http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing.aspxenhttp://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/56826.aspxSat, 21 Nov 2009 19:25:48 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:56826brianllamaTrading stocks sounds simple enough. Open a brokerage account and then enter your orders to buy or sell stocks. Look closer and there are actually several different types of stock market order types. A User Guide to Stock Market Orders is…well, in order. Stock Market Order Types FAQ User Guide Types of Stock Orders Every stock market trade or...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/29864.aspxSat, 21 Nov 2009 18:00:43 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:29864brianllamaStocks trade millions of times a day. These trades are tracked via the ticker which posts trades as they occur. Those number are what the price used to be. What is it now? Understanding Stock Prices Sample contents.One of the difficult concepts for new and beginning traders to grasp is that stocks do not have a set price. Everyone understands t...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/29866.aspxSat, 21 Nov 2009 17:57:51 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:29866brianllamaThe bid and ask not only set a stock's price, they also work to make it change. Understanding how bid and ask work can improve your trading profits. Bid and Ask Interact With Orders We covered what a bid and ask is and how they set a stock price earlier. Now, lets jump in to see the mechanics of a stock price change . To see how stock prices ch...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/25572.aspxWed, 18 Nov 2009 21:25:11 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:25572Trent"Buy and hold," my broker says, "You're safe. I've got you invested in blue chip companies, Dow components, and industrial giants." Sound familiar? It's time to ditch the broker who's making you broker and become your own broker. The Old Stock Trading Strategy I called my broker the other day and got his answerin...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/36026.aspxWed, 18 Nov 2009 21:15:09 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:36026brianllamaExchange Traded Funds, or ETFs, are a great way to invest in a diverse portfolio of securities. Understanding how these market traded securities fit into your investment portfolio can help lower your risk and increase your profitable returns. What Are ETF / Exchange Traded Funds? Exchange traded funds are similar to traditional mutual funds...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/47992.aspxWed, 18 Nov 2009 21:11:57 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:47992brianllamaIf the recession is over and you want to get money invested in the stock market, but you don’t want to spend the time sorting through who will be the survivors and who will be next decade’s bankruptcies, consider just investing in “the market.” S&P 500 ETF - SPDRs - SPY One of the earliest and biggest Exchange Traded Fun...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/56443.aspxWed, 18 Nov 2009 21:08:49 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:56443vaedwardsEvery investor, especially index investors, would love to have a crystal ball to see into the future and know where the stock market is heading. The Index of Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) TM is about as close as an investor can get in having his or her own personal crystal ball. What Is the Index of Leading Economic Indicators? The ...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/33247.aspxWed, 18 Nov 2009 21:03:41 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:33247ShawnTeFrom the AIG debacle to the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, hedge funds have been finding their way into the headlines over the past year. Many are wondering exactly what a hedge fund really is. This guide will provide an overview as to the nature of a hedge fund. Defining the Hedge Fund In 1949 the first hedge fund was established by Alfred W. Jones,...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/25811.aspxWed, 18 Nov 2009 20:59:12 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:25811ShawnTeFrom the sub-prime banking crisis on Wall Street in 2008 to the astounding job loses of January 2009, people who want to invest are looking for safer alternatives to secure their future. One such way is with Treasury Bonds. What is a Treasury Bond? A Treasury Bond is a fixed government long term debt security, issued by the Bureau of Public Deb...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/22695.aspxTue, 10 Nov 2009 16:37:02 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:22695brianllamaSold stocks or bonds for less than you paid for them? Chances are good that it happened at least once last year (maybe lots) for most investors. A capital loss can provide a good tax deduction but there are important rules to understand. Capital Losses A capital loss occurs when selling an asset for less than its cost, or basis . In its...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/55458.aspxTue, 10 Nov 2009 16:32:26 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:55458brianllamaDeducting your losses is an important tactic to minimize the capital gains taxes investors pay. But, beware the wash sale rule to avoid losing out on deducting capital losses and offsetting your short-term capital gains accidentally. Wash Sale Rule The IRS wash sale rule governs the treatment of capital gains and capital losses tax deductions for s...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54623.aspxSun, 01 Nov 2009 03:51:09 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54623brianllamaOctober 30th brings the end of the month and a nasty surprise to the Dow Jones Index Stock Market News Update What a difference a day makes. On Thursday, October 29th, the Dow Jones was up over 200 points and analysts were suggesting that investors were relieved by reports showing that the economy had grown 3.5% in the third quarter of 2009. Come F...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54527.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 23:35:31 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54527brianllamaAfter buying and selling calls and puts, the most popular options strategy is writing covered calls. For investors without an existing position, Bull Spreads are one of the most popular options trades. Option Trading Bull Spread Strategy A Bull Spread, is as the name implies, a spread position in which the investor takes a bullish position. That is...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54522.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 23:19:40 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54522brianllamaWhen you get past the basic option trading strategies like Covered Calls, you’ll wonder what else is out there, or if that options strategy you invented is already called something. In this issue we’ll look at the Butterfly Spread. Options Trading Strategy – Butterfly Spread The Butterfly Spread gets one of the nicest names in all...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54489.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 21:38:03 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54489brianllamaInvesting into mutual funds provides many investors with a way to get a broad diversification of assets. However, many investors aren’t sure how to go about buying mutual funds to maximize their investment returns. Dollar cost averaging provides one strategy. Dollar Cost Average Into Mutual Funds Dollar cost averaging is a simple strategy for...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54415.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 16:17:42 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54415brianllamaMoney market mutual funds have been used for a long time to give investors better interest rates than putting money in savings accounts. But, issues raised during the 2008 banking crisis have investors worrying if money market funds are safe. Money Market Accounts Money market mutual funds, often referred to as money market accounts, are considered...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54410.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 15:52:17 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54410brianllamaAt first glance, understanding mutual funds looks pretty simple, but look beneath the surface, and investors will find many topics that should be well understood for the most successful investments Net Asset Value – NAV Mutual funds are registered securities that can be bought and sold by investors. These funds are collections of investments ...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54406.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 15:30:22 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54406brianllamaThe U.S. Bond Market is similar to the stock market in that it allows investors to buy and sell debt securities on an open and public market. However, the mechanism by which the bond markets operate are very different that the way the various US stock markets are run. Bond Markets Unlike the well-known stock markets, like the New York Stock Exchang...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54396.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 14:53:33 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54396brianllamaDetermining what U.S. Savings Bonds are worth isn’t as easy as it might seem. Some savings bonds have fixed interest rates, while others have rates that vary every six months. Figuring out what savings bonds are worth is a job for an online savings bond calculator. U.S. Savings Bonds Calculator The official U.S. Savings Bonds Calculator is pr...http://www.brighthub.com/money/investing/articles/54385.aspxSat, 31 Oct 2009 14:16:29 GMTb133e95a-c263-4882-8f2a-b24547eff78e:54385brianllamaTax-free municipal bonds have historically been considered a relatively safe investment. However, given the uncertainty of the markets and the subsequent stock market crash of 2009, investors are right to be nervous. What is the future for muni bonds? Outlook for Muni Bonds Q4 2009 As we enter the fourth quarter of 2009, investors are once agai...