How To: Stock Market (Google Results)

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EduStock

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The Stock Market Game™ - Home

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Stock market - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Stock Market Crash of 1929

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Stock Market Game

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Investing: Stock Quotes, Charts & Market News - MSN Money

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Stock Market News, Business News, Financial, Earnings, World ...

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NYSE, New York Stock Exchange

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Book results for how to stock market
	The Stock Market - by Richard Jack Teweles - 584 pages Why Stock Markets Crash: Critical Events in ... - by Didier Sornette - 456 pages

How to Invest in Stocks
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NYSE, New York Stock Exchange

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YouTube - Stock Market and Monetary System on the verge ... This video lays out the underlying reasons behind the market ... Watch video - 10 min - www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWyygiyPbdA

How the stock market fared Thursday - Yahoo! News

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Amazon.com: How The Stock Market Works: John M. Dalton: Books

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Amazon.com: How the Stock Market Works (New York Institute of ...

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London Stock Exchange - Home

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NASDAQ Stock Market - Stock Quotes - Stock Exchange News - NASDAQ.com

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MarketWatch.com: Stock Market Quotes - Business News - Financial News

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NASDAQ Stock Market Glossary

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The Stock Market

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The Seattle Times: Business & technology: Stock market | Seattle ...

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Stock Market Beat

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Welcome to the Hollywood Stock Exchange - The Entertainment ...

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YouTube - Lesson 1 on the Stock Market by Zapata George Zapata George teaches you more about the stock market in 5 ... Watch video - 4 min 47 sec - www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiW2-hygtzU

Stock Market Crash!

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Quote.com - Your Source for Financial Markets Quotes, Charts, News ...

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Stock Market News, Stock Quotes, and World Markets - Forbes.com

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Stock Market News - Breaking Stories and Headlines at CNNMoney

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Spotting Stock Market Trends - How the Stock Market tells Us What ...

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The Stock Market Surged Yesterday Because Why? - Freakonomics ...

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Stock Market

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The Big Picture | Internet Hoax Gooses Stock Market

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Stock market crash - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Yahoo! Finance

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Map of the Market

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Stock Markets News on Yahoo! News

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Find the Hottest Stocks in the STOCK MARKET

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Stock Market News & Quotes

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Hot Stock Market (HSM)

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Stock Performance: News & Videos about Stock Performance - CNN.com

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Wally OneShare Stock Tracker Game

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The First Measured Century: Timeline: Events - Stock Market Crash

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Stock Market

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Stock Market

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NYSE, New York Stock Exchange > About Us > Education > Educational ...

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Investopedia's Simulator - Stock Market Game

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Lope Markets - 1987 Stock Market Crash Page

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Wisconsin SMS: Stock Market Simulation/Stock Market Game

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How the Stock Market Works

This article was found at http://www.howstuffworks.com/stock.htm

The stock market appears in the news every day. You hear about it any time it reaches a new high or a new low, and you also hear about it daily in statements like "The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2 percent today, with advances leading declines by a margin of..."

Obviously, stocks and the stock market are important, but you may find that you know very little about them. What is a stock? What is a stock market? Why do we need a stock market? Where does the stock come from to begin with, and why do people want to buy and sell it? If you have questions like these, then this article will open your eyes to a whole new world!

Determining Value
Let's say that you want to start a business, and you decide to open a restaurant. You go out and buy a building, buy all the kitchen equipment, tables and chairs that you need, buy your supplies and hire your cooks, servers, etc. You advertise and open your doors.

Let's say that:

• You spend $500,000 buying the building and the equipment.
• In the first year, you spend $250,000 on supplies, food and the payroll for your employees.
• At the end of your first year, you add up all of the money you have received from customers and find that your total income is $300,000.

Since you have made $300,000 and paid out the $250,000 for expenses, your net profit is:

$300,000 (income) - $250,000 (expense) = $50,000 (profit)

At the end of the second year, you bring in $325,000 and your expenses remain the same, for a net profit of $75,000. At this point, you decide that you want to sell the business. What is it worth?

