Chris Business Information » Investment Tips

Learn to invest money – with funds

admin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:28:13 +0000

If you want to learn to invest money the first thing you should know is that it is not as hard as you might think. In addition you’ll also be pleased to know that it may require much less money than you initially feared to get yourself started making successful investments.One of most important things to learn before investing is to not take too much risk. A great way to do this is to select to invest in a managed fund. By doing so you are effectively outsourcing the specialist role of smart stock investing or picking or investment appraisal to an experienced professional. In addition by investing in a fund allows to quickly diversify your investment portfolio. If you have say $500 to invest you could opt to buy some stock in a company such as Apple. Assuming the price rises this could be a great investment however if the stock falls in value by 50% your investment will only be worth $250. By contrast if you had invested in an investment fund that aims to track the S and P index of shares, the effect on your investment of Apples poor performance will be diluted as in reality your $500 will be invested in all of the shares in the index. This effect is called portfolio diversification.Traditionally investing in funds has required large lump sum investments, however the emergence of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) has meant small scale investors can invest in such funds using relatively small amounts of money. ETFs are funds that are traded in much the same way as stocks are.

Asset Allocation for Foundation and Endowment Investment Portfolios

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:17:02 +0000

Foundations, endowments and other not-for-profit organizations come in all shapes and sizes. The assets that they control and manage for the benefit of countless projects, charities, and causes is staggering in total and it has become a primary market for the vast array of investment products developed by Wall Street financial institutions. One can only speculate about how much “bubble paper” finds its way into the these portfolios, but nearly all of them are managed by the major brokerage firms, and all such firms bonus their brokers on the basis of product sales. It is not uncommon for Wall Street to re-write the syllabus for Investments 101, redefining quality, diversification, and income to suit its own dark purposes…More…If you were to look back at your foundation/endowment/not-for-profit portfolio of the late 90’s, how much was invested in NASDAQ issues, either directly or in the form of mutual funds? Dot-coms? Don’t be at all surprised if your more recent reports (2006 thru 2008) are replete with CMOs, CDOs, index funds, foreign investments, asterisks, footnotes, etc. This is the type of investing that is standard fare on Wall Street and it is certainly something that you need to be concerned about. Wall Street pros always move the money toward whatever is most popular at the moment. Always, no matter how late in the cycle it happens to be.Regardless of the proprietary label given to this new age, scientific asset management, the speculation level is barely above that of options, commodities, and futures. You don’t need to go there to achieve the goals of your organization… plain vanilla stocks and bonds are not broken, they have just been replaced with better income generators for the wizards of Wall Street. I understand that they’ve even been able to change the “prudent man rule” to allow unusually high risk, get this, so long as the potential reward is equally significant! Have I gotten your attention?From what I’ve been reading, it seems that the disbursement-budget determination process in some organizations is based on information that has absolutely nothing to do with a portfolio’s ability to generate the money being disbursed. Similarly, it appears as though all investments are expected to grow in market value all of the time, irrespective of where mother nature’s investment twin is in developing her various cycles. Somehow, a higher market value translates into higher availability of disbursable funds, when, in fact, no such relationship exists.Some organizations determine their annual disbursement budget based on the average market value of the investment portfolio over the past several years. If the investment markets cooperate, and the market value remains above the average, the disbursements take place as scheduled. If not, some beneficiaries may have to go without. This is unnecessary, as well as absurd. The average market value of the portfolio is not what determines the amount of spendable income the portfolio produces. The market value approach also assures that payouts will decrease just when they are needed the most… when the market is in a prolonged correction, donor contributions are down, and interest rates or inflation (or both) are trending higher. Let’s say, for example, that we have a portfolio invested solely in government bonds yielding 6%. This 6% will be available for disbursement regardless of the direction of the portfolio market value. Lower valuations are always opportunities to add to holdings; higher ones should provide profit-taking opportunities. Similarly, a portfolio invested in equities with an average dividend yield of 1.5% just will not cover a 4% disbursement nut unless something is sold… a sale that could well be a losing transaction. (Wall Street pros take losses quickly, but rarely take profits in the same manner.)The amount of base income produced by a portfolio is very predictable. In the case of most foundation and endowment portfolios, the rate of annual additions from contributors can also be safely, and conservatively, estimated. Creating a portfolio that produces enough income to cover programmed disbursements, even with a three-month money-market reserve, is simply simple… and has absolutely nothing to do with the portfolio market value. Another thing to look for, as a trustee or director of your organization is the profitability of sales transactions. The results may surprise you.Inflation is a purchasing power issue, and purchasing power depends on income. Hoping, as many people do, for an upward only portfolio-market-value scenario is, at best, comical. A properly designed portfolio will constantly generate increasing levels of base income at varying market value levels, and that is the stuff from which disbursements are made. If the payout rate to beneficiaries is 4% (of working capital, perhaps) and we want to increase the dollar amount of the 4%, we need simply to increase the assets that are producing the cash flow… by reinvesting some of the income and contributions appropriately.Increasing the market value of the securities looks good but generates no additional regular spending money. In fact, higher yields are always more readily available when prices are down than when they are up… go figure. Really, go figure.If we can (through proper asset allocation, and a portfolio management methodology that focuses on working capital) increase our investment in our income producing securities base, we can stay ahead of inflation and satisfy our commitment to whatever cause it is that concerns us. This can be done with much less risk than most not-for-profit board members have become used to in recent years while they blindly chase the gold ring of ever higher market values. Market value, though, will cycle to new highs periodically, as the stock market, interest rate, and business cycles move on down, and up, the road. Isn’t the primary purpose, after all, to grow the distributed benefits? As important as income is to the achievement of your disbursement goals, there is certainly a place for a diversified portfolio of investment grade value stocks within the asset allocation. You will have difficulty convincing your broker to stick with IGV stocks, and to trade them for short-term profits. Frankly, most are inexperienced at doing so. But your tax status, size, and mission are perfect for this kind of strategy. Your investment manager should take care of the income part of the asset allocation first, before venturing into the riskier realm of equities. Stop! No matter what you’ve been told lately, quality income investments are always less risky than even the best equity investments. What about the 2007 CDO mess? Junk is junk, no matter how pretty the package. You have a fiduciary responsibility to understand what’s inside your not-for-profit investment portfolio… even if you think that you are pleased with its recent performance. It just makes good sense to get another opinion. Similarly, if you donate money to a cause that interests you, the general structure and content of the investment portfolio should be of some interest. Complicated products with trunches, and multi-level ifs-ands-and-buts are for arbitrageurs and speculators. Any investment product that requires a masters degree in quantum mathematics to decipher is hiding something… and that something is excessive risk. To read another topic on different site categories, please visit recursion, strojmat, maesc, cubaaction, dengarblog, soahubs, doktermuda, ririn’s, bazzanella, playyourpart, sielmob, spazphotos, and groesbecktennis.

