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Everywhere you look at the moment you see the headline ‘Crash In Stock Market' followed by words of fear and uncertainty. Every news update on the radio and television opens with the latest updates from the stock market. “Stock Market prices have been slashed” or “The Stock Market crashes again”. Never before in my life have I heard such out of control fear and reporting on a stock market crash. Stock market crashes have happened before and I can promise you that they will happen again but is this the worst crash in the stock market that we have ever seen? If you ask the media “YES” but to be honest I don't really care. I think we should focus more on how to deal with it rather than just getting ourselves stressed and fearful.
When are we going to see the headline?
‘Crash In Stock Market – Once In A Lifetime Opportunity?
Because in reality this is exactly what it is? There are two main way to take advantage of this Crash in the stock market.
1. Understand how to make money from a falling market. You can pay for every stock market report etc. but I think you would all agree that for the past few months anyone could have seen that the market was in a severe down trend. So without any stock market advice you would have had a good idea that the stock market would continue to crash. What you probably don't know is that it is very easy to take advantage of this and make truck loads of money. In fact professional investors love it when they see headlines such as ‘Crash In stock Market' because the market moves so quickly. Professional investors make more money during stock market crashes than at any other time. Why because they know how to take advantage of a Crash in the stock market.
I can hear you saying “how do you take advantage of a stock market crash?” Quite simply you buy ‘put options' or as some people call it ‘insurance'. I like to describe it like buying insurance for a car that you don't own – then when the car has an accident and looses half of its value the insurance company gives you half of the cars value in cash. I know it is a slightly weird concept but this is exactly what lots of people are doing. The best thing is that is completely legal and very easy. Could you imagine being able to buy insurance on a car that you don't own once you already know that the person who is driving that car is blind and loves going fast? It is almost too good to be true.
2. The second way to take advantage of a crash in stock market prices is to simply buy when everyone else is selling. Now this is slightly scarier because even though some shares are worth half of what they were last year they still might keep falling. So you must be willing to go through some short term pain. If you are willing to do this then the 2008 Stock market crash may truly be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
The summarize a stock market quote, it is a basic collection of data investors must comprehend to achieve their goals in the stock market. A stock market quote lists the prices for certain stocks at a particular point within the trading day. This essential information lets an investor know how to handle their investments wisely.
In days gone by, stocks were quoted in fractions. Today most stock exchanges express values in decimals. Stock market quotes are available both online and in daily newspapers. Stock quotes are regularly updated throughout the trading day.
What exactly do the numbers and symbols in the stock quotes mean? Most are actually simple to understand although they may look overwhelming. Sometimes looking at these columns of data gets confusing for newbies in the stock market.
Consider these common numbers and symbols in the stock quotes and their meanings:
Newspaper Stock Market Quotes
The easiest format to follow is the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) format. Below are the columns used for newspaper stock market quotes with a brief explanation of each:
YTD % CHG – The Year-To-Date Percentage Change. Represents the stocks price percentage change for the year. The year-to-date percentage change is adjusted for stock splits and dividends over 10 percent.
Stock (SYM) – Where the stock name and symbols are found. Stock names are usually abbreviated with the symbols printed in bold. SYM are not printed in all newspapers.
Yield % - These are other disbursements paid to stockholders as a percentage of the price of the stock.
52-Week HI & LO – Two numbers listed in the column representing the highest and lowest price the stock was traded for within the past year. The previous trading day is not included.
PE – The Price To Earnings Ratio is the earnings per share over the closing price.
DIV – Dividend which reflects the yearly distribution rate based on the most recent regular disbursement for the stock.
VOL 100s – The sales volume expressed with two zeros missing.
CLOSE – The final price the stock traded for on a particular day which is no indication of the price the stock will open at the next trading day.
NET CHANGE – The amount a stock closed for today versus yesterday.
Footnotes – Notations indicating any extraordinary circumstances in the stock listing including highs and lows, first day of trading and unusual dividends.
Online Stock Market Quotes
Online stock market resources cover the same information as newspaper stock quotes. The major difference between online stock resources and newspapers is the access to “live” information. Often the newspapers features stock quotes from yesterday while online resources provide updated information throughout the entire trading day.
Having access to online stock market quotes gives investors the latest information from home or office at their convenience. Knowing the most recent information about stock market investments through online resources helps investors make the most advantageous trades.
Once new traders have a solid understanding of what all the numbers and symbols really mean, stock market quotes provide an absolute wealth of information regarding wise stock market investment.