One way to look at it is to say that the business is "worth" $500,000. If you close the restaurant, you can sell the building, the equipment and everything else and get $500,000. This is a simplification, of course -- the building probably went up in value, and the equipment went down because it is now used. Let's just say that things balance out to $500,000. This is the asset value, or book value, of the business -- the value of all of the business's assets if you sold them outright today.

But what if you keep it going? Read on to find out.

NEXT

Inside This Article

1.

Introduction to How Stocks and the Stock Market Work

2.

Selling Shares

3.

A Stock Exchange

4.

Corporations

5.

Shareholders

6.

Stock Prices

7.

Stock Averages and Brokers

8.

Lots More Information

9.

See all Financial Planning articles

How to Invest in Stocks: Financial Expert

This article was found at http://www.oag.state.ny.us/investors/invest_4.html

UNDERSTANDING INVESTMENT INFORMATION

Whenever you are thinking of making a new investment, you should first do some research about the company and the investment. A good place to start is the investment prospectus. The prospectus is a document describing an investment offered for sale. It usually contains a short statement of the objective of the company or mutual fund. It also contains a financial statement showing assets and liability, performance over a number of years, and any fees the investor must pay. Remember though that past performance is not a guarantee of future success.

Most companies will send copies of their annual and quarterly reports free of charge to prospective investors. The annual report contains a description of the company's business, its financial statements and other updated and condensed financial and nonfinancial information

It is important that you read this information so you know exactly what you are investing your money in. Remember asking to see a prospectus does not commit you to making the investment.

UNDERSTANDING PRICE QUOTATIONS

Investors can follow the changing prices of investment by reading prices quotation in daily newspapers or on TV. An investor needs to know not only the current price of the investment but also a history of the investment's prices. Stock prices are quoted in fractions of eighths for amounts less than a dollar. Bonds are also quoted in eighths but are sold in $1000 units quoted as 100s. Mutual funds quote a net asset value per share. The NAV is the market value of all the securities owned by the fund, less liabilities, divided by the number of shares.

Take time to familiarize yourself with the financial pages of the newspaper. This will allow you to keep track of your investment without relying on a broker.

INVESTMENT RATINGS

In addition to the short term yield information provided in price quotations, investors should compare risks and long-term returns. Independent advisory services publish ratings which allow these comparisons. For example Moody's publishes ratings of the financial condition of corporations and municipalities using bonds. Magazines which offer financial advice include Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Worth, SmartMoney and Money.

MARKET INDICATORS

Knowing how to read the stock tables will help you follow the progress of a stock you own or are thinking about buying. But what about the market as a whole? Market indicators will tell you in general terms how strong the markets are.

To get the bigger picture you may want to turn to a stock index, an indicator of market trends calculated by averaging several stocks. The two most widely used indicators are the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the New York Stock Exchange Composite Index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is compute daily by averaging the day's prices in 30 key companies. The Dow is recorded in points that do not convert into dollars. The NYSE Composite Index is an average of the price changes of all the common stocks listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Other major market indicators include the Standard and Poor's, NASDAQ, and Amex Indexes.

HOW TO INVEST

Once you know where you want to put your money, the next step is to decide how you will purchase your investment.

Many people like to invest with others who have similar goals through investment clubs. Investment clubs are also a good way to learn about investing. A specific amount of money is invested each month from the pool of funds from each member.

If you are investing on your own, you can sometimes purchase stock directly from a company, but usually you will need to go through a market professional. The selection of financial professional deserves careful thought. Selecting an appropriate advisor is important because the advice the person gives will affect your future financial well being. While many functions could be accomplished without the help of a financial advisor, many people lack confidence in managing their money and want advisors to hold their hands.

