss rule, or you may hold your stock forever.

Actually, there’s no general rule that fits all stocks when the holding periods are in the question. So many variables can influence how long to hold stock.

The decision to hold stocks for the long term or the short term is individual. It depends on your poverty, expectations, or advisor. Several factors are involved in your personal decision especially if you have a winner in hand. The right question is: Will the winner be an excellent moneymaker in the future and how long?

How long to hold stock

A lot of factors will influence your decision.

First of all, the time you enter the market is important. If it is during a bull market you have to know two things. First, the usual bull market cycle will last from two to four years and you’ll be able to earn the majority of your profit during the first or second year. In simpler words, you have to wait until your stock rises up to 20 – 25% from buying price, that is the point where the profit can be taken. If your stock increase over 20% in the first 3 weeks or in a shorter period, hold it at least 8 weeks. After that period you have to examine the stock’s charts to check if your stock keeping up well. When you get this confirmation from the charts and the market is increasing too, there are a lot of chances that this trend will continue. You can expect the new breakouts and the value of your stock will rise more.

For genuine market winners, the average time from breakout to top will be from 12 to 18 months.

This looks like a pretty simple answer, but is it the right one?

What if your stock starts a downtrend and you see you can be stuck in a losing trade for a long time? That is why you must have settled rules before you enter a trade.

How to determine how long to hold a stock

The best way to determine how long to hold a stock is to do that based on your trading rules.

Before you purchase any stock you have to define what profit do you want to make. The next will be your ability to forecast how much your stock could decrease. Will your strategy provide you a bigger gain than loss? Is the stock in its downtrend, bottoming, or up-trend? You have to determine the largest possible loss you can afford.

Traders-Paradise has one suggestion for you.

The gain has to be minimum 1,5 to 2 times bigger than loss. There more variables you have to consider. For example, how much will you earn when sell your stock?

The golden rule in stock holding

Let us examine one possible scenario. You have bought the stock and you are 20% in profit after the first week. You predicted the worst scenario as a loss of 10%. In this case, your reward is at 2 to 1.

What you have to do? Should you sell? Well, the brief answer is No.

The right answer is that you should hold a stock for a longer time if you have, for example, a medium-term horizon. You have to hold your stock for several weeks or even months.

Hold the stock as long as you want to make a notable gain from a stock price move. Some traders would advise you to hold a stock something between two and 10 months to get the best reward. You have to be very blessed to develop a great profit overnight.

The average high-profit trade is 30% and the hold time is about 45 days. Also, the average drawdown is -11% to -15%. That is the statistics.

Patience is golden

You must be patient with a stock. Stocks need time to give you the profit you want. Long-term investments have made incredible profits.

Anyway, you must be careful because stocks can drop suddenly. To avoid a catastrophe you have to limit your loss but don’t place your stop-loss order at 5%. Usually, a stock may pull back 10-15%, and very soon after that, a profitable move happens.

12th September 2019
Should you buy a stock because of its dividend?

3 min read

Never buy a stock because of its dividend. A dividend shouldn’t be a reason to invest in a poor business. Most important is the performance of the business. That will drive a stock’s return and the company will be able to pay a dividend. So, you must pay attention to the business as a whole, the company’s plans, its goals, even to management and how they treat their employees.

Dividend stocks are recognized as safe investments, that is true. They are the highest valued companies. They have grown their dividends during the past 20 years and these are usually held as safe businesses.

But, just because a firm is providing dividends doesn’t mean it is a trustworthy investment. You have to learn how to avoid pitfalls that may arise, at first glance, with good dividends.

Executives can use the dividends to pacify nervous and fidgety investors when the stock price isn’t running as they are expecting. You must know how the management is handling the dividends in a company’s strategy, for example. If you notice a lack of growth, stay away. Such a business isn’t good to invest in, even if it provides good dividends.

Do you know what has happened in 2008?

A great stock’s dividend yields were forced to unnaturally high levels due to stock price drops. The dividend yields seemed fascinating, but as the economic crisis developed, the profits fell. That caused the numerous dividend plans to be canceled entirely. The best example is the banks’ stocks in 2008.

They were paying great dividends but whenever dividend is paid the stock value instantly falls by an equal amount. That’s the point. And you may ask if the bankers knew that? Of course, they did.

Let me explain you something.

Very often, the chief purpose why some company pays dividends is because the executives can’t discover some solid growth possibilities within their own company to invest its earned profits in.

Hence, the company allows extra earnings to stockholders by paying dividends. But this is good, you may say. Yes, but…

When a company gives a dividend equivalent to its profits, that is a sign that they are not able to find investment opportunity within their own business that would give greater return. If such a company stays for a long time in a similar situation, the growth will be slow. And at some point in time, they will stop paying dividends and the stock price will decrease to worthless.

