Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a group of passive index funds that trade on an exchange like an individual stock. At the time of writing there are 162 ETFs with $220 billion in assets under management trading on U. S. exchanges. The most popular ETF is the NASDAQ 100 Tracking Stock (QQQQ) trading 50 million shares a day on the NASDAQ Stock Market. The volume leaders on the American Stock Exchange are the SPDRS (SPY) tracking the S&P 500 trading 25 million shares per day, the Energy SPDR (XLE), Japan iShares (EWJ), Russell 2000 iShares (IWM), and the Financial SPDR (XLF)....

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If you have talked to a stock broker or financial planner in the last few days I will bet they all agree that there are some great bargains out there and now is the time to start buying in anticipation that the market will go back up. You will also find agreement from the talking heads on CNBC and those talk radio station stock mavens. No one says sell. It looks like bottom pickers heaven. Since the beginning of the year the tech stocks have lost 34% and from last year they are down from the highs 65% and it looks like they are going lower....

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If you've ever flipped on the television to CNN Financial or paged through the finance section of your local newspaper, you may have seen or heard references made to "the bulls and the bears." If you didn't know what was meant by those terms, you're about to find out. I will tell you up front that they were not talking about basketball and football franchises based in Chicago. "The bulls and the bears" refers to the performance of the stock market. In the most general terms, "...

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Every day I see in the financialsection of newspapers how to forecast what themarket will do in 6 months, 12 months, severalyears. "Ten stocks that will double in the next 6months." Right! I have trouble trying to forecastwhat it will do tomorrow. Do not trust any whoclaims he knows what the future will be for themarket. Of course, your broker will send yougobs of slick material about various companiesthat predict they will double or triple in thenext 12 months. On the New York Stock Exchangethere will be about one half of one per cent(0....

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Money: the most charged word in the planet. It means something to everyone. For some, money means a blessing, for others it means a disaster. We all have heard stories of people who have lost their fortunes or their life savings trading in the stock market; but, we don't hear much of people who are currently trading and how their lives are turning upside down. For some, the process of trading is like the development of an addiction, it starts with expectations, with hopes of a relief, with desire to control money or acquire more of it....

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We need a rabbit! This was a pretty horrible week for the market with two 100-point days and Friday closing on the lows. During these past few days Sir Alan told us things are looking up and the economy is basically strong. Mr. Market didn't hear him. It seems that jaw boning can't get people to buy. In fact there were more sellers than buyers. If you go back in history it is a truism that has become conventional wisdom that the stock market goes up during an election year. The reasoning is obvious....

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Following a methodology that meets your goal is also of prime importance. This is the key is picking the right stock market price that fits your trading plan. What if you follow a methodology that has the potential to average 30%/year return with limited drawdowns, and that performance level easily meets your goal? Would you continue to follow that methodology? Logic dictates a resounding yes! But what if that methodology calls for you to limit your trading or to stay in cash for a period of time, say a month or two, due to a lack of high probability opportunities?...

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With the benefit of time in short supply, substantial investment performance in a shorter than normal time frame becomes strikingly important. Mutual Fund Advice A case could be made that a special type of mututal fund, an index mutual fund, in conjunction with careful market trend analysis (not predictive market timing) could be used to achieve higher returns faster than a standard mutual fund. As to the specific type of index fund to consider using, investors would do well to "keep it simple" and use an index fund that tracks well known indexes like the S&P 500, Nasdaq100, and Wilshire 2000....

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To become a successful trader you must have some kind of method or system to follow that will keep you on track. You may be buying and selling on tips, the weather or phases of the moon (there is a system like that). The two basic methods are based either on fundamental or technicals. In stock the fundamentals take into account sales, gross profit margins, net profit margins, industry growth, management capabilities, price/earning ratios, etc. In technical analysis you would be computing various moving averages (such as 200-day, 50-day 10-day) of the stock price, trend lines, Fibonacci retracement, support and resistance levels, Elliott Waves, stochastics and many others....

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What is the Series 7 Exam? If you are looking to become a licensed Stockbroker, you need to know about the Series 7. You will be given a calculator to use at the center. Applicants are not permitted to bring their own. Scrap paper will be given to you as well for you to use during the test. Once the test officially starts you can write down anything you want (Formulas, Rules etc.). The computer also offers the student the ability to change their answers at the end of the first or second part of the test....

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(1) CHK stock price $16.74, NAV $32.5 N Gas price NAV per share $4.50 $16.11 $5.00 $19.60 $5.50 $23.11 $6.00 $26.61 $6.50 $32.5 PE = 10 or 10% of earning yield is considered reasonable valuation for non-growing business. PV-10 Net Asset Value (NAV) is standard calculation for value of oil or natural gas reserve assuming current production cost and expenses. When N gas price = $4.5, CHK will make $1.611 per share per year true profit with current production/exploration expenses....

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