Investment in India Looking Confusing? See What Analysts are Saying

admin — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:09:20 +0000

In the past few years Indian stock markets have done tremendously well, and this story is luring more active NRI investors – non resident Indians from around the world. Indian economy is witnessing a major flux of capital inflow into both real state segment and capital markets of India, and all this is especially due to the growing investment opportunities that are being available to NRIs, PIOs and OCIs in India. There are a number of factors that have propagated an increment in the percentage of investors over last year numbers, and these few major reasons that have boosted the over NRI investment in India, categorically in buying/selling of Indian stocks and NRI mutual fund investments are:

1. Attractive, responsible and dynamic investment policies by the Indian government.

2. Major development in the agricultural and infrastructural sectors.

3. India becoming the centre of global outsourcing boom with more NRI capital inflows.

4. Well regulated capital markets offering array of products: Nri Mutual Funds, Stock Trading account for Nri, Demat Account for Nris and other useful NRI Investing options & services like: OCI & PIO Dmat Account in India, Online Bank account for NRI, NRI Capital raising, etc.

NRIs – reason to invest However the current market condition has put the investor confidence on the back step. Investment team for Mutual funds in India at NriInvestIndia.com believes that the fundamentals are intact, and the bull story is still on the run. In totality, the overall happy-go-jolly story has not changed in India, as nothing bad has happened in the economy…!!

