Why Cutting Losses is Essential to a Winning Stock Trading System

By Maclin Vestor

There are some people who can buy a stock with the intention of holding it for years and years. If this is you, you look at a lower stock price as an opportunity to get it cheaper, or on sale. While this may work for some, people often times under estimate the risk of supposed blue chip companies losing very significant amounts. See GM, AIG, Ford, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers or Citibank as a few examples.

Perhaps one of the worst things about it is, not only individuals make this mistake, but these mistakes are even made by the rating agencies that are made up of groups of intelligent men and women working together for the sole purpose of rating stocks.

Now if you understand the risks, you know how to read financial statements, and you invest in stocks with dividends to ensure there is no accounting fraud and company actually has money it says it does as it pays out regularly, and you still realize that a solid company could still potentially become irrelevant due to breakthrough technology, illegal activities, or sudden loss of capital, overnight, then go ahead and continue to invest this way. In fact, this is one of the things that Warren Buffet loves doing, investing in companies in a time of maximum fear that he believes has a margin of safety.

However, the average trader just doesn't have the patience to own a stock for Warren Buffet's favorite holding time... forever. The average trader doesn't even hold stock for longer than 6 months let along decades.

If you are unable to continue to buy a stock lower and have the patience to hold on forever, and analyze a company with great detail before continuing to do this, then you must have some margin of safty in another way. Perhaps one of the best ways to do this is to cut your losses short. This will prevent you from incurring large losses, and will allow you to use your money towards a more profitable investment.

It's very easy for people to not realize their mistakes and miss out on the information that they are wrong. In fact, it is a self defense mechanism in our brains to defend our existing beliefs, even if we are shown all the evidence in the world against it. Rather than defend some idea that a stock will go up even when it's gone down, it's better to just cut losses short. You can make it a rule to sell the next trading day after a stock closes 8% below your purchase price. Rather than defend your stock, you can instead defend your trading system. Now if short term stocks seem to be bouncing just below 8% then climbing afterward, you will know that your system works so you will ignore any occasional losses that will happen, since you will have faith in your system of good money management, proper exit strategy and other important factors.

If you fail to cut losses short, you can often time lose far more than you set out for, which will not only hurt your portfolio, but it will also prevent you from being able to invest as much, and your ability to earn from future investments will be hinder more than it should be. Therefore, you must cut your losses short if you expect to make money in stocks and prevent yourself from incurring losses you are unable to manage. - 23221

About the Author:

Maclin Vestor teaches about varioustrading systems and teaches you how to buy stock that works for you.

What Parker Colorado Has to Offer and How Parker Realtors Can Help

By Bruce Durrell

It's always a good idea to talk to Parker realtors before you decide to purchase a new home in the area. 20 miles Southeast of Denver is Parker Colorado which has attracted new residents for a number of years. Its small, family community is preferable for many people traveling to the area, but it still provides all of the entertainment and shopping you are searching for nearby. New home owners will also be fascinated by the fresh mountain air and beautiful scenery that the Rocky Mountains have to offer.

The history of Parker, as it started only as a train stop, is often told by Parker Realtors. The community has increased in size tremendously and now houses over 45,000 residents. However the town hasn't lost its heritage as the old Pine Grove Way Station has been replaced with Parker Station which is still in operation to this day. Parker still offers its trademark 5 globe street lights that you can view while walking downtown.

You need to take into consideration the type of home you want as well as your budget when searching for your new home in Parker. Parker realtors will know exactly where to look to find the house that is best for you. Whether you are looking for a home that's small and conventional or a larger ranch style house Parker has various communities to meet your needs. Homes in Parker average around $300,000 and condos average out to be about $150,000. Compared to living in Denver you may find this to fit your budget better.

Each community has various amenities that it offers which you can find out about by talking to Parker realtors. Parker offers access to a wide range of collages including the University of Phoenix - Colorado Campus, Community College of Aurora Parker, Arapahoe Community College, and the University Center at Chaparral. The Parker recreational department is often praised for its veracious parks, paved trails, and the well known H2O'Brien water park. There are numerous different activities always in progress that you can enroll your children in as well. Children may find the in-line skating rink and indoor turf field a great place to go. There is also a area hospital that is located just outside of the city.

