How to Invest Using the Volatility Index

CBOE recently reported that the market volatility is at its low again,

All kidding aside, with about three weeks remaining, it’s been a fairly wonderful year for the S&P 500®. The large cap index is higher by about 25%. If the year ended today (12/6), this would be the best annual performance for the S&P 500® since 2013 (+29.6%) and the third best since 2000. The data below is through midday December 6.Source: S&P Dow Jones Indices More recently, S&P® 500 realized volatility (10- & 30-day) measured at more than two-year lows. One has to go back to October 2017 for realized volatility levels below where they were in mid-to-late November. There’s typically a relationship between historical and expected volatility in the broad market. As such, it’s not surprising that the VIX® Index measured 11.54 on November 26. That same day, 30-day HV in S&P® 500 dropped to 5.70%.

There are usually 252 trading days in a calendar year. Over the past decade, on average, there have been 52.8 moves of +/-1% (close over close) in the S&P® 500 per annum. Through December 6, there have been 38 in 2019. So over the past decade, on average, there’s a 1% S&P® 500 move roughly once every five trading days. Read more...

Looking at the market's performance over the past year, it makes sense that a great deal of investors feel the market rebounded too quickly. Many also believe that the market is set to correct after having recovered as aggressively as it did.
However, there is one way to examine whether the market's rebound was superficial or indeed worthy of continued growth and that is through the volatility index, or VIX as it is best known within the industry.

How To Use the VIX
Since volatility measures how much a trend will deviate from its norm, the volatility index expresses an amount of uncertainty among investors that the current trend or price movements will continue. This uncertainty makes sense because, as investors become less certain about a security or price, that number will shift wildly one way or another.
The VIX, therefore, tells us whether there is much doubt in the market. When prices are heading up and there is little uncertainty or doubt, then it is quite likely that the underlying upward trend will continue. If volatility is high as measured by the VIX, there is great risk that the trend will continue.

What the VIX Tells Us About Prices
When it comes to security prices, the VIX can indicate whether it is properly valued or improperly valued. When the VIX is high, the believe is that securities are not properly valued, but as that volatility reduces to a more-normal state, that price is more likely to "stick" or continue along its path.

Trading Based on the VIX
Many traders love making trades when the VIX is high. This is because prices will swing broadly from their "normal" range, allowing for greater opportunity for profit (and losses as well). However, when volatility is reduced, the indication is that the underlying trend will probably continue, meaning that returns (and losses) are a lot more predictable in the short-term when the VIX value is low. All it takes to make big money when the VIX is high (above 30-40) is to make the right call on the direction that the price will swing (up or down) and position your investment accordingly.

Evidently, the easier yet less lucrative method is to go with the flow (low VIX value) rather than make an educated gamble (high VIX value).
With the above in mind, the currently underlying trend is expected to continue. This means that the market's remarkable rebound during 2009 is not so much a quick, unjustifiable "bounce" as it is a recovery. And with the VIX values progressively getting lower, the indication is that the recovery period is really just getting started.

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What is Stock Volatility?

Volatility is a measure of the rate and magnitude of the change in the stock's value (up or down) of the underlying which is stated as a percentage over one-year. A higher volatility means there is more than average price changed during a trading day and a lower volatility means there is less than average change in the price of stock. When it is mathematically expressed, it is equal to the standard deviation price changes at the end of one-year period.
A stock having higher volatility is more likely that stock price change move towards deeper into the money. When volatility is high, premium of an option will be higher and vice versa. Traders would be benefited if they have good understanding of volatility. This helps them to estimate how an option is valued relating to the trends of the underlying stock.
A low volatile stock has good chance of price not moving at all. Thus, volatility is an indication which tells about the likelihood of the price of a stock going up or down. If you have purchased a call on a stock expecting to gain profit in the short run, you expect the price of stock to go up. This will give better chances of call becoming worthy in future. More the chances of call becoming worth in future, the premium on the option will be increasing. Keeping other things unchanged, it is good to sell an option whose implied volatility is high and buy if its implied volatility is low.
Volatility measures market expectations regarding how price of underlying asset is expected to trade in future. Implied volatility and historical volatility are the two types of volatility. Historical volatility is also known as statistical volatility. Using current price of an underlying asset as base, implied volatility reflects expected future volatility from the existing price to the price at the expiration. Where stock market perceives volatility for an option in the future is known as implied volatility. One can get the future value of implied option volatility for the future. One can also project the direction of the stock price using historical volatility and fair value of the stock along with implied volatility.
Historical volatility measures the stock's volatility based on how the underlying asset had been traded in the past. It refers to the past price movements of an underlying asset. Historical volatility helps in determining the possible magnitude future moves of underlying asset. It involves a statistical calculation and tells us how quick price movements are in a given time frame. This is the standard deviation which analyzes the range of data points against the average.
One can draw conclusion about the current and the future trends of option volatility by reviewing the historical volatility along with fundamental analysis. This is more important as one can calculate and expect the feasible prices changes of an underlying asset in the future.
Historical volatility shows how volatility has been in the past whereas implied volatility views expected future volatility based on current option prices. One can see the expected trading range of the market with historical volatility and implied volatility acts as an indicator of the current market sentiment.

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What are Investment Risks?

Reuters describes the lessons from Charles Schwab,

"1. While you’re young, get out there and work every job you can.

2. Take the risk – even if you are not totally ready.
When trading commissions were first deregulated decades ago, no one – including Schwab himself – truly knew how a low-cost brokerage strategy was going to play out. But he went for it, and his current $7.8 billion net worth (according to Forbes) indicates how well that bet paid off.

His motto: “85% ready is good enough,” he says. “If you’re 85% of the way there, then make the decision to go for it. Hesitation doesn’t do anybody any good.”

3. Turn your weakness into advantage.

4. Do the hard things.

Another of his lowest career moments: When the Schwab board let go former Chief Executive David Pottruck. Not only because it was a delicate situation with a longtime colleague, but because it meant Schwab himself had to reassume the title of CEO.

“That was a really down time,” he remembered. “It felt like a fire hose of water coming at my head, becoming a CEO again at sixtysomething.” But a public company’s primary responsibility is to its shareholders, and even though it wasn’t comfortable or easy, Schwab did what he felt had to be done.

5. Do not think in terms of family dynasties." Read more...

Investing in shares definitely attracts a lot of individuals as they can expect good returns on the investments. Past stories of some investors who invested in companies like Reliance, Infosys Technologies in the initial period became millionaires and billionaires adds to the attractiveness of the stock market. Not only Reliance,Infosys there are many companies which has given exceptional returns to the investors. There are many instances where investors have lost money and have become bankrupt as they have invested in new start up companies or small companies.

Types of investing risk in shares

Business risks: Risks associated with the type of a business and the product/service offering of the company. Change in buyer behavior, introduction of better products adds to the business risk of a company. For example - A company has only one product. Any negative effect to that product will directly affect the revenues of the company.

Industry risk: Changes in law & regulations, improved technology, can affect the performance of an industry or a sector as a whole. This risk is applicable to all companies in the industry. Take the example of regulated industry like oil. Companies sold oil at a lower price than the cost of production. This will have a negative impact on the profitability.

Financial risk: Financial Management is one of the most important aspect of any organization. Optimum level of debt, equity, reserves etc and company finances should be maintained adequately for smooth functioning of the company.

Management risk: Corporate Governance is an integral part of every company. The Board of Directors, Senior Management, Policies of Corporate Governance are important criteria before investing in a company. The Management should focus on long term vision rather than taking short term decisions.
Exchange rate risk: These factors affect a company which does business outside the country. It may be importing, exporting or any other transaction done by a company in a different currency. This risk cannot be nullified but can be reduced through various currency hedging risk strategies. Export oriented companies are majorly affected with this type of risk.

Global economy risk - As the world has become a global village and all the economies are linked to each other. Closely linked economies are the worst affected. Meltdown in US economy affected all countries as US is the most important country in the world. This has also affected companies doing business in those economies. For example - Most of the Indian software companies were affected badly because of the US slowdown as majority of the revenues comes from US.

As an investor, understand the risks associated with the companies,industries, sectors you invest in.

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Is It a Good Time to Invest in Gold?

