1. There's an old Chinese proverb that goes something like this "Prophecies are hard, particularly with regard to the future!" The one fundamental thing you have to accept when you are investing in the stock market is that you cannot predict what is going to happen. No matter what software you use, or which Guru you follow it is impossible to predict what the stock market is going to do next.



2. At the end of the day all that really matters is the price of the stock, everything that is known about the stock, everything that is thought about the stock and everything that is hoped about the stock is in the price. The price is what the market is prepared to pay for that stock right now .

3. If you want to make money as a personal stock investor you've got to think in a different way to the big stock investors i.e. the insurance companies the money funds etc. Big-money funds usually follow the index, because of their size is very difficult for them to do anything else. As a private investor you have the ability to pick out individual opportunities which are too small for the big institutional investors. You can be in and out of the market for a quick profit while the big funds are still thinking about how a particular trade will fit in with their overall investment strategy.

4. Technical analysis of stocks and shares is great fun and it produces some very pretty charts, but at the end of the day most of it is a load of rubbish. On any chart it is usually possible to see examples of why a particular system works and also why it doesn't work both at the same time. Charts are useful, it is well-known that a picture is worth a thousand words.The best way to use stock charts is to look at them and study what you are seeing and then apply that information to your trading.

5. Always ask questions, never accept anything at face value particularly stock-market tips.

6. If you are unsure about any stock you are holding then you shouldn't be holding it. If you have any doubt about an investment you have made or you feel you have to ask somebody else's advice about whether you should carry on holding the investment then is time to get out of that trade.

7. You are investing in the stock market for one reason only, to make money, you cannot beat the market go with the flow, in a bull market anybody can make money but be prepared to sell your stock and put the cash in the bank if conditions change, don't give your profit back to the market.

8. It's a fact that some people do not have the temperament to take part in stock-market investing. If you find you're always worried about your investments if you're more worried about losing than you are excited about winning then perhaps stock-market investing is not for you.

9. The market is always.

10. There is life outside the stock market, trading the stock market is not the be all and end all of everything, the only reason for making money is so that you can enjoy it with the ones you love.