Local festivities encourage everyone to attend and have a part in. After moving into a new home residents will take some time to visit the county festival as well as the Parker Mainstreet Omnium. The city also puts on a special Christmas Carriage Parade and multiple concerts in the park. There is always something going on, so be sure to ask Parker realtors about something that might be of interest to you!

Parker is a town that's dedicated to a small town feel with a quiet family lifestyle. If you have children then you may want to ask Parker realtors about the 15 schools that the city offers. You can expect to be warmly welcomed into the Parker community as well as expect to meet lots of new people due to the increased desire to live in this community. - 23221

About the Author:

Bruce Durrell is a Parker realtor who helps customers buy homes and investment properties in all corners of the Greater Denver area, Aurora and the southern suburbs. Find more and get in touch with them today by visiting Parker Realtors which is full of great information about Parker homes before making any decisions!

Easy Financing for Rental Properties

By David McCammon

Lots of people are now finding that rental property can be an excellent way to create wealth. If you are considering getting involved in rental property investing, it is a good idea to educate yourself as much as possible. First, you need to find out what it takes to become qualified to purchase investment property because it is actually somewhat different than becoming qualified to purchase a normal home.

One of the reasons for this is the fact that a significant number of investors either walked away from properties or declared bankruptcy during the early 1990s. While you should certainly not be punished for someone elses problems, neither do lenders want to be left holding investment properties. Therefore, it is important to understand that the requirements for being approved for a mortgage on rental properties are somewhat different from what you may be accustomed to.

Property can often be purchased with low money down, especially if you are a first-time home buyer this is often not the case with rental property. Many lenders require a minimum down payment of 15% or even 20%.

There are many different sources you can tap into for possible financing. These options include: Mortgage broker Local savings and loan or bank Private lender FHA; Federal Housing Association

No matter which option you choose, you will find that most lenders will want to be assured that you will have a sufficient amount of rental income in order to cover not only the mortgage payment but also other expenses such as insurance, taxes and maintenance. Depending on the amount of income that will be provided from the property, some lenders actually do require a larger down payment.

Of course there are many different types of loans which you can use to finance the purchase of a rental property. One option would be a residential loan. This type of loan can be used to purchase from one to four units. The exact options that are open to you often depend on whether or not the property will be occupied immediately.

Another option would be a commercial loan. This is an option when the property is five units or more or it will be non-owner occupied. Due to the fact that it is a commercial loan, it is often far different from a residential loan in regards to terms and requirements. One of the main differences between a commercial loan and a residential loan is the fact that fees and rates are frequently higher on a commercial loan.

Very often a larger down payment is also often required. The down payment on a commercial loan typically runs between 25% and 35%. While there are some lenders who may be willing to agree to a higher loan to value ratio; the requirements for qualifying for such loans are usually many times tougher to get.

The lender will also carefully examine the ability of the property to generate a cash flow that will allow you to repay your loan. As a result, the lender will typically examine the property to ensure it can provide an income that will not only allow you to cover the mortgage payments and other expenses but also provide enough of a cash flow that you will have additional income to place into a reserve account.

PPL or private party lending is another option for many prospective investors. One option would be to approach the current owner about seller financing. With this option the owner carries back the loan for a down payment and fair interest rate. You may find that you can save lending fees with the options and may also be able to take advantage of making a much lower down payment.

Of course another option would be what is known as a hard-money loan. This is a type of short-term financing where a third-party makes a loan to assist the investor with purchasing the property. Generally, this type of loan involves a higher interest rate due to the fact that the buyer has poor credit or because the property is in disrepair and requires lots of work.

FHA programs are usually offered through traditional lenders. Keep in mind; however, that FHA does not actually lend money. They do provide insurance for lenders; offering numerous loan programs. Regardless of which financing tool you choose, remember that there is always the option to refinance at some later point in order to obtain a better rate. - 23221

About the Author:

If the thought of profiting greatly in the entire world of real estate investing stimulates you, then you ought download Davids free report and Free Real Estate Course. To learn the safest and most profitable strategies visit Davids website Real Estate Investing.

S&P 500 Futures (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

S&P futures contracts are valued in ticks worth 0.1 index points or $25. Regular trading hours for S&P futures contracts are from 8:30 A.M to 3:15 PM. S&P futures contracts are another example of how 24 hours a day trading enables traders to respond to economic news releases in pre-market and after-market sessions.