The Investment team also states: Yes the US recession is there, but in the long run it is not going to affect emerging economies, like China, India, Brazil, etc. Buyers will come up to buy, as the valuations still look great, and trading in India would pick up within a few months. In fact the crunch phase that we are witnessing is not only due to stimuli like US recession, US mortgage crunch, but also due to some technical reasons. Not to forget, the Indian stock market including both indices : Nifty from NSE ï¿½” national stock exchange AND SENSEX from BSE ï¿½” Bombay Stock exchange were waiting for a long due correction, and most importantly the markets ran too fast to 21000 which shouldn’t have been a case. And this overï¿½”bought/accumulation situation led to this steep fall in the gone 2 weeks.

This is a typical bull market scenario… when people sell, a panic is created… more panic creates greater panic… and this leads to unnecessary dumping of positions to lock profits.. this dumping starts triggering stop-losses on the negative territory..

We are here for 5-6 years minimum…!! We would be heading up again…. everything looks great here… And most importantly in a longer run if US undergoes a recession then, lot of European banks, FIIs, hedge funds and institutional investors from all over the world would look around for better places & good opportunities to park their money. Brazil, India, China and other Asian economies are the places where they would be investing there money. They have been putting in the past, but from now on they would be placing more money. This greater inflow of liquidity would increase productivity and the economic cycle of growth would not stop for another 10-15 years.

To conclude the team also says: NOTHING has changed here…. fundamentals are pretty strong in India. Do not move by the short-term volatility… We are in here for a long game..!!

This ever growing saga of good financial well being, in the long run would always make India a best investment destination for Indians around the globe.

Country living – no thanks?

admin — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:17:59 +0000

In a week when much attention has been paid to the issue of eco-homes, including the public backing given to them by ex-deputy prime minister John Prescott at the Chartered Institute of Housing’s south-east annual conference and exhibition in Brighton, the question of building and house prices in the country has reared its head again.
For those looking to ensure that rural areas are well stocked with affordable, as well as green homes, this is a great opportunity. Gideon Amos, chief executive of the Town and Country Planning Association, said: “The eco-towns initiative provides the opportunity to marry the social need for more affordable housing and community infrastructure with the environmental and economic issues associated with housing growth, such as sustainable public transport, protection of biodiversity and low and zero-carbon energy provision.”
Yet such lofty ideals appear to be lost on some. Today the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) released the results of a survey on public views about the government’s housing plans. The poll, conducted by ICM, found people to be apparently split down the middle on the issue of government housing plans. 53 per cent were against the plan to build three million new homes by 2020. 46 per cent thought such developments would have a negative impact on communities and 50 per cent believed that landowners and developers would be the principal beneficiaries of such plans.
Another finding of the survey revealed clearer support, with 77 percent believing a higher priority should be given to bringing unoccupied homes back into use, while half also thought more concentration on brownfield building should be undertaken.
CPRE senior planner Kate Gordon concluded: “This survey shows that the public would show more sympathy towards the government’s proposals if housebuilding was accompanied by strong measures to tackle urban dereliction and bring back into use empty properties.”
The finding about empty homes will find plenty of supporters, not least among the Empty Homes Agency. Addressing the aforementioned Chartered Institute of Housing event, policy advisor Henry Oliver said the south-east had 80,000 homes it could bring back to use, the institute reported.
However, those looking to provide homes in the country have reacted fiercely against the CPRE findings. Accusing the CPRE of being bananas, Home Builders Federation executive chairman Stewart Baseley explained this was an acronym by saying: “The CPRE’s poll shows them reverting to type – Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone,” adding that the body had ignored the needs of those unable to get affordable homes in its “plea to protect the haves against the have-nots”.
Similarly, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors public policy officer James Rowlands accused the body of “pandering to vested interests” and said while bringing old homes back into use and brownfield building had a part to play, much of the solution to keeping house prices down and offering first-time buyers affordable homes was green field building.
Such responses may be interpreted as shooting the messenger, given that they were a reflection of what people had told the pollsters. Nonetheless, it appears there is a clear determination in many sectors of the housing industry that to ensure house prices are affordable to first-time buyers, new development will have to go ahead in the country. Besides which, with many plans being apparently opposed by around half those polled, that may suggest the other half remains in favour.