Value walk thinks that it's now a good time to invest in gold

"Global trade tensions between the USA and China, the uncertainties around Brexit in Europe, increasing tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and a return to monetary easing by central banks may very well mean that now is the time to begin accumulating the most historically sound asset of all time – if only to hold a safe haven investment impervious to the trends in other markets.

Gold has, for thousands of years, been a tremendously important asset to cultures around the globe, acting as a material that could serve as a store of value, unit of account and means of exchange.

The evolution of society cannot be decoupled from that of gold. Not only did it become a sort of ‘language for value’ in ancient civilisations, enabling individuals to communicate value with one another, but it drove development in entire regions (such as California or Australia), where economic incentives pushed huge numbers of aspiring gold prospectors to migrate to these.

Many lament the loss of the gold standard, given that it now allows a central party to devalue an individual’s savings, simply by printing more of it. Fiat is not inherently valuable and it’s cheap to manufacture – a challenge for wealth preservation, as commercial banks operating on a fractional reserve basis can increase the money supply while lending." Read more...

Many in the mainstream media are pointing out the recession is over and the US economy is growing once again. The problem with that is that the facts say something entirely different: that our financial crisis has just begun. Europe, China, Greece, etc. are all facing major financial problems also but they all pale in comparison to the debt that strangleholds America.

So is it time to buy gold and invest in gold? Consider the following: With gross U.S. debt at 90% of the Gross Domestic Product, and with the U.S. gross public debt probably reaching 97% within next year and 110% by 2015, it has to be painfully obvious that the debt our country faces is completely impossible to pay back. Politicians and Congress are trying to solve this problem by printing more and more money, which of course only makes the problem worse as the end result of this will be the total collapse of the U.S. dollar with double-digit inflation almost a certainty.

Despite the fact that gold is trading at almost all-time highs, the trend in gold continues to signal upward movement and for good reason. The economic forces which have led to our current financial mess makes gold an unstoppable force as it's the ONLY way you can hedge against economic collapse. Gold is the ultimate safe haven in troubled economic times and based on fundamental economic data (not what the cheer-leading government politicians and news media outlets want you to hear), we're currently living in times where gold will hold its value better (and soar higher) than any other asset. In fact, gold most likely will provide extraordinary gains for those who invest in gold today and buy gold safely.

Who do you trust: the natural and time-proven benefits of gold in a fragile market or the remote possibility of our government officials doing the right thing and getting the economy back on track? Based on the numbers, the latter is literally impossible. Our debt is too high and can't ever be repaid. The dollar collapse is imminent. You can either ride the gold wave and buy gold now or get steamrolled by it and say "I should have".

Visit and learn why Investing in gold is the prudent move for investors to profit in the upcoming crazy years, when everyone else who stayed in real estate and the stock market will see their positions evaporate. This point cannot be stressed highly enough. It's definitely time to buy gold now, despite its "high price". The price of not buying gold will be far greater - and painful.

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What is Implied Volatility in Option Trading?

Marketwatch outlined an option volatility trading strategy developed by a former market maker,

"The Black-Scholes model used in options pricing exhibits a log normal distribution, a consequence of the fact that prices cannot go below zero. This distribution presently exhibits a fat tail to the downside, Harwood said.

“That’s kind of how selling options works; you’re going to make money, but when you lose, you will lose more than you make.”

The thought in Harwood's mind was how to create a scenario that takes the skewed distribution and applies technicals so he could say the stock is more likely to go up than down, he said.

The market is built for crashes, Harwood said." Read more...

Option Volatility Trading makes use of the thought of volatility as applied to the stock market. During a particular time, this kind of trading mainly focuses on the magnitude of the distance the stock prices travel. There are times when short-term volatility is low. This happens when the stock prices remain in approximately the same range for a long time.

On the contrary, there are times when the stock prices rapidly move at various price ranges. Getting stock prices' Historical Volatility is the key step. It can be obtained by getting the realized value volatility of a financial instrument on a certain time and evaluating it to the average stock prices. The higher the difference among the two, the bigger the opportunity will be.

Option volatility trading allows you remember whether the option contract being offered to you is under-priced or over-priced. To do this, one needs to look at the Implied Volatility (IV) of the option stock value. It would be best to keep away from when you have analyzed and observed that the options price in the contract is expensive and is over-priced. You must be cautious of option trading strategies such as spreads that have 'sell to open' positions schemes. On the other hand, it is a good opportunity for you to make investments when you notice that the options contract is under-priced or is at a discounted level than the standard price. The contract has low Implied Volatility.

With option volatility trading, both Implied Volatility and Historical Volatility must be accounted. Historical Volatility is the average movement of the stock value at a certain time frame which was defined earlier. As an example you're analyzing at the money (ATM), out of the money (OTM) and in the money (ITM) prices of a certain stock. You have observed that evaluating the prices that the OTM option prices are higher than those of the ATM prices. What do you think is the better alternative? In this case, it is better to buy than to take out a Bull Call Spread or to open the ATM options.

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What is Volatility Index?

Forbes warned that we should look beyond the volatility index,

Many investors make the mistake of not looking beyond the CBOE Volatility Index, known as the VIX, in their assessment of volatility and by extension, market risk. But the VIX is just a gauge of equity risk. Any market with traded options has its own set of volatility. Interest rate volatility is Davis’ focus. By any measurable standard – and there are four – interest rate volatility is at all-time lows.

Other surprises could lead to a spike in volatility. Once investors anticipate surprises, they are no longer surprises. Allocations to “long volatility” products beyond the VIX can help insure portfolios for when the surprises do come – and come they will. They always do.

“People don’t expect anything to happen, other than for them [the Fed] to continue to cut,” Davis says. But there are any number of events that can upend central bank expectations in the U.S. and elsewhere. One scenario is a trade war – not with China, but with Europe after Britain leaves the EU. Read more...

In order to understand how traders and investors are "sensation" relating to the marketplaces in the near future, one ought to constantly take a look at the "Fear Index" or the VIX. The VIX is the symbol for Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index. What this does is determines the movement of each of the significant markets. To put it simply, when the VIX goes up, volatility (the movement of stocks/options) is up. It is that easy. Now, why does this make it the "Fear Index"? Well to keep it basic, when individuals are afraid in the markets they tend to sell or trade more than regular for this reason the VIX increases. Sell-offs can increase VIX significantly.

The issue with the VIX increasing is that the volatility increases the risk for investors (Individuals that don't trade more than 4 times a week). The VIX increasing only is useful for DAY TRADERS (Those that trade stocks/bonds/Options/ ETF's several times a day throughout market hours) due to the fact that you have the ability to buy/sell throughout its ups and downs throughout the day. Financiers on the other hand (for instance: If you have a retirement plan, you are a financier) you are at threat indefinitely because your goal is long term gain with hardly any trades in the short term (particularly when most retirement plans are mutual funds ONLY). Nevertheless, there are methods for financiers to be extra mindful when the VIX goes up such as buying in the markets when it dips listed below 1%, purchasing PUTS (please see the previous short article on this topic), and putting trailing stops on the individual financial investments. These might sound basic adequate but it will assist in saving you from a significant loss. Another financial investment you can do is precious metals. Gold tends to do exceptionally well when the VIX is up (when there is worry, investors put their money into reasonably safe, set earnings and/or inflation safe type of investments such as Gold and precious metals). This is not always the case nevertheless history has actually revealed this to be precise.

If you are a day trader, you want the VIX up as much as possible. One thing is for sure when you feel comfy with the VIX you can do some really accurate predictions where the markets in basic are going!

In order to understand how traders and financiers are "feeling" regarding the markets in the near future, one needs to always look at the "Worry Index" or the VIX. Well to keep it simple, when people are fearful in the markets they tend to sell or trade more than normal hence the VIX goes up. There are methods for financiers to be extra careful when the VIX goes up such as purchasing in the markets when it dips below 1%, purchasing PUTS (please see previous post on this subject), and putting tracking stops on the specific financial investments.

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Investing During a Recession

BI recently argued that the recession risk is over,

Campbell Harvey, the Duke professor who pioneered the inverted yield curve's use as a recession signal, says his beloved model will break one day.

