A covered call is an options insurance strategy where you simultaneously have an open position on a stock and sell a call option for the same symbol. Adding a short call in your open positions means that you are obligated to sell your stocks at the strike price contingent on the option buyer. However, you Read More…
A covered put is an options insurance strategy where you simultaneously have a short open position on a stock and sell a put option for the same underlying option. Adding a short put in your open positions means that you are obligated to buy your stocks at the strike price, contingent on the option buyer’s Read More…
A floor is an options insurance strategy where you simultaneously have a long open position on a stock and a long put for the same underlying asset. Adding a long put to your open position means that you are obligated to sell your stock at the strike price. The long put ensure that you can Read More…
A cap is an options protection strategy where you simultaneously have a short position on a stock and a long call for the same underlying asset. Adding a long call to your open position means that you are obligated to buy your stock at the strike price. However, you already have a short position on Read More…
A bull spread is a strategy where you simultaneously buy a long call at Strike Price 1, and sell a call for Strike Price 2. Recall that users will pocket the premium should the option not be exercised. By selling a call with a higher strike price, users can reduce their total transaction costs and Read More…
A bear spread is a strategy where you simultaneously sell a put at Strike Price 1, and buy a put at Strike Price 2. Recall that users will pocket the premium should the option not be exercised. By selling a put with a lower strike price, users can reduce their total transaction costs and create Read More…
A box spread is an option strategy that is created by combining the components of the bull spread and the bear spread. By creating a box spread, you are creating a neutral riskless position that generates a return like a bond. A box spread can be used to borrow or lend funds. What are its Read More…
A bullish collar is a protection strategy where you simultaneously buy a call at strike price 1 and sell a put at strike price 2. This strategy is for investors who has a bullish perception on the underlying asset. We can also create a “bearish” collar by simultaneously buying a put at strike price 1 Read More…
A butterfly is a volatility bet that the trader can implement to protect against large fluctuations, or to gain on volatility. You will notice that a butterfly is almost like a straddle, with a difference in the edges. The traders can add additional contracts to his/her strategy to reduce the risk of large losses or Read More…
Recall that a call option is a contract where the buyer has the right (not the obligation) to exercise a buy transaction at a specific strike price at expiration date. A short call is a term used when you sell a call option for an underlying asset. A trader that has a short call option Read More…
A long call is a term used when you own a call option for an underlying asset. A call option is a contract where the buyer has the right (not the obligation) to exercise a buy transaction at a specific strike price at or before an expiration date. In the world of trading, owing a Read More…
Brokerages exist to allow individuals to make investments into the larger market. In other words, they connect individuals to the markets as a whole. Securities Brokers help individuals trade securities, the security type will change depending on the broker, but they usually fall into these categories: Cash (including Foreign Exchange markets) Individual Securities Bonds and Read More…
Future Options are exactly what their name implies – an option on a futures contract. Futures and Options – Related Derivatives Futures and options are both derivatives – meaning a security whose value solely depends on the value of the underlying asset. A future derives its value from the commodities or currencies which it represents Read More…
What does it mean to be an Entrepreneur? An Entrepreneur is someone who takes a risk to start a new business. Nearly every business that exists (apart those created as spin-offs of other businesses, or by government intervention) was started by one or several entrepreneurs, who took a risk to launch a new company. Who becomes Read More…
Definition In Economics, an “Externality” is a benefit or cost that is not reflected in the price of a good or service. Why do Externalities Exist? Prices are determined by the relationship between the supply and demand of a good or service (for details, see our article on Supply and Demand Examples in the Stock Read More…
Definition A “Contract” is a legally binding agreement between two parties (people, companies, or both). Having a contract means that if one party does not keep their word, the other can sue them in court to either force them to fulfill their side of the agreement, or pay back compensation. What Makes A Contract Binding? Read More…
When talking about Banking, people generally group Banks, Credit Unions, and Savings & Loan companies all in one group. They do provide similar services, but they each have specific differences that might make them a better or worse fit for your financial needs. What They Have In Common All three of these institutions can do Read More…
As you begin working with financial institutions to secure your money and process your financial transactions, it is important that you learn to keep good financial records. These records, both on paper and electronic, will allow you to know where your money and assets are and exactly how much you have at a given time. Read More…