The most common way to buy securities is though a full-service or discount brokerage firm.
Some brokerage firms have satellite offices in banks, office buildings, and retail stores. Securities brokers are licensed in the state where their clients reside and are registered with the National Association of Securities Dealers. Futures brokers are licensed by and registered with National Futures Association.

FINANCIAL PLANNERS

Another type of financial advisor is the financial planner. Financial planning requires knowledge of budgeting, recordkeeping, saving and investment, insurance, taxes and retirement planning. Since nearly anyone can call themselves a financial planner, it is important to choose a planner who is qualified through training and experience, and who puts the investor's's financial well-being ahead of their own personal gain. Unless investors have discretionary income of $20,000 or more, they probably do not need the services of a financial planner, however some people find it worth the money (from $100 to $300 an hour) when they have a major financial decision to make.

SELECTING A BROKER

Before making a securities investment, you must decide which brokerage firm -also referred to as a broker/dealer -and sales representative -also referred to as a stockbroker, account executive, or registered representative -to use. Before making these decisions you should:

• THINK through your financial objectives and prepare a personal financial profile.
• TALK with potential salespeople at several firms. If possible, meet them face to face at their offices. Ask each sales representative about his or her investment experience, professional background, and education.
• FIND OUT about the disciplinary history of any brokerage firm and sales representative by calling 1-800-289-9999, a toll-free hot line operated by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD). The NASD will provide information on disciplinary actions taken by securities regulators and criminal authorities. The New York Attorney General's Office and other state securities regulators also can tell you if a sales representative is licensed to do business in your state.
• UNDERSTAND how the sales representative is paid; ask for a copy of the firm's commission schedule. Firms generally pay sales staff based on the amount of money invested by a customer and the number of transactions done in a customer's account. More compensation may be paid to a sales representative for selling a firm's own investment products. Ask what "fees" or "charges" you will be required to pay when opening, maintaining, and closing an account.
• DETERMINE whether you need the services of a full service or a discount brokerage firm. A full service firm typically provides execution services, recommendations, investment advice, and research support. A discount broker generally provides execution services and does not make recommendations regarding which securities you should buy or sell. The charges you pay may differ depending upon what services are provided by the firm.
• ASK if the brokerage firm is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). SIPC provides limited customer protection if a brokerage firm becomes insolvent. Ask if the firm has other insurance that provides coverage beyond the SIPC limits. SIPC DOES NOT insure against losses attributable to a decline in the market value of your securities.

Remember, part of making the right investment decision is finding the brokerage firm and the sales representative that best meet your personal financial needs. Do not rush. Do the necessary background investigation on both the firm and the sales representative. Resist salespeople who urge you to immediately open an account with them. Before making any investment think about how it fits with your financial goals and consider whether the claims for the investment are realistic.

MAKING AN INVESTMENT

The New Account Agreement

Generally, a brokerage firm will require a customer to sign a new account agreement. You should carefully review the information contained in this document because it may affect your legal rights regarding your account. Ask to see any account documentation prepared for you by the sales representative. Do not sign the new account agreement unless you thoroughly understand it and agree with the terms and conditions it imposes on you. Do not rely on verbal representations from a sales representative that are not contained in this agreement. The sales representative will ask for information about your investment objectives and personal financial situation, including your income, net worth, and investment experience. Be honest. The sales representative will rely on this information to make appropriate investment recommendations for you.

Completion of the new account agreement requires that you make three critical decisions:

1. Who will control decision-making in your account? You will control the investment decisions made in your account unless you decide to give discretionary authority to your sales representative to make investment decisions for you. Discretionary authority allows a sales representative to make investment decisions based on what the sales representative believes to be best -without consulting you about the price, the type of security, the amount and when to buy or sell. Do not give discretionary authority to your sales representative without seriously considering whether this arrangement is appropriate for you.