That hasn't happened yet. A negative spread between three-month and 10-year Treasury yields — also known as a yield curve inversion — has come before each of the seven economic recessions since the 1960s. It's a perfect track record that other indicators, or even other parts of the yield curve, can't boast.

The latest inversion occurred earlier this year when worries around a global economic slowdown and possible recession sent investors rushing into Treasurys, which have historically been viewed as safe haven assets. Since bond yields trade inversely to price, this pushed 10-year yields sharply lower, bringing the aforementioned spread into negative territory. Read more...

The recession and the anticipatory fall in stock prices that preceded it has scared a lot of investors away from the market. This is unfortunate since it is during these times that the stock positions are built that result in the truly great returns. Just like shopping at the supermarket, the time to stock up is when things is when they are on sale.

Individuals tend to do just the opposite when it comes to investing, however, buying only after big run-ups and selling after prices have declined. The result is so pervasive that there are strategies that actually try to follow the inflows and outflows of "the crowd" and do the opposite. The more bullish the public is, the more stock one sells. The more bearish, the more one buys. This strategy has additional merit in that when everyone is bullish it probably means that they have already invested all of the money they have and there is little capital available to drive stocks higher. (Note that with real estate, once home prices has risen to the point that individuals could not even afford the payments with no money-down, interest only loans, housing prices quickly went from straight up to straight down.)

The difficulty is that individuals tend to equate buying and seeing prices rise with "winning" and buying and seeing prices falling as "losing." One needs to get over this mindset to succeed at investing because it will cause one to miss out on great investing opportunities. If one buys a stock in a falling market and sees the shares decline a bit, one should see it as an opportunity to buy more at lower prices. If held long enough (and assuming that quality stocks are being purchased) the stock should be much higher than either price paid. One should take advantage of the fact that a falling market causes all stocks - good and bad - to fall. The difference is that the good stocks quickly recover while the bad languish.

Unfortunately, the style needed for successful investing runs counter to an individual's normal psychology. If a person buys a stock and it goes down, he may initially stay with his convictions and perhaps pick up a few shares (like doubling down in gambling), but if the stock continues to decline he will eventually sell out. If he does not sell out, he may sell as soon as the price returns to the price paid, feeling that he "got his money back," only to see the stock soar to new heights.

This can be avoided with a few simple strategies:

1. When buying a stock, particularly in a down market, build up a larger position by buying only a portion at a time. For example, build up a 500 share position by buying 100-200 shares at a time on dips. One should have a targeted number of shares before starting, however, to avoid the other common mistake of averaging down in a losing stock.

2. Plan to invest for the long-term. If one is planning to be invested for 10-20 years in a stock, one will have a different perspective on 10-20% declines.

3. Do not invest money that is needed in the near-term. If a retirement is looming or college tuition bills are just around the corner, funds needed to pay for these expenses should not be invested in the stock market. Because downturns can last for five to ten years, one should not have money invested in stocks that will be needed within the next five years or so. While putting cash into a CD may seem like a waste, the psychological peace it will give will result in smarter investment decisions.

The other question that may be asked is "What types of stocks should one buy during a recession?" As was previously stated, all stocks tend to go down during downturns in the market. This means that the shares of the top companies in a sector will tend to fall along with those of the second and third-tier companies.

Find the companies that are leaders in the industry, which probably had higher PE ratios than the industry average during the good times. Other good signs are companies that have little if any debt, strong cash flows, and had consistent earnings growth. These companies will tend to be stronger than their competitors and therefore better able to weather the recession. They will pick up market share as their competitors fail, emerging from the recession stronger than ever.

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What are Stock Earnings?

Marketwatch analyzed the recent corporate earnings,

Kramer points out that the earnings multiple of the S&P 500 SPX, +0.41% on a trailing 12-month basis recently touched 19.7, the lowest level since June 2016 — a time when “the world literally felt as if it was on the verge of a meltdown”. (That multiple is a key method of measuring the value of a stock relative to earnings.)

For some context, Kramer used earnings data going back to 1988 and projections through to 2020, then overlaid that with a chart of the S&P for what he says is a self-explanatory reflection of where we stand.

Kramer explained that the numbers show attractive equity valuations and, if corporate earnings continue to increase as expected, the market “has a great distance to rise” in the coming years. Read more...

When you are thinking about investing in stocks, you require to do a little research study on the earning record of the company. If a company doesn't have a consistent record of earning in the past, you should remove it from the list of stocks you are thinking about for investing your money in.

Many businesses do well for two-three years and then they go awry. One more thing that makes a business appealing for investment is if it has actually been growing its earnings over the years.

There are 3 heads of Cash Circulation Statement- Money flow from operating activities, from investing activities and from financing activities. This is the real money the company is generating from its business.

Capital from investing activities is the capital from investment in financial instruments or money utilized by investment in capital assets. Capital from funding activities is the capital resulting from issuing dividends, borrowing or paying financial obligation and issuing equity. If the business is not able to fund its growth from the cash it is generating from service, it may not be a really healthy sign. However, if the company remains in a start-up stage or is thinking of big-ticket investment, it may have to money its growth through loan or issuance of stocks. You need to make a judgment based on your analysis of the situation.

Understanding the stability and development of earnings of a business helps you decide whether you need to consider the stock of the company for financial investment or not. Apart from making stability and growth, you likewise require to examine dividend payment record, management quality and intrinsic worth of a stock, prior to you select picking a stock for financial investment.

When you are considering investing in stocks, you need to do a little research on the earning record of the company. If a company does not have a consistent record of making in the past, you should eliminate it from the list of stocks you are considering for investing your money in. If you do not find yearly reports, utilize Google and find a web resource from where you can get the last ten years' record of noted companies.

If the company is in a start-up phase or is believing about big-ticket investment, it might have to fund its development through loan or issuance of stocks.

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Option Trading for Beginners

Barrons discussed index options trading,

"Zem Sternberg, one of the options market’s most respected traders, is using the low-volatility investing craze to power a strategy designed to produce returns that match the stock market’s upside while outperforming when the market swoons. He does this by actively trading index options and futures to hedge portfolios. The moving parts of the strategy are complicated, but the essence is simple: creating hedges that are constantly curated to protect portfolios without paying so much money as to harm overall profitability.

As investors keep selling options, which suppresses implied volatility, Sternberg’s investment firm, Lake Hill Capital Management, buys S&P 500 options and futures to create portfolio hedges at reduced prices. To further reduce the expense of continuous hedging, Lake Hill trades S&P 500 options and futures on a daily basis.

Sternberg’s firm essentially trades hedges like any other options position, which requires a deep understanding of thousands of index options and futures contracts. Most investors treat hedges like insurance policies. Even when they can sell them for big profits, many do nothing because they’re convinced that volatility will keep rising and increase the hedge’s value." Read more...

Index alternative trading is a topic that even those acquainted with stock exchange lingo typically know little about. But it is a way of trading choices that are essentially run the risk of complimentary, where all you are running the risk of is the premium you pay for the choice, which is usually a little portion of the potential profit you stand to make.

Let me discuss it in plain English if this sounds a little technical.

The initial approach of generating income on the stock market was to purchase a business's shares in order to offer them later at a profit.

Then choices came along. Instead of actually acquiring stock or shares, you might simply acquire the choice to purchase. You didn't become a shareholder so you couldn't vote and participate in at company conferences and weren't entitled to dividends, but as your primary concern was to merely make money from an increase in the business's value, and as you were probably doing the exact same thing with lots of companies, you probably weren't concerned about this.

If you consider the stock of XYZ Inc, present cost $10.00, is going to increase in the near future, then you might buy an option to purchase, state, 1,000 shares at $10.00 each in, say, 3 months' time. The premium, or cost, of the choice, might be 10 cents a share, total $100 (1,000 x $0.10).

Less expensive than purchasing 1,000 shares at $10 (overall cost $10,000), eh?

In addition, your danger is less, because your maximum loss, if the cost does not increase, is your premium of $100. If you purchased the shares your theoretical risk would be $10,000, though undoubtedly only if the business was to go bankrupt and the shares end up being worthless. In spite of this, options are an excellent option to shares, and you can have an interest in a lot more shares for your cash, which brings us to the next point.