Definition In Economics, “Demand” is the relationship between prices and how much people want to buy a good or service. Details As the market price of a good goes up, the amount of that good that people are willing to pay generally goes down. This is because each person puts some value on the good – Read More…
Comparing Economic Systems There are many different economic systems that try to result in more equality or faster growth. The structure of a country’s economy has a lot to do with the country’s politics and the values of its population. However, the economy of every country also changes over time, and how it falls between Read More…
Definition The Federal Reserve Bank, or the “Fed”, is the central banking system of the United States. It serves as the primary regulator of the US dollar, as well as the “lender of last resort” for other banks. Regulating Currency The Federal Reserve works to maintain the interest rates that banks use to lend money to Read More…
Definition Cottage Industry, or the “Putting Out System” is a production system of producing goods that relies on producing goods, or parts of goods, by craftsmen at home, or small workshops, instead of large factories. History The contractors would then create the goods at home, or their “cottage”, and deliver them upon completion. The major Read More…
How Do I Build a Diversified Portfolio? Understanding what it means to build a diversified portfolio is one of the first concepts a new investor needs to understand. When talking about stocks, diversification means to make sure you don’t “put all of your eggs in one basket.” What Does It Mean To Diversify? Simply put, Read More…
ETFs are a fairly new way that you can buy a large group of stocks, assets, or other securities all at once. ETFs trade just like stock; you can buy and sell shares of an ETF throughout the day on an exchange. Definition “ETF” stands for “Exchange Traded Fund”, which is exactly how it sounds; Read More…
Definition: The Dow Jones Industrial Average, more frequently known as the Dow or the Dow Jones, is a stock market index made up of 30 of the largest publicly-owned companies based in the United States. It’s a price weighted index meaning that the index’s price is an average of the price of the 30 stocks Read More…
What is a Balance Sheet? The Balance Sheet (or Statement of Financial Position) is one of the four financial statements required by the SEC based on the U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). According to the SEC, the Statement of Financial Position presents “detailed information about a company’s assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity.” In other Read More…
Fibonacci Arc is a technical analysis indicator and is utilized to give hidden support and resistance levels for security. It is built by drawing a trend line between two swing points on a chart.
Live Forex trading includes negotiating of national bills which is performed on a live basis at 24 hour, around-the-clock period. Forex is derived from the words Foreign Exchange which is known as the global market that does business in money trading.
Promissory notes issued by a corporation or government to its lenders, usually with a specified amount of interest for a specified length of time. This is seen as a loan from the bond holder to the corporation. The value of Bonds traded are greater than the value of stocks traded.
Definition: An asset is anything that has monetary value and can be sold. Assets can be anything from a pencil (though it is not worth much) to a skyscraper to things like Stocks and ETFs. There can also be intangible assets such as the value of a brand name or logo. Details: Assets generally refer Read More…
Definition “Asset Allocation” is how you have divided up your investments across different assets. You can have all your assets in one place, or you can use diversification to spread them around to reduce risk. Details Whenever you pick stocks, open a bank account, get paid, buy something, or do anything with any resources, you Read More…
Good Till Date Order Terms If you have ever placed a limit or stop order, you have see the “Good Till Day” order term on the trading menu: A “Good-Till-Day” order is simply one that will cancel at the end of the trading day if it does not fill. So, for example, if you have Read More…
Fixed income analysis is the process of evaluating and analyzing fixed income securities for investment purposes. Fixed Income represents a distinct asset class. Investors and analysts perform fixed-income analysis to Evaluate the risk characteristics underlying debt securities and to assess the capacity of the borrowing entity to meet its financial obligations (credit analysis) Identify which Read More…
Introduction The Black-Scholes formula is the most popular ways to calculate the true price of an option. It is easy to calculate the intrinsic value, but the extrinsic value can be very tricky to calculate. Black Scholes is used for calculating two types of options. Options on stocks Stock Options. Fisher Black, Robert Merton and Read More…
Definition: The simultaneous purchase of a security on one stock market and the sale of the same security on another stock market at prices which yield a profit. In Depth Description: In economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets: striking a combination of Read More…
Gross National Product is the value of all goods and services produced by a country’s residents.