That’s the secret. So when you ask yourself should you buy a stock because of its dividend, be careful and have a bigger picture in mind.

You should buy a stock because the company is paying attention to the development, research, infrastructure… Things that will increase your profit as the stock price is going up.

Now, can you answer me, should you buy a stock just because of its dividend?

Of course not.

Moreover, dividend-yielding stocks are taxable income.

A dividend is a delivery of a part of a company’s earnings to stockholders. It can be done in cash, stocks, or other assets. It is a bonus to investors.

Yes, many investors see dividends as the main point of stock holding. They want to hold the stock long-term and the dividends are an addon to income. Nothing is problematic in that. But buying a stock just because of dividend is very wrong.

Dividends are an indication that the company is doing well, dividends are not bad. It has profits to share, more cash than it demands and it can give it to its stockholders. And a stock’s price may rise quickly after a dividend is paid.

And there is a catch, on the ex-dividend day, the stock’s value will surely drop. The value of the stock will drop by a sum almost the same to the amount paid in dividends.

When you want to buy some stock do it because you believe in business or you think the value will rise. Don’t do it only because of a dividend.

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10th September 2019
Secrets of Stocks Scalping Strategy

3 min read

Scalp trading requires incredible self-control and trading focus. Traders are interested in scalp trading because it has less risk, they can place hundreds of trades per day and it provides much more trading opportunities.

Traders-Paradise reveals some secrets of the stocks scalping strategy. First of all, let’s make clear how to scalp trade.

If you want to practice scalp trading you will find several different ways to make money. One way is to set a profit target per trade related to the price of the security in the range between .%1 – .25%. The other way is to follow stocks breaking out, the new highs or lows and using Level II to take as much profit as possible. You will need a lot of concentration and perfect order execution for this. Finally, the third way is to watch the news and trade upon the events that can cause extended volatility periods of a stock.

It isn’t necessary, but we want to explain the Level II.

Level II is the order book for Nasdaq stocks. Level II shows a ranked list of the best bid and ask prices with detailed data about the price action. It is very important in day trading to know who is interested in the stock.

Winning is crucial in scalping. Your win/loss ratio must be high as the difference from the other strategies where the win/loss ratio may be less than 50%. This high level of winning trades shows that you have to be right much more often than wrong while scalping.

That is why the stock scalping strategy is a challenging way of making money in the market.

So, we have covered the basics. Let’s go further.

Secrets of stocks scalping strategy – use the oscillator

The idea behind scalping is that stocks can be more predictable covering extremely short periods. More than they can be over a longer time. For example, you can easily predict the course of stock in the next 20 minutes. Honestly, it is harder to predict where the stock will be in the next 20 weeks. At first glance, scalpers are sacrificing longer gains. Yes, that is probably true but they will not have longer-term losses if they are trading wrong.

One of the most successful ways to scalp the market is by using an oscillator but also, it is one of the toughest to nail down.

Oscillators can give you the wrong signals. If you are using one oscillator the possibility to predict the stock action is about 50%, which isn’t enough for this strategy.

The commission costs are too high for that win/loss ratio.

Also, scalp trading is possible with the slow stochastic oscillator. But the stochastic oscillator is not intended to be a standalone indicator. You will need some other form of proof to confirm the signal.

You can combine the stochastic oscillator with Bollinger bands.

So, it is smart to enter the market when the stochastic forms a proper overbought or oversold signal but is confirmed by the Bollinger bands.

The stochastic oscillator is a momentum indicator. It shows the position of the closing price related to its high and low prices over some period. Bollinger bands show volatility. Together, these indicators help a trader to recognize scalping opportunities.

Successful scalping requires a great knowledge of technical analysis to notice small deviations in the stock market and quick changes. A scalper will open a position for a few seconds or minutes and then close. Scalper needs higher frequency trading because the profits make per trade are regularly low.

Scalping also demands access to news feeds, real-time charts, and data. As a scalper, you must get breaking news or real-time data of price movements. It is an essential part of successful scalping. Lastly, scalpers can’t allow being confused. As a scalper, you will make numerous daily trades, so you must keep focus and closely monitor the market each trading day.

9th September 2019
What Is EMA in Stock Trading?
5 min read

by Gorica Gligorijevic

EMA in stock trading is a tool for tracking the progress of stock prices. Term EMA is actually the exponential moving average.

Moving average should be one of the crucial parts of your education as a stock trader. But EMA differs from simple MA.

EMA is created from an easy mathematical equation. Nevertheless, it is one of the most valuable and relevant chart indicators. By using EMA in stock trading you can easily recognize buy and sell signals and build an individual technical stocks trading method.

EMA is related to historical data of closing prices. The information given by EMA is extremely helpful because those data provide you to determine trends and find future price action. EMA is a data point.