If, as you anticipated, the share price does certainly increase, then you can make a massive profit. In our example, if the share rate rose simply decently to $12 from $10 within the three months, by no suggests a not likely occasion in the life of a company, then you would be able to offer your choice for $2,000, i.e. you 'd in effect buy the shares for $10 each, overall $10,000, and sell them for $12 each, total $12,000. The profit is, therefore, $2,000, less the initial $100 premium, giving a net profit of $1,900.

If it's as easy as that, then why would anyone sell an alternative to you? For the same factor that people sell shares - because they might be of the view that the shares will probably go down in worth.

Where does index options trading come into it? The difficulty with the example I've simply offered is that individual stocks can be unstable and it can be very challenging to forecast future rate movements unless you are extremely familiar with what's going on in that company.

Find a suitable index of the business in that sector, track it, and when you consider a relocation up-wards in cost is due then acquire the index choice. This has the advantage that any individual share volatility will be ironed out and you will be thus secured.

Of all the stock trading tools you might discover, this should be among the best. If you keep yourself well-informed in a couple of sectors as I've described, something that's not too hard to do, then you should be successful even more frequently than not, and given the risk/reward ratio described above you must be able to make regular revenues with very little danger.

Rather than in fact buying stock, or shares, you might simply buy the option to purchase. In spite of this, alternatives are an excellent alternative to shares, and you can have an interest in many more shares for your money, which brings us to the next point.

In our example, if the share price rose simply decently to $12 from $10 within the three months, by no indicates a not likely occasion in the life of a company, then you would be able to sell your alternative for $2,000, i.e. you 'd in effect purchase the shares for $10 each, overall $10,000, and offer them for $12 each, total $12,000. Where does index choice trading come into it? Discover an ideal index of the business in that sector, track it, and when you consider a move up-wards in cost is due then acquire the index option.

 

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Diversification of Investment Portfolio

BNPP discussed portfolio diversification in the current market,

"With high correlations across traditional asset classes and geopolitical and economic risks steepening, navigating market turbulence and protecting your portfolio from downside threats requires innovation and a careful approach.

Correlations between asset classes are at an all-time high, and look likely to remain so for some time yet. I believe one key reason for this is that until recently, financial markets were still riding the highs coming off the recovery from the global financial crisis and we have seen significant changes in return, risk and correlation profiles across asset classes.

A far more effective way of applying the put strategy is to use the volatility index (VIX) to provide a better alert on market turbulence. This can act as a trigger so that when volatility rises to a pre-determined level, our put strategy can kick in and deliver the required protection." Read more...

We live in very volatile times. If you ask me if the S&P market will be higher in one year's time, I simply do not know the answer to that question. I have concerns about Gold in the sense that governments could start seizing it so in that regard is Gold a good investment?. Personally I think we don't operate in free markets when you see the intervention governments are doing at the moment.

One of the dangers of government intervention is that there are always unintended consequences. Always things happen that at the outset that was not perceived. Whether it's hyper inflation in a different country or mass crime, there are always unattended consequences when you mess with the money supply. What could happen to the s&p is that it could be very volatile. It may be a higher for a while and then lower, it will be hard to predict. We should be in a secular bear market but government interventions is making everything so volatile. When you print money, there are only the few that benefit. The middle class the lower class usually hurt the most as they get hit in the pocket.

The reason why diversification is so important especially at the moment in the investing world is because no asset class is 100% safe. Look at the M.F global disaster. Over 30,000 segregated accounts were wiped out. Gerald Celeste, a popular trends forecaster lost a multiple six figure sum in this disaster. This has been the eight biggest bankruptcy in American history. This is huge and don't think for a second that your money wherever you have it is safe. Governments can call a bank holiday, banks or brokerages can go bust, anything can happen. This is why having a good portion of your money in hard assets at the moment is a good play. Hard assets always hold their value. Buying some real estate now in a country that experienced a big bust could be a prudent play. Rent it out so the rent more than covers the mortgage. A hard asset such as this would be very hard to take away from you.

There are economists saying that real estate wont return for 20 years so again diversification is important. Your investment plan should be some funds in cash, some in property/real-estate, some in gold and silver and some in stocks. Stocks for example right now is some parts of the world are not that expensive. Also in a money printing environment, stocks usually go up as currencies are worth less.

Above all, diversify. I do think after the MF global disaster that holding cash in a bank account or stocks in a brokerage account is risky. Protect your assets so keep them out of harm's way.

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What is Volatility Trading?

J Pan outlines the importance of implied volatility,

"According to the CFA institute, implied volatility is a measure of the expected risk with regards to the underlying for an option. The measure reflects the market’s view on the likelihood of movements in prices for the underlying, having the tendency to increase when prices decline and thus reflect the riskier picture. Given this predictive nature, implied volatility serves as a useful tool in gauging the overall market condition and provides guidance for trading.

As the term ‘implied’ suggests, it is the implicit or expected future likelihood of the volatility we are projecting as compared to historical volatility. This can also make the reading relatively subjective and not 100% accurate all the time. Do note that although implied volatility is measured as a percentage, which typically surges with sharp declines in prices and decreases as prices retrace losses, it is truly directionless.

Implied volatility is commonly used by the market to pre-empt future movements of the underlying. High volatility suggests large price swings, while muted volatility could mean that price fluctuations may be very much contained.

It is also commonly used in the pricing of options, which as we know may become in the money (ITM) with high volatility, should the volatility help prices breach the strike price in the favourable direction. As such, options with high implied volatility tend to come with higher premiums." Read more...

If a particular market offers options upon it, volatility trading is another manner in which a view of the market can be expressed. As such, the investor is not taking a view of the direction of the market, but its momentum.

The greater the volatility of a market the higher the premium will be, as the probability of any option expiring profitably is greater. In essence it is increased uncertainty in a climate of volatile movement that causes options to be valued at a higher premium.

In order to eliminate the directional risk of the option, the investor needs to hedge the option in the underlying market. So, if it is a call option that is bought, the underlying must be sold. If it is a put option that is bought, the underlying must be bought. The opposite is required if these options are sold.
The ratio of options bought or sold, with respect to the number of underlying contracts used to hedge, is known as the Delta. The Delta refers to an options probability of falling in profit on expiry. It is a percentage that, along with numerous other mathematical indicators, is provided expressly by the Black & Scholes mathematical model. In simple terms it represents the probability that the option will expire in profit as analyzed on any given day, using the current underlying market position, days to expiry, the strike price, and the implied volatility used.

An option which is 'at the money' or at the current market position may go either way, and so has a delta of 50%. A call option that is far higher than the market, may have a delta of only 10%, but a put option that is far higher than the market, and so already destined to expire in profit, may have a delta or probability of expiring profitably, of 80%.

So if 10 options that have a strike price at the current market position, the delta would be 50% and so only 5 underlying contracts are needed to hedge it.

Now, as the market moves, wherever it moves, the investor needs to 're-hedge' the position, according to the delta at the new market position. An option that had a 50% delta when it was originally traded, with a 50 point move, will now have a delta that is less or maybe more according to the direction the market has moved. If probability of profitable expiry has increased the delta will be more, and if decreased, it will be less.

The investor will find that when having bought options, re-hedging requires selling underlying contracts when the market moves up, and buying contracts when it moves down. The price of the option changes also, but is offset according to the re-hedging which in this case is buying low and selling high - always making a profit. Buying options, is buying volatility and relies on the market being more volatile.
As options decay in value with time, due to their being an expiry date, re-hedging for a profit needs to occur frequently enough to offset this time decay each day.

Conversely, if options are sold, a loss is incurred each time the re-hedging takes place on a market move, and so selling options relies on the market being less volatile. Time decay works in favor of the option seller, and so losses on re-hedging are required to be less than the time decay received each day.
Simply stated, a seller of options still has unlimited liability, and a buyer, liability limited to the premium paid for the option.

With the use of software, an entire portfolio of options can be calculated to a net sum in terms of risk, volatility and delta for re-hedging.

Selling expensive options and buying cheap options, and maintaining re-hedging techniques, will accrue in profit if a mathematical model is used to value options to a benchmark value.

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What is Currency Hedging?

Bower explains what currency hedging is,

Put simply – currency hedging means taking exchange rate risk out of the equation. Exchange rate risk is the potential for an investment not priced in Australian dollars to lose value due to currency fluctuations.