2. How will you pay for your investment? Most investors maintain a cash account that requires payment in full for each a security purchase. An alternative type of account is a margin account. Buying securities through a margin account means that you can borrow money from the brokerage firm to buy securities and requires that you pay interest on that loan. You will be required to sign a margin agreement disclosing interest terms. If you purchase securities on margin (by borrowing money from the brokerage firm), the firm has authority to immediately sell any security in your account, without notice to you, to cover any shortfall resulting from a decline in the value of your securities. If the value of your account is less than the amount of the outstanding loan -even due to a one day market drop -you are liable for the balance. This may be a substantial amount of money even after your securities are sold. The margin account agreement generally provides that the securities in your margin account may be lent out by the brokerage firm at any time without notice or compensation to you.

3. How much risk should you assume? In a new account agreement, you must specify your overall investment objective in terms of risk. Categories of risk may have labels such as "income," "growth," or "aggressive growth." Be careful you understand the distinctions between these terms, and be certain that the risk level you choose accurately reflects your investment goals. Be sure that the investment products recommended to you reflect the category of risk you have selected.

When opening a new account, the brokerage firm may ask you to sign a legally binding contract to arbitrate any future dispute between you and the firm or your sales representative. This may be part of another document, such as a margin agreement. The federal securities laws do not require that you sign such an agreement. You may choose later to arbitrate a dispute for damages even if you do not sign the agreement. Signing such an agreement means that you give up the right to sue your sales representative and firm in court.

You may have your securities registered either in your name or in the name of your brokerage firm. Ask your sales representative about the relative advantages and disadvantages of each arrangement. If you plan to trade securities regularly, you may prefer to have the securities registered in the name of your brokerage firm to facilitate clearance, settlement, and dividend payment.

How to invest in Stocks with $500 or less.

This article was found at http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/starting/archive/2005/st0310.htm

How to Invest With $500 or Less

Think you don't have enough money to invest? It's better to start small than not at all. We show you how to buy top-notch funds and stocks whether you have $50, $100 or $500.

By Erin Burt

March 10, 2005

When I was 14, a friend of mine announced that he had bought a few shares of stock. Our history class had just finished playing a stock market game where most of us, admittedly, performed pitifully. But Dave had caught the bug. He took some of his lawn-mowing money to invest in his favorite place to shop: the Gap (GPS).

If you keep putting off investing because you don't think you have enough money, think again. If a teenager with some loose change and a wad of bills in his pocket can scrape together enough to invest, so can you. You may have to start small, but you can benefit big. One share of Gap stock bought in the spring of 1993 for a mere $3.13 is now worth nearly $22. That's an increase of about 600% without having to lift a finger. Dave's experience proves that you don't need to be rich to invest. But you have to invest to be rich.

No more excuses

With as little as $50, you can buy into a top-notch mutual fund. And you can buy shares of stock for even less than that.

If a 25-year-old invested only $50 a month ($600 a year) and earned an average 10% on her investment, she'd have $316,000 saved by the time she retired. She could have a sweet million if she increased that to just $158 a month (or $1,900 a year). Use this calculator to see how far your investments can take you over time.

Whether you have $50, $100 or $500, make sure you pass this three-part financial test before plunking it down on any investment:

• Do you have an emergency cash fund? You should have enough set aside to cover three to six months of expenses. You don't need to have all six before you start investing, but you should shoot for at least two or three. Then allocate a fixed amount every month toward your emergency stash to build it up.

• Are you participating in your employer's 401(k) plan? If your employer offers a match on your contributions, make sure you invest as much as you can to take advantage of it. For example, a 50-cent match for every dollar you contribute nets you a 50% return on your investment. You can't beat that.

• Have you paid off your high-interest debt? If you have $500 on a credit card charging 18% interest, paying it off is like getting an 18% return on your investment -- it's hard to get that kind of return on the stock market.

Once you've taken care of those three areas, you can look for other ways to invest your extra money. Your goals for how and when you want to use your money will mold your strategy. (Learn more about how to invest to meet different goals.) But because you're young, let's assume you're investing for the long-term.

