Can I buy an option that lasts for two or three years?
This is most certainly true. Most optionable stocks have longer term option contracts, some of which do not expire until December 2011. In reference to a starting point an investor always needs to reflect on their trading objectives, or views as this will always form the basis of their trading strategy. Keeping in mind that…
Where did CFDs come from, and why the weird name?
Contracts for Difference or CFDs were originally developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1990’s by Smith New Court, a London based trading firm. CFDs were mainly used by the firm’s hedge fund clients to short sell using the benefits of leverage and also to take advantage of the stamp duty exemptions, which were…
Capitalising on price movements in reporting season
I am currently a new trader and I’m playing the Sharemarket Game and over the weeks I closely analyzed all the companies. To my complete surprise one of the companies (Downer EDI) went from -0.81% on the 20 Feb to 14.29% on the 21 Feb and there were no announcements prior to this. The day…
Trading the top 200 Aussie stocks with an eye on the SPI or the XJO, but never both
I have been trying to understand why the SPI and XJO follow the same intraday and daily trajectory. I have asked a number of people but have not yet obtained a satisfactory answer. On any given trading day a multitude of people trade the top 200 Australian stocks, with little or no concern for the…
10 top dividend paying stocks
When the sharemarket falls by 20 per cent or more – as it has done since November – one of the major comforts to an investor is the dividend income from shares. It comes from a company’s earnings, so it’s not affected by the share price. So the dividends being paid this year – usually…
Climate change and consumers: hot air or real deal?
At present, when what Australians say they will do to help the environment is laid side-by-side with what they actually do, there is definitely a gap. However, if you’re developing or marketing goods and services with a green hue, the gap looks to close over time and there may be more customers who are willing…
Why you should split super with your spouse
Until recently, the ability to split superannuation pots was a popular strategy for couples looking to reduce the amount of tax payable on their end benefits. But from 1 July 2007, the government’s Better Super changes mean that for the majority of people aged 60 or over, super paid as a lump sum or income…
How to beat the super doom and gloom
The rapid decline in global equity markets has stripped wealth from superannuation nest eggs in an investment environment that looks challenging for at least the next 12 months. The popular default options of the nation’s super funds are likely to return an average loss of 4 per cent for the 2007/08 financial year, according to…
Why everyone loves penny dreadful stocks
Penny dreadfuls – stocks that sell for a handful of cents yet give big percentage gains – have a long history in Australia. Since the beginnings of the stock exchange, resources explorers have traditionally filled this role, often hitting paydirt with a drilling hole, resulting in a share price surge. More recently, technology stocks and…
Renowned Turtle Trader grossed $US384,000 in his first year
The Turtle Traders’ legend began with a bet between American multi-millionaire commodities trader, Richard Dennis and his business partner, William Eckhardt. Dennis believed that traders could be taught to be great; Eckhardt disagreed asserting that genetics were the determining factor and that skilled traders were born with an innate sense of timing and a gift…