For example, say if you bought five shares of Apple Inc. from your broker for US$200 each (not Apple’s current share price, but bear with me) at an exchange rate of $1/US $0.75. You’ve just spent US$1,000 or $1,250 in Aussie dollars. Then say the greenback and Aussie dollar reach parity three months later, but Apple shares stay at $200. You’ve just lost $250 Aussie dollars from the value of your shares, even though they’re worth the same in US dollars.

If this investment was hedged, the currency movements would not affect the value of your shares, meaning you would only see a return if Apple shares appreciated in value. Although this sounds fantastic, bear in mind that it works the other way too. Read more...

International currencies don't ride the trends in isolation. The apparent technical motion in between 2 currencies in a set may trigger a result in the behavior of each separate currency. A third currency will likewise have some bearing increasing or fall of a relatively unrelated pair, in the view of an intermediate or beginning trader. Even experienced trend cowboys may miss out on the odd substantial occasion that results in a trade loss.

Technical analysis frequently consists of the bulk of the independent speculator's trade decisions, however, some attention to basic news need to be included for a total overview of what is taking place in the market at that particular moment. Neither weather condition, beetles, dry spell, hostile takeovers nor indicted CEO's have much genuine bearing on currency values, but the timing of the release of economic reports need to identify if a trade is practical or not.

An increasing tide raises all ships, however, the trading ocean is made of waves, with deep troughs and high crests. A rising ship may have a tether to another that is falling the other side of the swell. As one currency in a trade set rises, it may pull another currency up with it, or just the opposite. A drop in the Euro might permit an increase in the value of the GBP, which will certainly have an influence on the USD/GBP spread.

When considering the merits of a good trade, also take into account the activity of each currency's most carefully associated cousin. When trading the Canadian dollar, you should certainly think about the relative motion, or lack thereof, in the United States dollar. Canada's biggest trading partner is the US, so fluctuations in the United States economy may or might not have an impact on the Loonie, depending upon the gravity of the news.

The UK kept its own currency, the British Pound, but the economic organization of Europe can still influence the directional pattern of the Pound Sterling. The French Franc will likewise be swayed by the enterprise of the common Euro. As you evaluate your charts, make sure to make a quick evaluation of any volatile activity in any comparable currency.

The typical day trader and specific speculator can not possibly stay up to date with all the financial press releases every day and still have time to consume and trade lunch, and old news has currently shown itself in the charts. One must pay attention to important published financial developments, and typically prevent trading on report days. But the trend will suggest market belief, and great profits can be made by keeping the major focus on technical analysis.

International bankers and currency houses have developed complex mathematical models to track currency connection, however, these are beyond the scope of this article. In summary, just examine how related currencies are trending, when preparing a trade.

The apparent technical movement between two currencies in a pair may cause a result in the behavior of each separate currency. As one currency in a trade set increases, it may pull another currency up with it, or simply the opposite. International bankers and currency homes have actually developed complex mathematical models to track currency connection, but these are beyond the scope of this article. In summary, simply inspect how associated currencies are trending, when preparing a trade.

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Is it Time to Invest in High-dividend Stocks?

Experts said that corporate buybacks are plummeting and suggested investing in high-dividend stocks,

“Corporate buybacks are “plummeting” as companies tighten their purse strings, and it could have a big impact on the market, Goldman Sachs warned in a note to clients.

In the second quarter, S&P 500 share buybacks totaled $161 billion, about 18% less than the first quarter, the firm found. The amount spent on buybacks this year is down 17% from a year earlier, although it is on track to be the second highest total on record, Goldman said.

As corporate spending slows, investors hunting for yield should look to high-dividend stocks, the firm said.” Read more…

Skyrocketing technology stocks led the longest bull market in history during the 1990s, driving financiers to avoid stocks of dividend-paying companies.

The constant stock efficiency of more conservative firms just appeared pale in contrast. Now, the rising rate of interest and slowing corporate revenues are causing investors to again rely on the tried-and-true: premium companies with strong cash flows, strong incomes, and a healthy dividend stream.

A business that can dedicate to paying a routine dividend are ones that generally are positive and essentially strong about their future. A business's dividend history is a good sign of its desire to share earnings and demonstrate accountability to investors. In durations of market unpredictability, these qualities become specifically appealing to financiers.

Stocks of business that pay dividends generally have less rate fluctuation than stocks of non-dividend payers. The dividend can smooth and develop a cushion out a stock's cost volatility. It is very important to remember, however, that although dividend-paying stocks can include diversification to your portfolio and help lessen volatility, they still include threats.

The 2003 Tax Act added attraction to dividend-paying stocks. It decreased the tax rate for individuals on certified dividends from as much as 38.6 percent to simply 15 percent, depending upon your income tax bracket.

This appreciation for dividends has spawned a renewed interest in mutual funds that pay dividends like the American Century Equity Earnings Fund (TWEIX), which has been buying dividend-paying stocks for more than a year. The companies in the fund typically are basically strong and well-established, have steady earnings, a solid balance sheet and a history of paying dividends.

The size of dividends also is on the rise. 3 quarters of the business in the S&P 500 Index pay dividends, and more than half of them increased their payouts throughout 2004. That's proof of a lot of strong balance sheets. A service needs to have the earnings to pay a dividend and a strong balance sheet to increase one.

Investors' choice for dividend-paying stocks is most likely to continue, and so will the ability of numerous companies to continue paying dividends. A number of years of economic uncertainty have actually driven companies to cut expenses, reduce debt and check their capital spending. That implies a number of them now have a lot of cash on their balance sheets.

This combination of lower debt and larger cash swimming pools gives them the capability to increase dividends. Even with the current focus returning more cash to investors, the current dividend payment ratio is still below the historic average.

A company's dividend history is a great sign of its desire to share earnings and demonstrate accountability to investors. Stocks of business that pay dividends typically have less cost change than stocks of non-dividend payers. The dividend can smooth and create a cushion out a stock's price volatility. Financiers' choice for dividend-paying stocks is likely to continue, and so will the ability of lots of businesses to continue paying dividends.

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Why People Invest In Gold?

Valuewalk reported that investment funds are investing in gold,

“Gold bullion prices continued to rally in August, driving strong performance in gold stocks, although that strength wasn’t enough to pull Sturgeon Capital into the green for the month. The fund was down 3.09% for August, bringing its year-to-date returns to -5.1%. Difficult returns in Kazakhstan and Turkey weighed on the Silk Road-focused fund’s returns last month.

Gold bullion prices continued to rally in August, driving strong performance in gold stocks, although that strength wasn’t enough to pull Sturgeon Capital into the green for the month. The fund was down 3.09% for August, bringing its year-to-date returns to -5.1%. Difficult returns in Kazakhstan and Turkey weighed on the Silk Road-focused fund’s returns last month.” Read more…

Gold. Uncommon, stunning, and distinct. Treasured as a store of value for countless years, it is a safe and secure and essential property. It has actually maintained its long term worth, is not straight affected by the economic policies of individual countries and does not depend upon a 'promise to pay'.

Entirely free of credit danger, although it bears a market danger gold has actually always been a safe haven in unclear times. Its 'safe haven' associates draw in wise financiers. Gold has actually proved itself to be an effective way to handle wealth.

For a minimum of 200 years, the price of gold has equaled inflation. Another crucial reason to purchase gold is its constant shipment within a portfolio of possessions. Its performance tends to move separately from other investments and of key financial signs. Even a small weighting of gold in an investment portfolio can help reduce overall danger.

Most financial investment portfolios are invested primarily in conventional monetary properties such as bonds and stocks. The reason for holding diverse financial investments is to secure the portfolio against variations in the value of any single possession class.

Portfolios that contain gold are normally more robust and much better able to deal with market uncertainties than those that do not. Adding gold to a portfolio introduces a completely various class of assets.

Gold is uncommon because it is both a commodity and a financial property. It is a 'reliable diversifier' due to the fact that its efficiency tends to move individually from other financial investments and essential economic signs.

Research studies have actually shown that conventional diversifiers (such as bonds and alternative possessions) typically fail during times of market stress or instability. Even a little allowance of gold has been shown to substantially enhance the consistency of portfolio performance throughout both unstable and stable monetary periods.