A good place to start is a Roth IRA. This retirement account allows you to sock away up to $4,000 this year, and you don't pay taxes on your earnings (you contribute your money after you've already paid taxes on it). The drawback: You generally can't touch your earnings until retirement (unless you want to pay a penalty). There are a few exceptions, however, such as buying your first home. You can withdraw your contributions at any time, though, just not your earnings.

You can invest in a variety of assets for your IRA: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate, annuities, CDs, etc. You'll probably want to stick with stocks and mutual funds at first, though, because they have the highest returns over the long haul and they're relatively simple to manage. After you've taken advantage of tax-sheltered investment accounts, you can also set up a regular investment account, where you have to pay taxes on any gains when you sell.

Dip into the mutual fund pool

Mutual funds are a shoestring investor's best friend. If you've ever pooled your money with your friends to buy a few pizzas and drinks, you understand the concept of mutual funds. They combine several investors' money to buy a variety of stocks that may be too expensive for the individual to purchase alone. This allows you to diversify your investments (you can get pepperoni, ham and pineapple, plus sausage and olives) while keeping costs low.

Most fund companies, however, require a minimum investment to get started, typically between $1,000 and $3,000. But the minimums to buy a fund for your IRA are usually lower. You can find several top-notch funds for your retirement account for as little as $250 to $500.

A handful of fund companies, including T. Rowe Price, TIAA-CREF and Scudder will even let you in for a measly $50 if you contribute that amount each month automatically from your bank account. Investing at regular intervals -- a trick called dollar-cost-averaging -- is a good idea no matter what amount you can afford, because over time it helps smooth out the volatility of the market on your portfolio.

You can use Kiplinger's Fund Finder to sort through mutual funds with low minimum investments that meet your individual criteria. Stick to no-load funds with low expense ratios (the average expense ratio for stock funds is about 1.5%). Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

• Selected American Shares (SLASX) invests in large undervalued companies and consistently outperforms the S&P 500 index. Requires $250 to open up an IRA. Returned 9.3% over the past year, an annualized 7.9% over the past three years, and 14.5% over the past ten.

• Homestead Value (HOVLX) invests in beaten-up shares of large and medium-sized companies. Requires $200 for IRAs. Returned 13.5% over the past year, an annualized 8% over the past three years, and 11.4% over the past 10.

• T. Rowe Price Spectrum Growth (PRSGX) invests in ten other T. Rowe Price stock funds, giving you a good mix of stocks in small companies and foreign firms, as well as large companies. Requires $1,000 for IRAs, or regular investments of $50 a month. Returned 10.7% over the past year, an annualized 7.1% over the past three years and 10.9% over the past ten.

• T. Rowe Price Equity Index 500 (PREIX) invests in stocks to mirror performance of the S&P 500 index. Requires $1,000 for IRAs, or regular investments of $50 a month. Returned 6.7% over the past year, an annualized 4.4% over the past three years and 11% over the past ten.

You can buy funds directly from the fund company or through a broker.

With a mutual fund, you're basically hiring a professional to manage your money and pick stocks for you that fit into the fund's particular style. With just one fund, you can own dozens of stocks so you're not betting the farm on the performance of one company (think Enron). Plus, everyone that owns the fund, no matter how much or how little they have invested, gets the same manager, investments and return.

If you still can't meet a fund's minimum or you'd rather not commit to a $50 or $100 a purchase each month, you can still get started by investing in a diversified basket of stocks called an exchange-traded fund. ETFs mirror the performance of a market index. So-called "Spider" shares (SPY), for example, mimic the S&P 500, and iShares Russell 2000 (IWM) imitates the index that tracks stocks of smaller companies. (View a list of available ETFs.) ETFs, however, are traded like stocks, so you'll need a broker. We'll talk about how to find one and invest in stocks next.

Stock up on stocks

If you're one of those people who would like to research individual investments yourself and you want to be in control of when you buy and sell certain holdings, you might consider investing directly in stocks.

