| |
| |
|
Stocks & Mutual Funds Information |
|
|
|
Commoditizing the world
Let's discuss commodities; with the latest Enron situation, it is important to understand the way things work. A commodity is anything useful, especially a transportable agricultural product or mining product. This comes from the Latin word "commoditas" meaning roughly advantage, convenience. So then what is a commodity? Well we consider Gold, Silver, wheat, corn, pork bellies, coffee, etc all commodities. If you look in the back of the WSJ or Investors Business Daily you will see a listing of all the commodities traded on the commodities exchange. Enron made some errors no doubt, but let's not judge all commodity markets in haste. Commodity trading works best when there is a stable instrument of trade. Sometimes the instrument of trade is actually the commodity. If you looked most countries of the world today you would find that there are three basic instruments of trade; money, as in currency, precious metals and gems, drugs; like cocaine, opium, and arms, like grenade launchers, RPGs, bullets, machine guns, WMD, tanks, and surface to air handheld rockets. Yes, this can have horrible human rights issues, but we are discussing this from a theoretical standpoint, not condemning the obvious problems with mankind. Many countries without a stabilized currency are trading everything in arms and drugs. Even human sex slaves and other unfortunate means; a travesty, which cannot be argued. The commodity trading of cultural products is of necessity to stabilize prices and to feed the world and help in the planning and allocation of funds for future needs. If a farmer cannot make an honest living farming a field then microeconomics tells us that eventually he'll exit the marketplace. When there is a need for a product such as corn, sugar, oil, etc. and that need is so important to the people buying it, then they will be willing to pay in advance a certain price for it, so they can guarantee they will get it. For instance Kellogg's needs sugar to fulfill the needs of their customers who will buy pop tarts. If they do not get the sugar the cannot produce the pop tarts. Everyone loves pop tarts, but if Kellogg has sugar than they cannot make the pop tarts to sell you at Wal-Mart. Kelloggs can due to commodities markets buy in advance and at a known price prior to the harvest of the sugar necessary to produce my Brown Sugar Cinamon Pop Tarts. Think about it. "Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Dont Ask Your Broker Unfortunately, most of you who are reading my column are suffering some substantial losses in the stock market. Whether it is mutual funds or individual stocks everything with mighty few exceptions is going down. Low Expense Ratio One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds is to tell how low their expense ratio is and that you will make a great deal more money if you buy and hold with them. Partly true, but that is not the whole story. Stock Investment Advice Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get cold called by brokers with the latest investment tip? I have, as have countless others around the globe. Emotional Trading The single most expensive stock market trades are those made with emotions, but, of course, you are not an emotional trader are you?Before you bought that stock, mutual fund or Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) you did your research to be sure that what you were buying would return a good profit over the long haul. You bought it and over time you look at it less and less. Fools Gold The stock market has been in an up trend for more than a year. Almost everyone is feeling good and many believe we are back in the old bull market with the previous high of the Dow Jones Industrial Average just about to be broken. How Much Information Do You Need? You have decided to buy some stock or mutual funds, but wonder which one to buy. You need more information so you call your broker for advice. Cash How many people went to a cash position this week? There is no question that this market has scared the bajebers out of many investors, me included. Fortunately, I started going to cash some time ago, but I did give back a substantial amount of my profit. Shorting Stocks - The Basics, Part II of II After the publication of the first part of this two part series, I had a few questions asking if shorting stocks is legal and I will quickly reply with a big YES. Some people believe that shorting shares of American companies is not patriotic or does not seem like the right thing to do. Struggling Stocks, Booming Commodities 04/28/2005NASDAQ dropped -12.5% year to date in 2005. Stock Options Trading Strategies - Lean Professional stock options traders use the term lean to refer to one's perception about the directional strength of the stock. When you own a stock option and intend to hold it for a period of time, you are aware that you will probably be holding it while it goes up and while it goes down. Buying New Issues Has your broker been calling you recently with the "great opportunity" to get in on a new Initial Public Offering? With friends like that you don't need any enemies.I don't care how good this new stock offering sounds. E-mini Day Trading - Day Trading for Beginners - Stock Market Timing Software I mean it when I say that. While plastic silverware is fine for picnics and parties, it is totally inappropriate in a surgeon's hand with an open brain in front of him. Investing in the Stock Market From the book 'The Stockopoly Plan' by the author Charles M. O'MeliaThere are several factors an investor in the stock market should consider:1. The Bottom? Every day I hear someone on CNBC proclaim that "this is the bottom" and you should get in there and buy all those "bargains". "The valuations of the DOW stocks are a steal. Market Timing? The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is being used by Wall Street to persuade investors that market timing is a bad thing. The late trading by Janus, Bank America and several other well known mutual funds is falsely being called market timing. Lights of the Stock Market There are red lights, green lights, blue lights and spot lights. There are orange lights, pink light and flash lights. Its Better Question: How does it get better when it gets worse?Last week we had a jobs report from Washington that there were fewer jobs created than they had anticipated, but the stock market took that as good news and the DOW had a strong rally. WOW! The bad news somehow turned into good news because the unemployment rate dropped one tenth of one percent. Analyzing Growth Stocks: An Important Focus For Any Investor Analyzing growth stocks is an important focus for any investor. This is especially important, since stocks are an irreplaceable part of any good investment plan, and since unbiased stock research is hard to find. Trading Education: The Best of Both Worlds! I made my very first investment in the stock market when I wasten years old. Ever since then I have been hooked! Now I checkout hundreds of trades each year with the same excitement andenthusiasm, and each time try to find that one market at theright time that could dramatically create wealth. Option Trading Basics Options trading can increase the profits you make when trading Stocks if you understand how to use them and know what you are doing. Options can be a very useful tool that the average investor can use to enhance their returns.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
