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[S1008]Stock Market Beginners Guide

by Amit Kheterpal, Ami

The answer lies in two terms that make stock markets that is stock and markets. In the common man language, shares is what you own as part of the company even though that portion which you own may not be enough to have a say in the running of the company. Market is where you trade something and the buyer of an item meets the seller of the item. In this case the stock market is where the seller of the share of a particular company meets the buyer.

The stock markets are very much like the other markets which have a common set of rules governing the trade and these markets also have a common set of terms and terminology which are used by the people. In today's world the stock markets also represent the health of the economy as the economy is made up of people who buy stuff from these companies. If we buy more then the health of the company is good which in turn reflects in the price of the share on the exchange. If overall the prices of shares are going up then it suggests that the health of the economy is very good.

Share markets have come to be synonymous with exchanges which in actuality is what is the stock market and the exchange of stocks takes place here with all the orders from people willing to buy or sell the shares coming here. The exchanges are regulated by a regulatory body known as Stock Exchange Commission or the SEC. The SEC makes sure that a few large players do not make abnormal profits by wrongful means and deny the small investors their share of the profits.

The markets also have their own set of rules as to what kind of share can be traded where. For example the shares of small companies which are not eligible for trading on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ are either traded on the American Stock Exchange or the OTCBB.

Stock markets have their set of rules as to how and when you pay money when you buy shares and vice versa for selling shares. It also has rules about how the ownership gets transferred to an individual from the person he buys the shares.

This is how and what of the stock markets for the uninitiated and it will hopefully help you understand the dynamics better.

Cleantech, just what in the heck is it and why, as an investor, do you care? As an investor, you should care about cleantech for two main reasons. First, there's profit in it—and the field is growing. Second, it's earth friendly.

Cleantech is the field term used by most (some also call it greentech) to describe products and services that improve productivity and performance while reducing earth-harming costs in the areas of energy consumption, waste and pollution.

What started as a small movement has exploded in recent years. According to Thomson Financial, investment in cleantech has avalanched by 500% in the past two years. As climate change becomes more of a hot topic, cleantech grows.

Cleantech items you might be familiar with include wind farms, hydro power, solar power and biofuels. There are six main industries within cleantech. Those industries are:

1. Energy (This is the main sector)
2. Agriculture
3. Transportation
4. Water
5. Advanced Materials
6. Energy use / manufacturing

Energy is the big industry in cleantech and the one that gets the most press. A couple companies that you may want to start your investing research on are:

1. Applied Materials
2. Cabot Corp.
3. Energy Conversion Devices
4. First solar
5. SunPower

While most people gravitate toward researching solar power investment opportunities, don't neglect other power sources. Wind farms (collection of wind turbines), for instance, are growing. The USA currently has the largest wind farm site. By 2020, the UK is working to power all its homes via wind farms.

According to a series of clean energy projections, solar power will be outpaced by biofuels and wind power—with fuel cells far, far behind. Over the next ten years, growth in just these areas is supposed to pass the 400% mark.

Why the sudden burst though? As oil prices skyrocket and talk of climate change heat up, so has the political climate. Over the past two years, especially recently, politicians (and the world) have embraced the need for change now. This change in attitude has led to political developments that have stimulated investments. The result are growths in technology, which are making cleantech options more feasible and profitable. As this trend increases, the market will expand, which means more opportunity for the cleantech investor. Now is the time to get on board. It's not too late.

There are many companies participating in the cleantech field and many are publically traded. While many are on the NYSE and NASDAQ, you can also find cleantech companies being traded in the pink sheet arena (OTCBB). And there are quite a few companies with sizable per share prices. Of course, if you're into speculating with penny stocks, there are many of those opportunities in the cleantech arena.

If you're interested in learning more about cleantech investing or the field in general, check out some of the URLs I've provided below. Cleantech is an investment you can feel good about. The cleantech field is exploding. The past two years have been instrumental in it's growth and there are no signs of it slowing down anytime soon.

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Both Amit Kheterpal & Jake Strong are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Amit Kheterpal has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Property Investment and Parenting. Amit has applied for understanding and making money in the stock markets. He also has a. Amit Kheterpal's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.

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