Finding short cuts, clearing high hurdles, The Intelligent Investor, 6 Jul 2009
Your mobile phone rings. It's your other half, and dinner's on the table. But you're stuck in traffic, only a few kilometres from home. The temptation is obvious - turn right at the next set of lights and head down the back streets. There must be a short cut somewhere, but the local council has wised up. There are now 'traffic control' devices everywhere (don't you love 'em?), and more than a few dead ends.

Investing's similar. We're wired to seek short cuts, something which applies even to experienced investors. But many of those short cuts, after a few minutes of further analysis, will lead to dead ends.
 Read Article

The Australian Economy, Investing Times, 15 Aug 2009
Investors will be pleased that the Australian economy is actually proving to be more resilient than previously anticipated, primarily thanks to a combination of the very large government stimulus packages and our exposure to Chinese economic growth. The Federal Government's stimulus package equates to 2.9% of GDP, only slightly less than China's 3.1% and is the largest package amongst the developed economies. These two differentiating factors are effectively sheltering Australia from the worst of the global downturn.
 Read Article

Choosing Investment Software, Moneybags, 14 Aug 2009
Using a software package to select, track, and manage your investments can be a great help to most investors but with so many software packages available and all sorts of confusing claims from producers, choosing the right investment software can be an extremely difficult decision.

In this article we outline what investment software can do for you, the types of packages available, and provides some tips to help you find the right package for your needs.
 Read Article

Looking 2 Years Ahead, FNArena, 15 Jun 2009
There are easier things in life than trying to look two years ahead for the share market, in an attempt to determine which companies have the best growth prospects, and then relate this information back to calculate what the intrinsic valuation is behind today's share prices.

Usually I would not recommend anyone to look much further than 18 months into the future - and that would be the absolute maximum. History shows both investors and analysts have a lousy track record when it comes to anticipating what lies beyond the next six months. It's all made easy when markets are in the midst of a strong and clearly established trend, which allows for continuous extrapolation, but the overall picture blurs quickly under all other scenarios.
 Read Article

Using The 36 Strategies To Trade - Besieging Wei To Save Zhao , Daryl Guppy, 19 Jun 2006
In a world that seems information-rich and time-poor it is all too easy to ignore the context of our trading activity. The financial market is a dangerous and rewarding place. It may appear the struggle for survival is based on lightning fast reactions to each emerging crisis, but this is incorrect. The 36 Strategies of the Chinese For Financial Traders gives traders a means to lift their head above the skirmish activity inherent in every trade and focus on the wider context of their relationship with financial markets.
 Read Article

I’ve Done All the Dumb Things, Chapter 1 Contracts for Difference, John Wiley, 21 Aug 2006
In this chapter I would like to exorcise the demons of my trading past by recounting my version of I Should Be So Lucky. I will tell you the story of how I got into the trading business, because I know my story is probably not that different from many small traders’ first encounters with the market.
Ironically, being lucky is the exact opposite of my story. In fact, I borrow from the chorus of another popular Australian song when I call this story ‘I’ve Done All the Dumb Things’....
 Read Article

Writedowns and raisings plague reporting season, The Intelligent Investor, 16 Feb 2009
The stockmarket has already predicted a slump in company profits. With reporting season now under way, we're seeing the first real signs of bad news - and there's quite a bit more to come.

The United States economist Paul Samuelson famously quipped that 'the stockmarket has forecast nine of the last four recessions'. There's no argument the market is a fickle beast, but it did a masterful job of predicting the current one. And if the size of the fall in the All Ordinaries Index is anything to go by - 53% from the peak in November 2007 to the low in November 2008 - this recession will be a doozy.
 Read Article

Green Shoots Emerging!, Investing Times, 1 May 2009
The last 18 months have un-nerved even the most experienced investors; however the last eight weeks has also been as un-nerving for many investors. Those who converted back to cash with the thought of returning to the market when it is all safe must be asking the question 'how can the Dow Jones rally 2000 (31%) points in six weeks, and the Australian Share market put on nearly 1000 (25%) points without there being a light at the end of the tunnel.'
 Read Article

Retracements & Reversals, Leon Wilson, 20 Apr 2006
Distinguishing between reversals and retracements can not only be a tricky business it can be an expensive one if we get it wrong. One of the more difficult aspects with reversal analysis is identifying when a retracement becomes a reversal in real time which can be an immensely difficult task because price action can be indecisive. It is often case of experience and intuition as it is much technical analysis.
 Read Article

Reading Guide for Aspiring Investors, Moneybags, 13 Jul 2010
Level 1 - Learn how to Invest and Start Trading.
Our "Reading Guide for Aspiring Investors and Traders" has the most relevant, well-written titles to build your knowledge.
So, If you want higher returns than offered by your bank but don't yet fully understand the benefits of the other investment options available; And, you want to find out how to build your core knowledge and develop your overall financial skills;
We believe that this reading guide has everything you need to get started.
 Read Article

What's The Problem With CSL?, FNArena, 11 Aug 2009
Shares in flu vaccine and blood plasma company CSL ((CSL)) went into the share market downturn at a price of around $38 and that's exactly where they were ahead of the share market surge in March, proving the true meaning of a solid, high quality, defensive stock throughout turbulent times. However, the results for loyal shareholders have been far less impressive since.