Gold improves the stability and predictability of returns. Due to the fact that the gold coast is not driven by the same elements that drive the efficiency of other assets, it is not associated with other possessions. Gold is also significantly less unstable than almost all equity indices.

The value of gold, in terms of real products and services that it can purchase, has actually remained remarkably stable. In contrast, the buying power of numerous currencies has actually normally decreased.

Traditionally, access to the gold market has actually been through investment in physical gold, usually as gold coins or little bars, or, for larger amounts, by way of the over-the-counter market; gold futures and choices; gold mining equities, frequently packaged in gold-oriented mutual funds.

Completely free of credit danger, although it bears a market danger gold has actually always been a safe and secure refuge in uncertain times. Another essential factor to invest in gold is its constant delivery within a portfolio of properties. Even a little weighting of gold in a financial investment portfolio can assist reduce general risk.

It is not associated with other properties due to the fact that the gold price is not driven by the same aspects that drive the efficiency of other properties.

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How Low Interest-Rate Environment Affects Your Investments

Gundlach believed that interest rates have bottomed for the year,

Growing fears about a possible global economic slowdown prompted Treasury yields to hit their historic lows a few weeks ago. The so-called bond king said yields won’t go any lower this year. That was the bottom for the 10-year Treasury yield, he said.

“It’s not a great idea to bet on low interest rates,” Gundlach said in an investor webcast on Tuesday. When asked if he would buy a 10-year Treasury now, Gundlach said “absolutely not.”

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury breached below 1.5% in August, while the 30-year Treasury bond yield fell below 2% for the first time ever as the U.S.-China trade war escalated. Read more...

While interest rate has actually risen, they stay low by long-term historical requirements, triggering difficulties for long-lasting financiers like pension funds.

Since we're a pension, we invest considerably in fixed-income possessions. A foundation of our member-driven financial investment technique is to reduce the interest-rate level of sensitivity in our liabilities," he adds, noting the pension fund owns a considerable portion of bonds to achieve this.

At this stage of the game, we are probably a little light on where I wish to be in bonds over the longer term, and that's just a reflection again of the lower rate of interest environment and the requirement to generate returns that are sufficient to keep the strategy sustainably

The fund likewise invests substantially in options, recently internalized capital markets and is beginning to build value-add programs around its public markets direct exposure. We've got value-add programs within the illiquid options, where we have a long-lasting, effective performance history, and now we're developing them in the liquid capital markets.

This is essential due to the fact that in a low interest-rate environment the risk-free rate of return isn't extremely high, states Davis, explaining one possible source of returns is the threat premia from purchasing stocks, bonds, and other capital market assets. These possessions are really expensive mainly because low interest rates have pushed investors out the threat spectrum, he includes. "They were encouraged to buy more dangerous possessions, that quote up the cost of dangerous possessions, causing the expected future go back to drop. You have actually got an environment now where you're not making really much in terms of risk premia and the safe rate is not especially high."

The other source of potential return is value-add or alpha. That's where we are putting our emphasis, he states, noting financiers can't disregard the evaluations in the market and need to have exposure to capital market instruments.

One method the fund is developing worth and getting direct exposure is through personal markets. You will get equity exposure by remaining in private equity, but because of the nature of how we invest, our company believe that we have a much better opportunity for value development there than we would in the public equities market. If you look at our overall equity direct exposure, which is not that high, partially because of where appraisals are, partially because we're a fully grown pension plan and we can't bear that much danger, we've picked to take mainly our equity direct exposure via the private markets for that value production reason.

Low interest rates likewise affect alternatives for the exact same reason they affect public markets. The private market assets are generally a riskier property than a bond. Just as bond yields are going down, or simply as safe interest rates are going down, assessments in the riskier properties, consisting of the private market assets, are going up.

We're continuing to find, on a really selective basis, really good risk-adjusted return opportunities in the real estate, infrastructure and private equity space. Where we believe it's more tough is simply in the traditional public market sphere-- specifically if you're a passive investor.

Low interest rates also impact alternatives for the very same factor they affect public markets. The private market assets are typically a riskier possession than a bond. And so when they move into that market they are bidding up the cost and decreasing the expected return. Simply as bond yields are going down, or simply as safe interest rates are going down, assessments in the riskier properties, consisting of the private market assets, are going up.

 

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How To Buy Property Insurance

Reuters reported that catastrophes will drive insurance rates higher,

“Big insurance losses from hurricanes, wildfires and other natural disasters over the past two years are set to push reinsurance renewal rates higher in January, ratings agencies said.

Insurers are increasingly concerned about the impact of bad weather linked to climate change, with an increase in wildfires in California among the most costly in recent years, something S&P said could see rates there jump 30-70%.

Fitch Senior Director Graham Coutts said he expected average rates to rise 1-2%, similar to the increases seen in January 2019, although further rises could be seen depending on the scale of losses from Dorian and other hurricanes.” Read more…

Did you understand that owning a home of any kind immediately puts you at danger? Think of it, if you rent (independently or commercially) and something takes place then it's the property owner who has to look after the residential or commercial property. We aren't just talking about the potential damage of your property, however likewise prospective liability. Property-casualty insurance is created to protect you and your residential or commercial property need to something bad happen.

The first type we'll talk about is commercial residential or commercial property-casualty insurance coverage. This is simply property insurance coverage that is held by an entrepreneur; whether a sole proprietor, partnership or corporation. You need to know which policy is best for you. There are a couple of main types of policies, which may or might not apply to your situation:

General liability insurance covers costs occurring from injury, negligence or mishaps. The bottom line here is that none of these even need to be your fault and you could be effectively taken legal action against. Having this type of insurances could end up being the most important company choice you make.

There is likewise commercial home insurance coverage which covers against losses due to damage. The damage could be the outcome of anything from natural disasters to fire, from vandalism to theft. You might never ever require this insurance, however you'll be delighted you have it if you must ever wind up requiring it.

If you work out of your house then you must get a home-based business policy. You might have homeowner's or renter's insurance coverage, but they probably do not cover anything associated with a company. So you require to secure yourself with a unique sort of home casualty insurance if you have a home-based company.

The 2nd type we'll talk about is personal property liability insurance. This is implied for average people to protect their personal property. House owner's, renter's and vehicle insurance coverage are all a form of home insurance.

Since home and vehicle insurance are a form of home defense, it is very important that you look over any policy thoroughly before paying any premiums. You require to make sure that the policy has enough coverage to change what you own and to pay for liability claims. While liability claims are most likely to be filed versus services, there are individuals who will take legal action against any person for anything (once again, even if it's not your fault), so it's finest to have a healthy amount of liability coverage.

Let's face it, insurance is among those things you require, but might never utilize. But at the very same time it appears as though not having it, in fact increases your danger of something happening. That's not a scientific fact, but think of the number of times you have become aware of people that never ever used their insurance coverage, let it lapse, and after that had something happen to them the really next day.

Residential or commercial property-casualty insurance coverage is technically optional, however the truth is that you really do need it. When you compare it to how much you might potentially lose, the expense of the premium is tiny.

Believe about it, if you rent (independently or commercially) and something occurs then it's the property owner who has to take care of the property. Property-casualty insurance coverage is designed to safeguard you and your property must something bad take place.

The first type we'll discuss is industrial home casualty insurance coverage. You require to protect yourself with a unique kind of property-casualty insurance coverage if you have a home-based business.

House owner's, renter's and automobile insurance coverage are all a form of home insurance.

 

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How to Protect Your Portfolio

CNBC recently reported a heavy loss by a hedge fund,

"One of the better-performing hedge funds reportedly took a heavy loss last month, as a big bet on Argentina’s economy went sour.

Autonomy Capital lost about $1 billion, or about 23%, in August after taking a large position in Argentina’s 100-year bonds, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The hedge fund began betting on Argentina’s recovery last year, the report said.