First, you'll want to learn how to build a solid stock portfolio, and what to look for when evaluating individual socks.

Then, you'll probably need to get a broker. Unfortunately, most brokers also require a minimum investment to open an account, which can run anywhere from $1,000 to $25,000. Discount broker Muriel Siebert, however, doesn't require a minimum investment to get started. E*Trade waives its minimum investment requirement if you're opening an IRA, and Scottrade requires only $500 to open an account. Find the best discount broker for your needs and compare their fees and features.

With a broker, you pay a commission each time you buy or sell, which typically costs between $10 and $40. This can make dollar cost averaging a tad expensive if you want to invest a regular amount, say, every month. So you may have to scale back the frequency to four times a year or less. Plus, you typically can't buy fractional shares of a company through a broker. If you wanted to buy a single share of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK), for example, you'd need to scrape together $90,700.

A great way to invest with little cash -- and get around the fractional-shares problem -- is through ShareBuilder. The commission is a low $4 per trade, and there's no investment or account minimum, or inactivity fee. Basically, ShareBuilder pools together several investors' small trades to make one large trade to save money.

Bypass the broker

Small investors can get around brokers entirely by buying stock directly from a company. About 1,400 companies offer such programs. Minimums, fees and requirements vary. Coca-Cola (KO), for example, only requires a minimum of one share and doesn't charge an enrollment fee. Disney (DIS) requires $1,000 to get started and charges a $10 setup fee, but you can get in for as little as $100 if you contribute that much automatically each month. Get a full list of companies with the details of their plans at Netstockdirect.com.

Another direct-investing option is the Low Cost Investment Plan of the National Association of Investors Corp. NAIC members can purchase shares in a select number of companies. Membership costs $50 a year and includes other NAIC publications and services.

How to Invest in Stocks When You're Broke!

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How to invest when you're broke

Even if you're barely getting by, investing small amounts in mutual funds can pay off over the long run. Here's how to do it, plus a list of fund companies that accept small investors.

By Harry Domash

How do you start investing if you're barely scraping by?

Say you're making $25,000 a year and know that (along with feeding yourself, paying for gas, rent, etc.) you need to start thinking about your future.

It pays to do that, because even small amounts add up surprisingly fast if you invest on a regular basis. And Uncle Sam will even kick in free money on top of that.

For instance, over the past 10 years, the stock market, at least as measured by the S&P 500 Index ($INX), has returned around 8%, on average, annually. Say you start with nothing and invest only $10 per week. If you pick an investment that only matches the S&P's 8% return, after 10 years, you'd have around $8,000. You have $10,000 if you got lucky and picked an investment that churned out 12% average annual returns.

Even better, if you're a poor person, the government rewards you by refunding as much as half of what you put in. Singles earning up to $15,000, head of households earning up to $22,500 and married joint filers earning up to $30,000 get a credit of 50% of funds contributed to an IRA or 401(k). That means, for instance, if you invested $1,000 in your 401(k) last year and qualified for the credit, your refund would be $500 larger. (A dedicated saver could turn right back around and plow that $500 into a Roth IRA as well.)

One big caveat: Investing in small amounts isn't about investing in individual stocks. All stock investors, no matter how talented, eventually pick a clunker, a stock that drops 25% or 30% before your first cup of coffee in the morning. That's not so bad if you own 20 stocks. But it would be a disaster if you hold only four or five.

Instead, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds make more sense for small investors. Richard Jenkins, editor-in-chief of MSN Money, explains here how to use ETFs. Below, I'll explain how to get started using mutual funds.

Why funds?

For starters, mutual funds give you automatic diversification. Most hold dozens, if not hundreds, of stocks. So, when one goes south, its impact on the portfolio is minimal.

Also, fund managers have advantages over individual investors. It's their day job, and because their trading generates huge commissions, they have access to better information than individual investors...

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