The Australian share market has recovered more than 30% since the second week of March, but CSL shares went the other way, losing some 8.5% in value, opening up an even larger gap with the recovering share market. In case anyone wondered: it's a similar story for Woolworths ((WOW)) and Invocare ((IVC)), as well as many other defensives.
 Read Article

Coffee, July 2006, Dr Alexander Elder, Dr Alexander Elder, 1 Aug 2006
Background: I became very bullish on coffee in June, just before leaving on a trip to Asia. The weekly chart was historically low, its Impulse system turned from Red to Blue. The daily chart showed a bullish divergence of MACD Lines, prices hugged the lower channel line, daily Impulse turned from Red to Blue. I had promised myself not to open any new trades during the overseas trip, but actively recommended this trade to the members of the Spike group.
 Read Article

How to Invest in Managed Funds, Article, 3 Mar 2002
In order for a market to be established in any industry, there must be buyers and sellers. In some industries, you will also find a range of other participants whose role it is to facilitate the movement of a product from the buyer to the seller.
 Read Article

Some strong winds are blowing, The Intelligent Investor, 9 Sep 2008
Some strong winds are blowing in the business world at the moment, but a well-positioned portfolio should take them as a breeze.

On the whole, value investing is a 'bottom up' affair, examining individual companies and concentrating on their valuations, but that doesn't mean you can wash your hands entirely of the economic conditions in which they operate. With apologies to John Donne, no company is an island, entire of itself, and, like it or not, its fortunes - and therefore its valuation - will depend to a large extent on the broader economic context in which it operates.
 Read Article

Tips & Hints - Conducting a Property Renovation for Inspection, Pinnacle Wealth, 6 Sep 2006
Residential property is usually an emotional decision for most people. That's why hitting the right emotional cords are crucial to creating wealth through property renovations. I purchase residential property to renovate only if it meets the above criteria. Of course there are many more factors that must be considered (61 in fact!) but if it doesn't meet this type of criteria initially then I won't even need to begin making any further assessment.
 Read Article

Baby Boomers - The Great March Into Retirement, Investing Times, 1 Dec 2007
Love them or hate them, the baby boomers have commenced their long march into retirement. Australia is currently experiencing the first wave of this historic event as the queues of baby boomer retirees gets longer and longer as those born between 1945 to 1961 move into their golden years. This event is a one-off phenomena that will change the shape and demographic of Australia in a way never seen before as governments,business and services adjust to the ageing population to provide supportand services to the ever demanding needs of the baby boomers.

This dramatic change to how we, as a country, accommodate and provide for the baby boomers will provide significant opportunities for the private sector to grow their businesses and earnings. This alone will provide investors with the ability to gain exposure by positioning their portfolios into the sectors that we consider will benefit significantly from an ageing population.
 Read Article

Steve McKnight's Top Five Tips To Ramp Up Your Reno Profits, PropertyInvesting.com, 31 Oct 2006
1. Add more in perceived value than actual cost.
2. First Impressions Count
3. Focus On Emotion – Not Structure
4. Careful Cost Control
5. Time Is Of The Essence
 Read Article

Learning Guide for Real Estate Investors, Moneybags, 10 Sep 2008
If you are reading this article, you are probably wanting to make your next property decision based on more than emotion or some speculative reports in the press.

This property investment guide is a practical, user-friendly, comprehensive list of our most relevant resources to help you make this important decision. It contains our most recommended books, courses and software products.
 Read Article

Buying Another Property with Your Superannuation Today, Investors Direct, 1 Aug 2009
Before I tell you how you can purchase properties inside of your Super even when you don't have much in it, you may wonder why you should even consider this option, especially if you are already a property investor buying properties outside of Super.
 Read Article

NEGOTIATION: The highest paid work you’ll ever do, Dale Beaumont, 1 May 2007
Let's do a quick test!!

1. What is your hourly rate?
2. Now divide that number by 60 and what do you get?

That's the value of your time every minute. If it's more than $1.00 you're doing well. However, how would you like to increase that figure to $100, $1000 or even $10,000 per minute? Well you can, simply by learning the art of how to NEGOTIATE. As real estate investor Hans Jakobi says, "NEGOTIATION Is The Highest Paid Work You'll Ever Do!"
 Read Article

The last piece of the puzzle has fallen into place, Michael Yardney, 21 Aug 2009
Have you noticed how when there is good news there is also bad news? The good news for investors is that the property markets have really taken off over the last few months. The bad news is that interest rates are going to rise.
 Read Article

Key Characteristics of Environmental Investment , Eco Investor, 1 Jul 2009
As a stand-alone investment theme, environmental investment has several key characteristics that help determine the range of available investments, the risk and return profile of the sector, and what the sector can offer different types of investors.
 Read Article