Run by Robert Gibbins — who reportedly has a penchant for concentrated positions — Autonomy was managing about $6 billion at the beginning of August, the Journal said. Additionally, the report said that the fund had been doing well before the loss, gaining 17% in 2018. This year is marking a rebound for the hedge-fund industry so far, with widespread gains vaulting funds in the first half of 2019."  Read more

The key to successful long-term investing is protecting capital. This does not imply you need to sell your financial investment holdings the minute they enter the losing territory, however, you need to remain acutely familiar with your portfolio and the losses you're willing to endure in an effort to increase your wealth. While it's difficult to play it safe completely when investing in the markets, the following methods can help protect your portfolio.

1-Diversification

Financiers produce deeper and more broadly diversified portfolios by owning a large number of investments in more than one possession class, thus reducing the unsystematic threat. This is the danger that comes with investing in a particular business as opposed to systematic risk, which is the danger associated with investing in the markets generally.

2-Non-Correlating Assets

Stock portfolios that consist of 12, 18 or perhaps 30 stocks can get rid of most, if not all, unsystematic risk, according to some economists.

Unfortunately, the organized danger is constantly present. Nevertheless, by including non-correlating property classes such as bonds, commodities, currencies, and realty to a group of stocks, the end outcome is frequently lower volatility and lowered systematic risk due to the fact that non-correlating possessions respond in a different way to changes in the markets compared to stocks. When one property is down, another is up.

In current years, nevertheless, proof recommends that properties that were once non-correlating now simulate each other, thereby reducing the technique's effectiveness.

3-Put Protection Technique.

Between 1926 and 2009, the S&P 500 declined 24 out of 84 years or more than 25% of the time. Investors normally secure upside gains by taking revenues off the table. In some cases, this is a sensible choice. However, it's typically the case that winning stocks are simply taking a rest before continuing greater. In this instance, you do not wish to sell but you do wish to lock-in a few of your gains. How does one do this?

There are numerous methods available. The most typical is to buy put options, which is a bet that the underlying stock will decrease in cost. Various from shorting the stock, the put offers you the option to sell at a specific cost at a particular point in the future.

You're encouraged that its future is outstanding but that the stock has increased too quickly and is most likely will decline in worth in the near term. To secure your profits, you buy one put choice of Business A with an expiration date six months in the future at a strike cost of $105, or a little in the loan.

If the stock drops to $90, the expense to purchase the put alternative will have risen significantly. At this point, you offer the option for revenue to offset the decline in the stock rate.

It's important to keep in mind that you're not always attempting to make money off the alternatives however are instead trying to ensure your unrealized earnings don't become losses. Financiers interested in protecting their whole portfolios rather of a specific stock can purchase index that work in the very same way.

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Lessons Learned from Trading

Lessons learned from trading were shared by zacks.com

"After all these years, my experience has taught me to accept that the market is a living breathing organism. It is not against you; it is not out to get you; it just exists as a marketplace where prices go up and down based on a wide variety of factors. Given that, the most important aspect for survival in trading and investing is discipline and risk management. This can be a difficult skill for both rookies and experienced traders to grasp.

Sometimes, up and down price movement is irrational. One of the major causes is what I mentioned in my fourth lesson above: computers run the show. These High-Frequency Traders can short millions of shares in tiny fractions of a second, driving stock prices lower and profiting on the way down. Then they buy the stocks at the bottom and profit even more as price rebounds to its fair market value. " Read more...

Lessons learned from the 1987 stock market crash

"Along with those safeguards, the 1987 crash also left behind a legacy of lessons learned, and applying some of them to the market today isn't hard to do, given certain similarities. One of the biggest similarities between 1987 and now is how both markets are richly valued. When the stock market is strong, much like it is today, current events can be a breaking point, Sukits says, and considering how quickly news travels now and gets embedded in share prices, investors should keep that in mind as a potential trigger for plummeting stock prices.

Although portfolio insurance as a strategy was discarded, some critics of exchange-traded funds say that because these passive investing vehicles contributed to rising stock-market valuations, ETFs could exacerbate a market crash if everyone sells. Not necessarily, Longo says. A market correction could cause ETF holders to panic-sell, but unlike portfolio insurance, there is no automated rule that forces ETF selling, which is a big difference, he says." Read more

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How Option Trading Works

Forbes recently predicted that 2020 will be the most volatile year in history

"A far bigger one is the looming 2020 US campaign. None of the possible outcomes are particularly good. I think the best we can hope for is continued gridlock.

But between now and November 2020, none of us will know the outcome. Instead, a never-ending stream of poll results will show one side or the other has the upper hand.

That will generate high market volatility, inspiring politicians and central bankers to “do something” that will probably be the wrong thing.

As noted above, if Roubini is right then rate cuts aren’t going to help. Nor will QE. Both are simply ways of encouraging more debt which Lacy Hunt’s work shows is no longer effective at stimulating growth.

They are, however, effective at blowing up bubbles.

I expect 2020 to be one of the most volatile market years of my lifetime.

I predict an unprecedented crisis that will lead to the biggest wipeout of wealth in history. And most investors are completely unaware of the pressure building right now. Learn more here." Read more...

With options we can profit under any kind of market conditions. It is possible to profit whether stocks are up, down or sideways using option trading. If the ability to trade all kinds of market conditions is the doorway to becoming a stock market millionaire, then option trading would be the very key.

In this article, I will outline some common ways by which you can profit from all kinds of markets by option trading.  You could buy the same number of equivalent stocks for a fraction of the price using call options and profit when the stock goes up. If the stock should crash, you will lose only the small amount you put towards buying the option instead of the whole amount that you would have put towards buying the stock itself.

Sell Naked Put Option - Instead of buying call options, you could sell short put options thereby pocketing the entire amount you made on selling the put options if the stock should go up.

Bull Call Spread - A bull call spread consists of buying call options at the money and selling short out of the money call options of the same month. The benefit of this strategy is that you profit when the stock goes up and profit also when the stock stays sideways!

Simple Option Strategies for Down Markets:

Buy Put Option - Instead of shorting stocks and risking a margin call, you could simply buy a put option. Buying a put option is exactly the same as buying call options except that you profit when the stock goes down instead of up.

Sell Naked Call Option - Instead of buying put options, you could sell short call options thereby pocketing the entire amount you made on selling the put options if the stock should go down.

Bear Put Spread - A bear put spread consists of buying put options at the money and selling short out of the money put options of the same month. The benefit of this strategy is that you profit when the stock goes down and profit also when the stock stays sideways!

Simple Option Strategies for UP or DOWN Markets

-Straddle - A straddle consist of buying a call option and a put option at the same strike price on the same stock. This strategy allows you to profit whether the stock moves up or down and is excellent when you are certain that a stock will move greatly soon but isn't sure which direction that may be.

-Strangle - Similar concept to a straddle but buys out of the money call option and put option instead of at the money ones in order to reduce the cost of the position.

Simple Option Strategies for Sideways Markets

- Covered Call - If you are holding on to a stock that is moving sideways, you could collect rental out of it by selling the call option of that stock month after month and pocket the whole amount of the sale should the stock remain sideways.

-Short Straddle - Instead of buying call options and put options as described above in a Straddle, you would sell short them instead. In this way, you create an option position which profits when the stock remains sideways.

These are only very few of the many more option trading strategies that you can use to your specific portfolio needs.

 

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Investing in a Bear Market

Warren Bufffet is reportedly increasing his cash position:

"Warren Buffett's mountain of cash may be a warning to investors that stocks are overvalued and that a crash is around the corner.

Berkshire's cash pile is worth nearly 60% of its $208 billion portfolio of public companies. In the past 32 years, the group held more cash as a percentage of its portfolio only in the years leading up to the financial crisis of 2008, according to Bloomberg.

Berkshire Hathaway has been amassing cash for a while. The company boasted $111 billion at the end of June 2018, a record at the time. A crash didn't immediately follow, indicating the cash pile doesn't necessarily signal an imminent downturn.

Buffett would prefer to put Berkshire Hathaway's cash to work in acquiring companies rather than buying stock, he wrote in his latest letter to shareholders. But current valuations are prohibitively high." Read more...

But not everyone is Warren Buffet. For ordinary investors, the best course of action is to educate ourselves and be disciplined in our investments. The key to smart investing is knowledge and discipline.