Free Cash flow is the cash available to all the capital providers of a company. There are two types of free cash flows: 1) Cash flow available to pay out to all capital providers and 2) Free Cash Flow to Equity (FCFE).
The Form-8K is a SEC-mandated report filed by public companies to report unexpected events or transactions that are material in nature, and thus have an impact on the share prices of the company.
The earnings reports released by companies can be invaluable in providing such information. Released by public companies on a quarterly and annual basis, they can be used to assess and gauge a company’s: financial condition, strategic plans, industry and competitive position, Key performance drivers and risk factors and Future performance.
Discounted Cash Flow is a valuation technique or model that discounts the future cash flows of a business, entity, or asset for the purposes of determining its value. One aspect of investment decision-making entails discovering the fair value of investments.
Covariance is a statistical measure of the extent that 2 variables move in tandem relative to their respective mean (or average) values. In the investment world, it is important to be able to measure how different financial variables interact together.
The use of correlation analysis extends to numerous important fields. For example, in finance, correlation analysis can be used to measure the degree of linear relationships between interest rates and stock returns, money supply and inflation, stock and bond returns, and exchange rates.
Comprehensive insurance to a form of insurance policy which includes a broad range of coverage or protection.
The CME Group is an order-driven exchange that facilitates the trading of forward, futures, and options contracts on numerous products within key asset classes such as agriculture, energy, metals, equities, interest rates, and exchange rates.
The CBOT is an exchange providing trading in derivatives contracts and clearinghouse functions. It allows traders to buy and sell contracts on several products in asset classes such as agriculture, energy, metals, equities, bonds, and exchange rates. The majority of its trades are conducted electronically.
Measuring the cash conversion cycle is important to liquidity, working capital, and the operating cycle of a company. Good management of the CCC can also enhance a company’s cash flows, allowing it to effectively make sound investing and financing decision. Managing the CCC entails efficient inventory, receivables, and payables functions, and should be part of a company’s overall operational strategy.
Capital funding is the provision of monetary resources or capital for productive uses. Capital provided by investors or other parties is used by various entities such as governments, companies, organizations, and individuals in order to fund their functions and operations. In most cases, capital provided is compensated by some form of return to the provider. Two important types of capital are equity and debt. Equity capital represents an ownership stake, while debt capital is a form of lending.
Account Receivables Management refers to the set of policies, procedures, and practices employed by a company with respect to managing sales offered on credit.
Account Payables Management refers to the set of policies, procedures, and practices employed by a company with respect to managing its trade credit purchases.
Fiscal policy is the use of government spending to influence the economy.
The Expected Return is a weighted-average outcome used by portfolio managers and investors to calculate the value of an individual stock, or an entire stock portfolio.
Elasticity is one of the most important terms in economics, and has a plethora of uses. Economists define elasticity as the ratio of the percent change in one variable to the percent change in another valuable.
If you own a bond or manage a bond portfolio, chances are that will you be following daily interest rates. You know that bond prices increase when rates rise, and decrease when rates fall. But how do you measure the bond’s price sensitivity to such rate fluctuations? The answer is duration.
Dupont Analysis breaks the Return on Equity into several different components in order to analyze where the returns are coming from.
Depreciation refers to the gradual and permanent decrease in value of the assets of a firm, nation or individual over its lifetime.
