Author: esoteric-philosophy

Today’s market lesson in investing is about finding value in the right companies. Many people recognize brand names and see value if the company’s stock price is lower than usual. Yet the market is fast-paced these days, and people don’t always dig into the charts. A mentor of mine once told me to look at the chart for a company in terms of one business cycle, which is 10 years. That is where you really get to dig into the data.

Even if you’re a trader, looking into a company’s business cycle can give you a better idea of where revenues are heading. You can’t simply look at a company’s 1-month chart and suddenly get a feeling that the price is going to be on the rise soon. Investors win and lose all the time. Even when looking at a business cycle, they can make the wrong decisions about companies.

A good example of this is GE. Not too long ago, I made a call on GE that was based on the stock tanks in recent months and what I felt it was going to do in the future. It was subsequently taken from the DOW 30, and the price has continued to tank, all the way down to nearly a 10 year low. Granted, I still believe GE to be a valuable company that is just having issues, but the time to buy wasn’t then.

Perhaps it is now, with the company’s stock selling at the same level it was at the start of the last business cycle. It is impossible to know for sure, and that is why investors must choose to make moves that they believe in. It’s hard to do that when you’re in and out of trades all the time. That is why I prefer investing over day trading.

Yet investors can become more emotionally attached to what they are doing, too. There have been good moves brought to my attention, like Sirius and Turtle Beach, and there have been bad ones, like GE (so far) and some others. The market is also in a recent correction, which doesn’t help GE.

GE also reported a less than stellar Q3, combined with the fact that the company slashed its dividend to a penny per share. At some point, you would think that a brand like that is going to turn itself around. That’s my investing news for the day.

Are you thinking about trading stocks because if so, then you should definitely do it if you have the money. There are many stock trading benefits, and you’ll want to know what some of the top ones are or you can read reviews here. With that said, here are a few of the main benefits of stock trading.

The Gains

In the stock market, there are winners and losers. Most people will tell you to go into the market with the mindset you will lose your money. This is excellent advice, but don’t worry because as time goes by, you could end up making decent gains.

In fact, the potential gains are the biggest benefit of investing and trading stocks. Even if you only make small gains off a few stocks, it can all add up. Just make sure you research the companies you’re about to buy and trade stocks and then decide which ones will likely pay off the most.

Dividends

More and more people are realizing the earning potential with dividends. What you should do is find a few good companies that offer dividends and then invest in their stock. Don’t pay too much attention to what happens over the next few months because you want to earn dividends and not trade their stock.

Dividends are typically paid to shareholders on a quarterly basis. If you have stock in a few good companies that have solid track records of success, then you could end up doing well. As a general rule of thumb, try to find 3-4 companies that offer dividends and invest in their stock.

Diversification

One of the best things about stock trading is the diversification you will experience. With many companies on the market, you have so many choices when it comes to what kind of stocks you want to buy and within what industry those businesses are involved in. Let’s not forget to mention that many businesses go public on a regular basis, even when the market is on a downturn, so you will always have the chance to invest in many types of companies.

Affordable

Contrary to what you have been told, it is affordable to trade stocks, but don’t invest thousands and thousands right off the bat. Instead, start small and practice trading with only a few dollars. Focus on earning a percentage of profits because if you can do this regularly with a small amount, you can do it with a bigger amount.

On that note, you will find that there are stocks from good companies that go for around $10 per share or even less. Besides that, the initial investment you need doesn’t have to be a lot. The bottom line is it doesn’t have to be expensive to enter the market.

As previously mentioned, you should invest in stocks only if you have the money to do it. Remember, there are disadvantages of investing in stocks, but there are many more advantages. Weigh the pros and cons of trading stocks and then you can decide whether or not to do it.