Shares

What Is "Dogs Of The Dow"? The Dogs of the Dow is an investment strategy that involves buying the 10 stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) with the highest dividend ratios relative to their price. The term "dogs" derives from a similar strategy that calls for investing in the 10 worst performing stocks in the Dow from the previous year. Generally, though, the stocks in both lists are…

What Is Floating Stock? Floating stock represents a company's shares that are currently available for trading. Simply put, it is the number of shares that investors can trade in an open market. Investors can calculate floating stock (also known as share float) by taking shares outstanding and then subtracting both restricted shares and closely held shares. By determining a figure for floating shares, investors can establish how many shares are…

Fiat money has value because the government has declared that it does. This kind of money has no intrinsic value, but since a government supports it, fiat currency can be exchanged for goods and services. Let's now look at exactly what fiat money is, how it can be used, and its benefits and downfalls. Money Basics Money comes in many different forms. However, anything that is used as money needs…

Stocks come in two varieties. "Common stocks" are indeed the most common, hence the name. For most people, the words "stocks" and "common stocks" are nearly synonymous terms. However, there is another type of stock, known as "preferred." While both common and preferred offer ownership shares in a company, there are big differences between the two. In a nutshell, common stocks offer the greatest reward but at the greatest risk.…

What Is A Balance Sheet? The balance sheet is one of the three most important documents—the other two are income statement and the statement of cash flow—that companies produce that enable their investors to examine and assess their financial health. Publicly traded companies are required to produce and publish these documents regularly, usually once per quarter, to shareholders as well as to tax and regulatory authorities. The balance sheet shows…

What Is A Warrant? A warrant is a security that gives the holder the right to purchase a company's stock or bond at a specific price by a certain date. Warrants are similar to options, but warrants are issued directly by a company, usually as an incentive to get investors to buy the company's stock or bonds. Options, by contrast, are a contract between two parties in which the holder…

Conventional wisdom suggests that prosperity and currency appreciation are good for the welfare of a nation. However, if domestic wealth increases too quickly, a phenomenon known as Dutch disease may prove detrimental to the long-term economic health of an afflicted country. What Is Dutch Disease? Dutch disease is a financial expression used to describe the negative influence that a sudden appreciation of a nation's wealth and domestic currency can have…

As you become more familiar with trading stocks, there are specific strategies that can help you achieve your financial goals. This article will provide a more comprehensive framework for trading stocks, complete with key steps investors can take. Determine Your Goals Before they do anything else, investors who are interested in trading the stock market should determine their goals. To figure out your plan, you must first establish where you…

For individuals new to the stock market, it is a little-known fact that there is an enormous difference between day trading and investing. Television and internet ads often promote each discipline with very similar tactics, suggesting that success is a foregone conclusion for almost anyone in the market. Elementary mantras such as "buy low and sell high" insinuate that making money is straightforward, even easy. While profit is the reason…

In comparison to other securities, implementing short-term strategies such as day trading on equities products can be capital intensive. Regulatory and broker guidelines raise margin requirements to levels in excess of many other securities. While market participants still actively day trade stocks, the barriers of entry are significantly higher than those found in the forex, futures and contract-for-difference (CFD) markets. Regardless of monetary considerations, stock day trading does offer consistent…