A basic material used in manufacturing or commerce that is interchangeable with other the same commodities coming from a different source. The quality of a specific commodity may differ slightly, but it is essentially uniform across producers. When they are traded on an exchange, commodities must also meet specified minimum standards, also known as a basis grade. Typical types of commodities are corn, gold, silver, steel, etc.
A point on a candle stick chart representing a specific time period (a day, an hour, a minute, etc) in which the underlying stock price has moved. Candlesticks will have a body and usually two wicks – one on each end. For a white (could also be green) candlestick, the bottom of the body represents the opening price and the top of the body represents the closing price. For red candlesticks, it is just the other way around. The top and bottom tips of each wick are the day’s highest and lowest price respectively.
The fee charged by a broker or investment advisor in exchange for investment advice and/or handling the purchase or sale of a security. Commissions vary from brokerage to brokerage.
When an investor takes an account with a licensed brokerage firm that allows the investor to deposit money and place investment orders through the brokerage firm. There are several different types of brokerage accounts. Full-service brokers provide investment advice and charges high fees for their services. Most online brokers provide less services at a far Read More…
Earnings estimates provide one strong measure of potential future performance and are a mainstay of stock investing research.
A CD or Certificate of Deposit is one of the safest and liquid forms of investment available. Insured by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation), CDs are a type of interest earning deposit account.
The buy and hold strategy is essentially just what it sounds like: Purchase stocks and then hold them for an extended period of time. The underlying assumption for the buy and hold strategy is that stocks tend to go up in price over extended periods of time.
The U.S. Dollar has lost more than 30 percent of its value relative to other world currencies. Shorting the U.S. dollar and buying other world currencies is one way to make money from this trend.
A national government that owes money to international financial institutions such as the World Bank, foreign governments, or to foreign lenders.
A technical analysis indicator that compares advancing and declining stock issues and trading volume as an indicator of overall market sentiment. The Arms Index, or TRIN (Traders Index), is used as a predictor of future price movements in the market primarily on an intraday basis.
A market indicator used to determine volatility levels in the market without factoring in price direction. It is calculated by taking the absolute value of the difference between the number of advancing issues and the number of declining issues. Typically, large numbers suggest volatility is increasing, which is likely to cause significant changes in stock prices in the coming weeks.
A technical analysis tool that represents the total difference between the number of advancing and declining security prices. This index is considered one of the best indicators of market movements as a whole. Stock indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average only tell us the strength of 30 stocks, whereas the advance/decline index can provide much more insight into the movements of the market.
An entity that abides by specific legal requirements that sets it apart as having a legal existence, as an entity separate and distinct from its stockholders (owners).
A plan offered by a corporation that allows investors to reinvest their cash dividends by purchasing additional shares or fractional shares on the dividend payment date.
Chart analysis is the same as Technical Analysis. It is mostly concerned with price and volume.
The Fed is the US central-banking system which is made up of 12 regional central banks
State regulations governing the sale of securities and mutual funds
Definition: An investment service that allows individuals to purchase a stock directly from a company or through a transfer agent. Not all companies offer DSPPs and the plans often have restrictions on when an individual can purchase shares. Example: The greatest benefit of using direct stock purchase plans for investors is the ability to avoid commissions by not Read More…
A phrase used for a stock where the price has dropped significantly in a short period of time. A falling knife security can rebound, or it can lose all of its value where the shares become worthless.
An order to buy or sell a stock at a fixed price. This order is active until 1) the trade is executed, 2) the investor decides to cancel it or 3) a specified time period elapses.
Decreasing the long-run average and marginal costs that come from an increase in the size of a factory or plant.
An alternative retirement plan to a 401(k) plan offered by non-profit organizations such as universities and charitable organizations, rather than corporations.
When a company offers to trade one security in return for another security.
Analysis of ADX is a method of evaluating trend and can help traders to choose the strongest trends and also how to let profits run when the trend is strong.
If you perform four or more day trades in a 5 day period you may get flagged by the SEC as a “Pattern Day Trader.” This can cause you to lose your margin account status until you deposit enough cash to have $25,000 or more in your account. Many beginning traders have been bitten by this rule!
