It has been discovered that most stock traders usually struggle to make the money they deserve. According to experts, this is usually due to poor strategies. The truth about successful stock trades is that they aren’t as complicated as most people usually make them sound. You only need the right strategies to stand out. Below are some of such strategies.
Defining Your Goals
This is where it probably starts from. Without a well-defined goal, you may come up with a scattergun approach when it comes adopting a strategy that can help in picking profitable stocks or forex trades. This is one of the problems most newbies usually face.
It is where you will need to define or determine your portfolio’s purpose. Everyone wants to make money. However, investors should have the mentality of seeing beyond short-term profits. As a smart investor, your goal should be centered on how your wealth can be preserved for the long term. It is basically all about long term capital appreciation.
In this instance, you have to determine the kind of stocks to be invested in. For instance, there are stocks which make regular dividend payments. There are also investors who have the aim of preserving their wealth for the long term. They are not expecting regular dividends since such come in small proportions. Finally, there are investors who are interested in capital appreciation. These investors prefer investing funds into small companies that have growth potential (even for the price of increased risk).
You have to decide which category to belong in. This will help you to make informed decisions that will yield the expected returns. You have to understand that each type or category of investment has its risks and benefits.
Keeping Your Eyes On The Ground
The stock market is really vast and highly volatile. This means prices can change within a split second. A company you find to be performing very well can start crumbling before your eyes and vice versa. This is why you have to consider being as current and up to date with recent events and fundamentals in the market as possible. You need to be current with financial news in order to stay ahead of other investors. There are lots of blogs which are dedicated to providing news about such markets. Try to sign up with them in order to get the latest news.
For instance, a news site can make some announcements which point to how demands for a certain product will be expected to rise within the next couple of months. If you are an investor who believes in short term returns, this will definitely be worth given a try after all the needed analyses have been concluded.
It may surprise you to know that even the successful stock traders/investors usually sign up with various media platforms. This is usually to stay updated with the market trend. It is a poor strategy trying to make decisions based on guesswork. Instead, your decisions should be prompted by the events in the market which are backed up by facts. This is one of the most guaranteed ways of taking calculated risks.
Stop Being Emotional
Are you emotional about your investment decisions? Do you know that such can cost you more than imagined in this market? This is one problem that most stock traders have to struggle with on regular basis. They are too emotional that their decisions are based on impulse rather than market facts and analyses.
For instance, you are very passionate about cars up to the extent of considering buying stocks in a company that isn’t performing well. This is only a recipe that will put you out of business.
There is no need trying to be too emotional. This is business and as such, your analyses and decisions need to yield the expected returns. Don’t buy stocks in a company you have affection for. Instead, ensure your investments are channeled into stocks that have the potential of making the most returns.
In other words, your investment decisions shouldn’t be beclouded by sentiments as such can lead to losses in the long run. Try to analyze the needed fact about a company you plan investing in. This will ensure you don’t get stranded along the lines. It has been discovered that newbie investors are always guilty of picking stocks based on emotions.
Finding Companies
The truth about the stock market is that there are lots of companies involved in it. This makes the process of searching for companies you can invest in very complicated. Most people are always guilty of not searching the entire market in order to find winning stocks. This is a recipe that will ensure you are leaving money on the table. As a matter of fact, the more you search the stock market; that is how numerous investment options will be available to you. In other words, there will be lots of profitable stocks that you can choose from.
Searching for these companies doesn’t have to be complicated especially when you understand how to go about the entire process. One of the ways to go about this process is using ETFs (Exchange Trust Funds). This will ensure that the industry’s performances which you are interested in is tracked accurately. You will also find stocks that people are investing in. Another way is paying attention to news releases, blog articles and stock analyses from experts.
The second method seems to be more effective since you will have information stocks which aren’t performing well and those with the potentials of experiencing growth within a period of time. The best way to make it work is ensuring your decisions aren’t subjective. Simply put, ensure arguments and opinions are analyzed in the most objective manner. This will help you make investment decisions that aren’t sentimental.
Corporate Presentations
This strategy is only effective once you have found the right company to invest in. That is to say, you will have to filter out lots of companies before reaching this stage. It is a stage which points to the fact that you have found an industry which will prove to be profitable either in the short or long term.
In this stage, you must have had access to the financial reports of companies you plan investing in their stocks. These reports will help to provide an insight into activities of such companies. For instance, you will understand how such companies are making profits, the activities they are engaged in and their past performances.
Reports like these give you an insight about how the company can perform in the long run. Future expectations of a company will be explained to ensure investors understand what they are getting into. This is a very important stage and shouldn’t be taken for granted in any way. As a matter of fact, trying to invest in the stock of a company without looking at facts in its financial reports will mean taking shots in the dark. This will only make you end up losing money.
Chasing The Value
Are you the type of investor who looks at prices of stocks without considering their value? This is one of the problems that most people face in the stock market. They know the price of almost all the stocks. However, the problem is that they aren’t aware of their value. This is where you will need to ensure value creation is placed ahead of price knowledge. It has to do with looking at a company’s prospects both in the short and long term. You need to consider how a company can adapt to changes in the market as time passes by.
For instance, you plan investing in a successful supermarket based on the impressive financial reports. This means your decisions are based on the price it tends to be offering its stocks to investors. This isn’t the best way to chase value.
Instead, you have to consider how the supermarket can successfully adjust to the future changes in its industry. This could be demonstrated in its ability to make use of websites or mobile apps in ensuring needs of customers are met. You also need to consider how its products will remain valuable to customers in the future. These are the best ways to consider value instead of price.
Timing The Market
If you ever think that finding companies which can be invested in is simple, you are really wrong. The truth is that you can invest in lots companies but only few will live up to your expectations eventually. This is where you have to ensure the market is timed properly. Don’t forget that the stock market is highly volatile. Therefore, you need to always enter the market at the right time and limit the risks associated with each trade.
In order to get this right, it is important you do lots of comparisons. Predicting where the stock market will be heading in the nearest future is very difficult. This is why a process such as this should be carried out on daily/regular basis. You can also compare a company’s current market price to what its peer are offering.