The evening session starts at 3:30 PM (15 minutes after the close) and continues on the Globex until 8:15 AM overnight. Individual contract holders are limited to no more than 20,000 net long or short contracts at any one time.

A price limit is how far an S&P futures contract can rise or fall in a single trading session. The limits are set on quarterly basis. If the index experiences major declines or increases beyond these limits, a procedure is set in place to halt trading. If these price limits are crossed, circuit breakers are triggered.

Collar Rule: The collar rule limits the traders from piling buy or sell orders in an attempt to exaggerate the gains or losses of the market. It addresses price swings related to program trades that move the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) more than 2% by requiring index arbitrage orders, or orders that bet on the spread between the futures and the cash of stock indexes to be stabilizing. What the collar rule does is limit the chance of huge gains or losses as a result of futures trading.

Its time to learn how an S&P futures contract ticks once you have mastered futures basics such as the performance bond margins, the mark to market requirements and the account specifics. Especially during slow seasons in the stock market such as summer, fall and around the winter holidays, overnight or pre-market trading can be thin and dangerous.

Hundreds of futures contracts trade on the federally regulated futures exchanges in the United States. Each of these exchanges trade contract that are somewhat unique to it. CMEs most actively traded contracts are Eurodollar futures and S&P futures including the E-minis.

E-mini S&P Futures contracts: The E-mini S&P futures contracts (ES) are the favorites of the day traders because of its high intraday price volatility and major price swings on a daily basis. The E-mini S&P futures contracts (ES) are among the most popular stock index futures contract because they enable you to trade the markets trend with only one fifth of the requirement.

The E-mini S&P futures contract can be very volatile and can move even more aggressively during times of extreme market volatility. One tick on E-min S&P futures contract is equal to 0.25 of the index point or $12.50. The value of the E-mini S&P futures contract is $50 times the value of the S&P 500 stock index. - 23221

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading futures and currencies. Trade Dow Futures and S&P Futures!

How To Trade Money And Currency Easily

By Peggy J. Evans

Currency and money has also become a way of trading nowadays in the financial sector. This trading is known as forex. As people trades in stocks, commodities and options with a desire to make money similarly one can trade with currency. The trading with currency has become easier due to the variation between the prices of currencies of different countries. Furthermore coming up of computer know-how and internet has increased the trading practice all over the world. Let us find out how to trade money and currency.

Using internet one can get good deal of information to learn the necessary skills required in this segment of trade. Forex have resulted in an average of more than three trillion dollars trading on a daily basis all over the world. More over its popularity is increasing day by day and is offering a good deal of opportunity to people interested in currency trade.

The process of getting started with trading currencies is very simple. You need to sign up with a forex broker which can be done online. The existence of technical indicators helps even a novice to make some money in the forex market no matter what level of skills one is possessing.

The initial blinker is the pattern of chart which one should not ignore. Your ideas will strengthen if you keep a track on the charts and movement in trading will be more volatile if you follow the trend. Blend the pattern of charts with signals and you will get a more authentic indicator of making profits.

An easier way out is there if you want to make money. That is use an automatic forex expert advisor. These software programs are called robots, that you install on your computer and that will do trading on behalf of you using a system programmed into them. Computer already has the requisite conditioned program into them and one can get much more consistent results which even we people can't.

You need to start up the process by a demo which will provide you with all the required information needed such as video tutorials and free data. The robot software is cheap in price as compared to the courses available to trade for you. You only need to keep a focus on the right track and find the right system in details before you start the process of currency trading with your bring in money.

Our emotional feelings sometimes obstruct us in logical thinking and taking the right decision which can reflect in our trading activities. But exceptions are always there who can trade in a better way. Better will be if we take the aid of a computer which will cater with our expectations as they are already using an established dealing scheme.

To your surprisal out of every 10 persons 6 lose their harden money in the game and the remaining 4 people earns in millions every year. One would be surprised to see the gap between this 60 percent of people dropping off and the 40 percent bringing home the bacon. You need to find out the attainments before you deal in the currency trade. A beginner should be cautious before getting through this line of currency business. - 23221

About the Author:

Are you trying to figure out how to trade money? Currency trading is one of the most profitable, yet confusing, methods of making money in the world. Our guide on how to trade in currency is one of the best to help get you started.