A trading term called a dead cat bounce is used to when a stock is in a severe decline and has a sharp bounce off the lows. It occurs due to the huge amount of short interest in the market. Once the supply and demand has become unbalanced, any type of bear market rally will create a massive short covering which will lead to a swift price move up. This bounce will be short lived and followed up by heavy selling which will break the prior price low.
The ascending triangle is a bullish continuation pattern. This pattern is made by two converging lines. The first line is an upward slant which is the support and the other is a horizontal resistance line. To validate the ascending triangle, there has to be an oscillation between the two lines. Each line has to be Read More…
An ascending flag is a continuation pattern. The ascending flag is formed by two straight upward parallel lines which are shaped like a rectangle. It is adjusted in the direction of the trend that it consolidates. Contrary to a bullish channel, this pattern is quite short term and marks the fact the seller will need a break.
Charting Software is an analytical, computer-based tool used to help equity (stock) traders with trading analysis by charting the price stock price for various time periods along with various indicators. Equity charting software packages are used by many traders to determine the direction on any given stock price.
Bear ETFs short stocks to achieve their goals. Bear ETFs show gains when the underlying stocks loose value. Bull ETFs use long positions and show gains when the underlying stocks show gains.
Had the American Indians sold their beads and trinkets they received from selling Manhattan Island, invested their $16 and received 8% compounded annual interest, not only would they have enough money to buy back all of Manhattan, they would still have several hundred million dollars left over. That is the power of compound interest over time.
Expirations determine when your order gets placed on the market.
Definition: The amount of sales generated for every dollar’s worth of assets. It is calculated by dividing sales in dollars by assets in dollars. Formula: Asset Turnover = Revenue / Assets Also known as the Asset to Turnover Ratio. More Detail: Asset turnover measures a firm’s efficiency at using its assets in generating sales or revenue – the Read More…
Day traders buy and sell the same stock (or other investment type) within a single trading day.
A closed-end fund is a publicly traded investment company that raises a fixed amount of capital through an initial public offering (IPO). The fund is then structured, listed and traded like a stock on a stock exchange.
An options strategy by which an investor retains a long position in an asset and writes or sells a call options on an identical in an effort to produce an increased income from the asset.
A revenue or expense stream that changes a cash account over a given period. Cash inflows usually arise from one of three activities – financing, operations or investing – although this also occurs as a result of donations or gifts in the case of personal finance. Cash outflows result from expenses or investments. This holds true for both business and personal finance.
Dollar Cost Averaging is the method of purchasing a fixed dollar amount of one particular investment at regular period of times, regardless of the share price.
Fundamental analysis is the process of looking at the basic or fundamental financial level of a business, especially sales, earnings, growth potential, assets, debt, management, products, and competition.
Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a method used by investors to prioritize what stocks to invest in, given their limited cash.
Buying on margin is borrowing money from a broker to purchase stock.
Cash flow per share shows the after-tax earnings plus depreciation, on a per share basis. Many financial analysts place more emphasis on the cash flow per share value than on earnings per share values.
Form 10-Q, is also known as a 10-Q or 10Q, is a quarterly report mandated by the United States federal Securities and Exchange Commission, to be filed by publicly traded corporations.
Companies with more than $10 million in assets and a class of equity securities that is held by more than 500 owners must file annual and other periodic reports, regardless of whether the securities are publicly or privately traded. Up until March 16, 2009, smaller companies could use Form 10-KSB. If a shareholder requests a company’s Form 10-K, the company must provide a copy. In addition, most large companies must disclose on Form 10-K whether the company makes its periodic and current reports available, free of charge, on its website. Form 10-K, as well as other SEC filings may be searched at the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website.
The price a seller is willing to accept for a security, also known as the offer price. Along with the price, the ask quote will generally also stipulate the amount of the security willing to be sold at that price.
Sometimes called “the ask.”