Since EMA is moving average, let us evaluating Moving Averages.

It is easy to find a simple moving average or SMA. All you have to do is to sum all closing prices in some period, for example, 10-days. That number now, divide by 10. The result is SMA.

Also, you can use the chart and add changes in every single trade every day. After, in our case 10 days, will show you the trend in the average closing price. The SMA line trending upward shows stock is rallying, and vice versa, the SMA line trending downward, shows a stock falling in prices.

Exactly, the EMA shows the current price trend.

The longer the period covered by the EMA, the lower the relative weighting for recent trading.

EMA chart lines such as 10-days can be used to simply see stock price trends. The slope of the EMA line will show you if the stock is in an up or downtrend. One interesting image may appear in the chart, it is the cross. When the price hits an EMA line and passes it, you can recognize the cross. That is the sign of a reversal trend.

EMA line for a short period as in our example is, can tell when the trend is changing. The other EMA lines for 50-days or 200-days periods shows resistance and support levels for the stock price.

How to use EMA for trading strategy?

By drawing EMA and SMA on the chart, you can detect a potential shift in a stock price. If you notice the EMA line crosses over SMA line you can be sure the price is reversing from the current trend. Moreover, SMA will show you the support level and resistance level.

To remind you, the support level is the point when the price is falling, and the resistance level is the point where the price starts to rise.

The best moment to enter the trade is just when the price breaks the trend line or bounces against it and reverses. These points are made by crossing the EMA line and that is the reason why EMA is called a data point.

How to calculate the EMA

First, measure the SMA over an appropriate time period. It is the total of the stock’s closing price divided by the same number of periods. For example, a 10-day SMA is simply the amount of the closing prices for the last 10 trading days, divided by 10.

The formula is

SMA = (N−period sum) / N

N is the number of days in a specified period

the sum represents the sum of stock closing prices in the observed period

Further is somehow more complicated but not impossible :).

Calculate the multiplier for weighting the EMA.

The weighted multiplier is calculated as

2÷(selected time period+1)

2÷(10+1) = 0.1818 which is 18.18% in percentages.

[2 ÷ (selected time period + 1)]

or

[2/(10+1)]= 0.1818

And the last step. To calculate the EMA, use this formula

[Closing price-EMA (prior day)] x multiplier + EMA (prior day)

Let’s calculate the EMA in stock trading:

EMA=Price(t)×k+EMA(y)×(1−k)

The legend:

t – today

y – yesterday

N – number of days in EMA

k – 2÷(N+1)

Bottom line

Due to different trading strategies, underlying security, and traders affinities, you can find different types of moving averages. But one thing is sure, EMA is extremely popular because it gives more power to current prices, and has more advantages than other averages.

EMA relies entirely on historical data. Some economists think that market prices carry all information. According to them, we don’t need EMA because the historical data will tell us nothing about the price movements in the future. Also, there is the question of where to put more attention. On the current data or past data. Some traders think that fresh data quite good match the current trends.

But one thing is sure: EMA is popular. If it cannot provide a good result, why traders would use it.
- Chart source: TradingView
4th September 2019
The value of investments is falling – What to do?

This can be a big issue, try not to panic, and follow these steps to protect your capital invested.

by Gorica Gligorijevic

The value of investments is falling and you are worried. Don’t be, it’s normal from time to time but also, you may profit from it. Let me explain this.

In stock investing, you have to respect a few general facts. You may face the value of investments fall, as first. What you have to do? To find the reason behind. When you determine the reason you will have a powerful weapon in your hands: you will be able to decide should you sell or hold your stocks. Moreover, you’ll be able to buy a new stock of shares. Well, you can see it isn’t the end of the world. Just think about other opportunities and try not to panic.

Put your emotions aside and turn on your brain. Your investments are not your sweetheart.

So, when (notice there is nor “IF”) the value of investments falls, don’t jump immediately to sell them. Yes, the news comes, but just stay cool because it can be temporary. Do you know how many investors lost their fortune reacting impulsively?

It is painful to watch at stocks are falling in price, that’s true. But take a closer look at historical data of stock you hold. Maybe you can notice some patterns. When and why their value has had fallen before?

When the value of investments is falling, identify the pattern

Yes, it is very important to identify the pattern.

Past performances don’t guarantee the future behave but at some point, you will figure out the causality. Most stocks respond to market movements in a logical pattern. And you’ll be ready for the next move.

Besides, just looking at the charts can make you more nervous. You must have more information. You must have a clear picture of how the whole industry is performing. Industry in which your beneficial company is working, of course. You are holding its stocks and you have to know something about the sector it is working on. What is about the overall market appearance, what is happening there? Is the market volatile maybe? Moreover, did you read at least one quarterly report from the company whose stocks you hold?

