how does one get into the stock markets

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: ViviTheMage

Originally posted by: tweakmm
Invest in some good index funds.

"Playing around" with the stock market is never a good idea. :laugh:

index funds?

omg.. my REIT index fund is up 5% year to date, and it's only the 3rd week of the year! :Q

too bad it only represents 5% of my porfolio. overall porfolio is up .5%

hm.. GM is up 5.5% YTD :Q recovery?

BTW:
Morningstar gave QQQQ only 1 star?! WTF?!

 

[J0hnny]

hmmm, interesting!

I will have to try this zecco thing!

 

[tk149]

Originally posted by: scott

I've been messing with the Virtual Stock Exchange for a few months, and it really is a great way to learn. You can create your own private game, and set your own limits, commission fees, etc.

So, tk149, how are your results so far?

Have you learned any lessons that might help the rest of us?

Commissions will eat you alive. Look for a low-commission broker if you want to keep your profits. Remember, it costs to buy AND it costs to sell. I'd like to know more about zecco.com with it's zero commissions.

According to Peter Lynch (stock investing demi-god), the word most often associated with company earnings is "surprise." In other words, don't trust analysts.

Traders overreact to good news and bad news.

Don't let emotion cloud your judgement.

Don't "trade" or "invest" money that you can't afford to lose.
There's a difference between investing and trading.
You can be a trader and make money, but most traders actually lose money.
You can be an investor, and have fewer ulcers, and still make money.

Playing with real money is a lot more interesting and potentially heart-rending than playing a game with fake money.

Stay away from penny stocks!

Sometimes it seems that the market is controlled by a bunch of people rolling dice. That's not true. It's actually controlled by a bunch of blind monkeys rolling dice.

 

[LegendKiller]

Originally posted by: robothouse77
lessons i've learned thus far:
1. Never, ever, ever listen to financial analysts. They are quite often wrong.

2. Buy low, sell high. Look for indicators. For example, if you were to chart a stock, one indicator is the parabolic SAR. Simply chart a stock for say 3 months w/ the parabolic SAR. When the line for SAR crosses the actual price on a downturn, buy. on an upturn, sell.

3. Set stop limits for both losses against principal and profits. For example, if you have $1000 in a particular stock, and you are willing to lose $100, set that up as a stop loss. Or, if you've suddenly make a $25 percent profit, and don't want to not have that even as the stock keeps climbing, set that as a stop loss.

4. Use scottrade.com. $7 commissions, anytime. Sharebuilder i believe you can only trade for $4 on tuesdays or some crap.

5. Be aware of headlines. Even if a stock is climbing, in one after hour, you can lose %12. Be sure to sell the next morning...

6. Good luck!

There is no solid information that charters are any more right than analysts. Random walk...

 

[her209]

If someone tells you they have a system that tells them when it is the best time to buy/sell, tell them they are full of sh*t.

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: LegendKiller

Originally posted by: robothouse77
lessons i've learned thus far:
1. Never, ever, ever listen to financial analysts. They are quite often wrong.

2. Buy low, sell high. Look for indicators. For example, if you were to chart a stock, one indicator is the parabolic SAR. Simply chart a stock for say 3 months w/ the parabolic SAR. When the line for SAR crosses the actual price on a downturn, buy. on an upturn, sell.

3. Set stop limits for both losses against principal and profits. For example, if you have $1000 in a particular stock, and you are willing to lose $100, set that up as a stop loss. Or, if you've suddenly make a $25 percent profit, and don't want to not have that even as the stock keeps climbing, set that as a stop loss.

4. Use scottrade.com. $7 commissions, anytime. Sharebuilder i believe you can only trade for $4 on tuesdays or some crap.

5. Be aware of headlines. Even if a stock is climbing, in one after hour, you can lose %12. Be sure to sell the next morning...

6. Good luck!

There is no solid information that charters are any more right than analysts. Random walk...

Well its just another tool to use to predict the future by looking at the past. I can work well if you understand what is actually happening...which many people dont

Clearstation is a great site for technical analysis