Cultivating the discipline and focus to invest money regularly is a lot easier if you have defined your investment goals. Establish separate accounts for specific goals like college savings and retirement so you can tailor your choice of investment vehicles accordingly. Your state's 529 Plan might be a great option for educational investments. An aggressive stock portfolio could be advantageous for a young person with retirement decades away; but a middle-aged person would want to consider less volatile options like bonds or certificates of deposit for at least a portion of retirement savings.

Keep your day job as long as you can. If you reinvest your yields from dividend stocks instead of cashing them out when paid, you get more shares that produce more dividends the next time around. Even a low-paying dividend stock left alone can create an avalanche of wealth over the decades.

It is important that you diversify your investments as much as you can. Remember the old saying: do not put all your eggs in the same basket. Instead of buying a quantity of stocks from the same company, look for other investments. However, you should also learn when to strengthen your positions when you find a great investment.

Understand the risk involved in the stock market. If you are used to investing in mutual funds, understand that individual stock investing is a greater risk. If you aren't the type of person who is prepared to take a risk, stick with companies that have a good financial standing, and that have shown excellent stock performance in the past.

Do not start to sell all of your stock just because of an impending bear market. You may be trying to lighten potential losses, but this can be a huge mistake. Eventually, the market will rebound and most of the stocks will, too. Trying to cut your losses may actually cause them to be greater.

Never take anything personally in investing. Do not be jealous of another's success. Do not let your financial advisor's advice or criticism get to you. Do not panic when the market moves down and don't get overly exhilarated when it rises. Many top fund managers make their best decisions when deep in yoga or after a long meditation.

Think about how much time you are willing to put into keeping up with the stock market. If you know that you can not give this investment a lot of time, you may need to have a broker work with you so that you can get what you want to get out of your investment.

Approach investing in stocks as a serious thing. Even if you are investing small amounts of money, you should take the time to think about your decisions instead of taking chances. The people you are competing against are taking trading seriously, and so should you if you want to be successful.

Consider getting some good software that specializes in investment management. It really does not cost that much and it will help save you a ton of time trying to learn how to properly do things. Look into getting one that can help you with profits and losses and one for tracking prices.

When you are investing in the stock market, you need to trade defensively to protect yourself from losses. By using stop losses, you can put in an order to automatically sell a stock when its price drops below a certain point. This will protect you against big losses in a downturn.

Many people find investing to be a challenge that they wish to undertake. The potential upside to wise investing is almost limitless. The best way to make the most of your investments is to arm yourself with facts. Use the guidance in this piece, and you will have a great start toward achieving your financial goals.

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Best Way to Manage Personal Finances

Managing personal finances is not easy. Fortunately, you can turn to financial therapists for help, as explained by Marketwatch

"Demand for financial therapy is poised to grow, said Debra Kaplan, a Tucson, Ariz.–based licensed mental-health therapist, speaker and author of “For Love and Money: Exploring Sexual & Financial Betrayal in Relationships.” Kaplan has an MBA and first got interested in the psychology of money while working as a commodity options trader on Wall Street. This past decade of stock-market prosperity has coincided with the rise of a generation that is open to self-reflection, she’s observed.

And as traditional financial planning becomes increasingly automated, with investors relying on robo-advisers and index funds, and talk of artificial intelligence helping clients make asset allocations, Kahler sees a bright future for financial therapy.

After nearly 40 years in the financial-advisory business, Kahler, 64, has come to the conclusion that only about 20% of financial-planning clients respond to logic and education. That small minority will, for example, stop overspending if an adviser tells them to. But, for most people, “it goes way deeper,” he said, and they need more than monthly budgets to change their behavior. " Read more...

Managing personal finances is imperative for any adult, especially those with children or other dependents. Learning how to create budgets and strict shopping lists will let you make the most of your income. Remember the tips in this article, so that you don't find yourself overwhelmed with a pile of debt.

Use an automatic payment plan when you begin to repay your student loans. Most lenders offer significant discounts for those who opt to have payments deducted electronically every month. This also ensures that you do not incur additional charges or late fees, if you forget to make your payment!

Get the right kinds of insurance, if you want to remain secure, financially. If you own a home, but do not have the proper type of insurance, your home will be at risk if a lawsuit follows. The same is true for any of your vehicles or other property. Insure yourself as well as you can, in order to avoid financial ruin, in case of an accident.

When it comes to credit scores, what you don't know can really hurt you. Be sure to get a copy of your credit report every six months and study it carefully, looking for errors. It is up to you to find mistakes and request to have them deleted from your credit report. Look for such things as, old collections accounts that have been paid, as well as, incorrect information.

At the end of every day, empty out all of the change in your pockets, purse, and briefcase into a jar for saving. Once per month, you can deposit the money into your savings account, where it will earn interest. Avoid losing out on surcharges and fees from coin-counting machines.

Ask family and friends what they are doing. This is not so much so that you can do what they are doing, but to give you ideas about options that might be available that you haven't heard of. Finding out what other people are doing is a good way to find what will work best for you.

Save as much money as you can every month. Having a solid amount of savings on hand is very useful in case of any emergencies. It will enable you to avoid taking out loans or suffering great losses, like your car, simply because you could not afford what you needed at that time.

Make a budget and stick to it. Many people make a spending plan for themselves, but quickly fudge on it or throw it out all together, when times get hard. Taking control of your finances means taking control of yourself and doing what needs to be done to stay within your means.

Avoid getting calls from debt collectors or angry friends to whom you owe money by learning how to manage your personal finances wisely. It's important to track how you spend your money each month, so that you can realize where you are spending too much. Remember these tips to keep your account in the black.

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How to Invest into Index Funds

The Volatility index just hit a new low. Valuewalk reported:

"The technical picture is clearly bullish on Wall Street, thanks to this week’s rally, and all of the key trend indicators are pointing higher again following the August correction. The S&P 500, the Nasdaq, and the Dow are still well above their flat 200-day moving averages, and the benchmarks are finally back above their flat 50-day moving averages as well. Small-caps continue to show relative weakness compared to the large-cap indices, and although the Russell 2000 recovered above its 200-day moving average, it’s still stuck below its short-term indicator.

The Volatility Index (VIX) hit its lowest level in five weeks together with the major indices, dropping below both its 50- and 200-day moving averages, and it closed the week near 16, well below the key 20 level.

Market internals improved for the second week in a row, and even though the weakness in small-caps is still weighing on the most reliable indicators, the overall picture is consistent with a healthy bull market. The Advance/Decline line hit new bull market highs thanks to the broad rally in stocks, as advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 5-to-1 ratio on the NYSE, and by a 6-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The average number of new 52-week highs increased on both exchanges, climbing to 105 on the NYSE and 58 on the Nasdaq.

The number of new lows collapsed in the meantime, falling to 35 on the NYSE and 63 on the Nasdaq. The percentage of stocks above the 200-day moving average is finally back above 50% in the wake of this week’s risk-on shift, and the closing value of 52% is the indicator’s highest reading since the start of the correction." Read more...

Do you believe that the world economy will grow? Do you believe that US economy will grow? I do. The major stock indexes are indicators of economy grow. You can make money use this opportunity buying index funds. Investing into index mutual funds is easy, interesting, and profitable. It takes 5 minutes every month! If you are long-term investor, index funds is for you!

It doesn’t matter what index you choose. This index will grow due to economy sector grow rate. There are many indexes in the world. But how to get money from indexes grow?

There are many indexes mutual funds. Fund share price change accordance index performance. There are thousands of mutual funds have S&P 500 as a base of their portfolio. The differences from one fund to other are operating company and expenses. Choose fund with fell known operating company and smallest expenses.

Small expenses are very important. If fund have big expenses, the managers steal investors’ money. Index fund manager don’t buy expensive stock market researches, don’t arrive at a difficult decision witch stock to buy. Index fund manager buy stock included into index only. It isn’t expensive!

The best investment strategy for indexes mutual funds is to invest some dollar amount monthly. And be the long-term investor – invest for 10 years or more. Our computer modeling of this strategy shows that you will receive profit, if you invest on monthly base during 10 years. I can’t give you guaranties that you will get profit but the probability of this is close to 100%.

And the last, if you can, diversify you portfolio. Divide you portfolio into three parts. Buy large capitalization company index fund (S&P 500, DJA), small capitalization index fund (S&P 600) and developed market index fund or international index fund. It makes you portfolio more profitable and more stable.

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