The value of investments is falling don’t get panicked

Okay, let’s talk about this a bit more. Let’s assume you have all the info. So, what would you do with this?

The key is to recognize what forces the value of your investments to fall. If you cannot identify the reason behind, you should exit your position.

Sometimes the gap in the market can cause the value of investments to fall. Or it can happen due to the market’s weakness. If you find this case, you should stay in a position. It isn’t rocket science, it is just market: supply and demand relationship. If you are on the market it is reasonable to have a diversified portfolio, right? This is very important, especially in today’s market. A diversified portfolio will produce a positive return to you. But more importantly, it will allow you to have a return higher than the inflation rate is. So, if you are a long-term investor, just stay cool when the value of investments is falling. Your investment horizon is what is really important.

Temporary drops shouldn’t concern you.

The question is, what is the main goal of any investing strategy? To gain returns bigger than the overall market for some level of risk. It is always a good concept to check how the performance of your stock is in comparison to the overall market.

But what if the value of investments is falling suddenly and it different from past performances? The company is still good as it was when you bought your stock! Think! Maybe the reason for the value of investments falling is exactly there. The company is too good and maybe many investors are willing to buy a stake of its shares. If you are not among them, leave your position and invest in some other company.

29th August 2019
Spelling Errors Cost Investors Millions Every Year

Is really possible that spelling errors can cost investors millions? Here is the full story.

By Guy Avtalyon

You entered the stock market but still make mistakes. This time spelling errors. Okay, you are not the only one. Spelling errors cost investors millions every year. re you happy now? Of course not.

As we said billion times when you enter the stock market you have to be very aware of which company you want to invest in. What Traders-Paradise wanted was to present you with a wonderful world of investment. And you can find a lot of articles that we offered numerous examples, from how to choose the broker to how to calculate your profit. A lot of times we tried to teach you how to check the company in the market. And how important their ticker symbols are.

What we saw is that you invested in FORD!

WOW, good choice indeed. But did you really want to invest in “Forward Industries” or “Ford motor”?

Under this ticker symbol, FORD is “Forward Industries” not the car company. What, you already invested there? You should be more careful. Ford motor is under the ticker (F), just F.

Take care of it because Ford Motor will publish its Q3 earnings on October 24th.

Why investors are losing millions every year?

If you did invest in FORD, the only problem is that you invested in a manufacturer of “carrying cases for medical monitoring systems” worth $10 million, so don’t expect too much from them. Experts calculated that this error costs investors about one million in trading only for the fees.

Where is the lower or lost return? Can you calculate that?

A lot of those investors usually don’t even correct this mistake until it is too late. They still think they made a good investment until they see in the quarter or annual reports. Some of them notice the error several days after and try to sell their stocks, but is the game with poor results. Actually, it is very rare they can bring the invested money back.

So, let’s see again where you can make similar errors?

For example HP. Do you really think it is a giant company, Hewlett Packard? Nope! It is the ticker symbol for Helmerich & Payne. You are free to check their official website:

“H&P is the leading U.S. unconventional driller, and our drilling experience spans the globe. Our company currently owns and operates land rigs across North America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa, with offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Do you still want to invest there instead of Hewlett Packard, it trades under (HPQ)?

Also, Hewlett Packard Enterprises, you will find under (HPE).

Would you like to invest in ZOOM? Yes? That is another mistake. It is an unclear Chinese wireless business. We suppose you wanted to invest in ZM which is $25 billion worth video conferencing platform.

Spelling errors cost investors millions

For example, you want to invest in Twitter. What is their market ticker symbol? TWTR or TWTRQ? Don’t invest in TWTRQ, it bankrupted. Yes, several years ago, in only one year, during 2013, it’s stock rose1000%. What a market star! But a shooting star. There is no more this home entertainment retailer.

But TWTR is still there ready for you to invest in.

There are more.

Two professors at the Rutgers School of Business-Camden discovered that over half of listed US companies deal with a “meaningful part” of their tickers with a different company.

It can be in a different industry and, also, with huge differences in market capitalization. Those professors found almost 250 so-called, company pairs that can lead you to wrong decisions. Professors claimed, “250 company pairs where the possibility of confusion is particularly high.”

For example R1 RCM (RCM) vs RCM Technologies (RCMT) where market cap difference is 3,215%

The problem appeared due to a phenomenon known as “fat finger trades.”

So, take care, avoid spelling errors that cost you a lot of your hard-earned money.

Also, the robo advisor can make mistakes. Yes, of course. The inputs are given by the people and the people make mistakes. The algorithm will follow inputs without the question. You can be sure.

What we want from you is to “spellcheck” your investments. Proofread the tickers from your preferable company and make corrections on time.

25th August 2019