5 ways to make money in a bears market

admin — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 19:24:46 +0000

Every time a bears market comes around people panic. They panic because the stocks they bought that made money when the markets were bullish are losing money when the markets are bearish. They don’t know that if you want to make money during a bears market you should trade bearishly. When the markets go down many market professionals make a killer by implementing bearish strategies. Today I will teach you 5 bearish strategies used to make money while the market is heading down. So get ready to ride the market crash all the way to the bottom with us. 1. Shorting stocks. Your broker has many long term stocks which they hold. They do not care what happens to them as long as they make a profit in the long run. Let’s say it is trading at $100 you can borrow their stock and sell it. This makes you an instant $130. Then if the stock drops to say $90 you can buy it back at $90 and give it back to your broker. In this example you made $40 per share.

2. Buying puts. When you buy a put for a stock you buy the right to sell a stock at a given strike price. That way if the stock’s price drops our puts price goes up. If we bought a put with a strike price of $130 on the same stock for $6 we could have made money while the stock goes down as well. The difference between the puts strike price and the stock is $40, so your put would be worth at least $40. Buying puts is a highly leveraged way of trading and will eventually expire worthless if not sold by its expiration date.

3. Selling calls. A call is the opposite of a put. When you buy a call you buy the right to buy a stock at a certain price. So, if you sold a $135 call on that stock for $4 you automatically take home $3. Now as long as the stock stays below $135 by the time the call expire you make $4. This means the stock can do nothing, even go up a little and you still make money. Just be careful this is one of the riskiest things you can do. If that stock goes up to $1000 you will have to buy it at $1000 and sell it at $135, which hurt. Your max loss is infinite.

4. Doing a spread. This is similar to the sell a call strategy, but it limits our risk. Here we would sell the $135 call for $4 and buy the $140 call for $3. Now you only made $1. However our risk is a lot lower. We still make money if the stock stays below $135 just like you would if you sold a call. Its advantage is if the stock goes up to $1000 you can buy the stock at $140 and sell it at $135 Your max loss is only $5(difference in spreads) – $1(you made) or $4.

5. Buying a leap. This a compromise between high leveraged puts and low leveraged shorting. Here you buy a put. Unlike our previous example however were it will expire in a few months a leap will expire in 1 or 2 year. For this extra time you will have to pay more than a regular put. If $130 put cost $6 a $100 leap might cost $18. To read another topic on different site categories, please visit recursion, strojmat, maesc, cubaaction, dengarblog, soahubs, doktermuda, ririn’s, bazzanella, playyourpart, sielmob, spazphotos, and groesbecktennis.

how to make a stock watch list

admin — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:23:02 +0000

A stock watch list is something you will need. It is a list of stocks that you think you can make money off of, either on the upside or the down side. These are stocks you put on the side and check regularly for a buy signal. Let me give you an example. Suppose you find a great stock that is in an uptrend. This stock just hit resistance. You really like this stock, but chances are it will come down from resistance to support. You don’t want to buy right now. So, you wait. You put it on your watch list and check it every now and then to see if it will look better later. You wait for it to be on support, or maybe even a break in resistance and then you buy it. How do you create a stock watch list? Every time you hear about a stock write it down and pull up a chart on it later. If it looks like something you can make money off of go ahead put it on your watch list. I have occasionally just typed in random symbols to see what pops up. Sometimes I like the stock that pops up so I put it on my list. Keep a list of stocks you like some were and keep adding to it. In no time you’ll have a plenty of stocks you’re watching.

Which bring us to our next question. How big should our watch list be? The answer is, it depends. Each trader has a different rule for this. One trader might want a watch list of 10-20 stocks another trader might have a watch list of 100 stocks. The answer to this just depends on you and how many stocks you can handle. If watching too many stocks will interfere with your trading don’t watch too many stocks. To read another topic on different site categories, please visit recursion, strojmat, maesc, cubaaction, dengarblog, soahubs, doktermuda, ririn’s, bazzanella, playyourpart, sielmob, spazphotos, and groesbecktennis.