Investment Principles

Investing begins with the understanding that supply and demand determines the price, and when they are out of balance, the price moves. This applies for stocks, real estate, bonds, commodities, currency pairs, options and additional assets. Many individuals turn to the stock market when considering investing, but the fundamentals are complicated. Forex trading, and futures index trading are the easiest to follow.

The Place to Begin

A lot of new investors begin with mutual funds. This represents nearly every category of funds, and is managed by an expert. The profits are reduced by fees, sales charges and loads. Mutual funds using a taxable account can surprise an investor with capital gains if the stocks or assets pay a dividend, and it is impossible to liquidate quickly. The pricing for mutual funds only occurs when the trading day ends, and gains or losses are unknown until this time.

A variable or defined return is paid on annuities regularly for an upfront investment. They are similar to an insurance policy where death is not required to collect the benefits. The problem is there are behind the scenes fees. The interest rate is important because if it increases, the trader could have purchased a larger annuity for the same capital. These are the reasons an investor should consider Forex, futures, stocks and liquid investments instead of automatically investing in annuities and mutual funds.

The First Rule for Beginners

A beginner must have a trading plan, decide what they will be trading, establish their risk tolerance, goals regarding profits, and the amount of time they can spend on their investments. Day trading becomes impractical when spending hours each day on the computer is not feasible. The limitations and goals must be considered. The investor must decide if their goals are for the present, future or both. This will determine the risk factor and level of activity. Long term investments should be conservative to ensure a comfortable retirement despite market downturns. Since a younger investor has more recovery time, their level of risk can be higher. Only small investments should be placed in risky assets, and most investments should be conservative.

Taxes must eventually be paid on nearly all investments. Money placed in a tax-deferred retirement plan or 401K will be taxed as it is withdrawn. A taxable account held for over a year necessitates less taxes. The taxes for long and short-term holdings, other income and dividends are the same.

The Second Rule for Beginners

The idea is to have small losses and big wins to ensure profitability in the market. When the willing buyers outnumber the willing sellers, the price increases until the numbers become level. The price can continue to rise and fall. A price chart will show this activity, and once experience is gained the investor can be somewhat accurate in predicting the future direction. Performance can be improved with a stop loss. This ensures the broker trade gbp will sell if the wrong guess has been made, and the market is moving against the investor. This is a key to small losses, and an important investment strategy for beginners.

A good way to become successful is to learn about the principles of experienced traders and investors. There are online tools and articles available to help beginners understand the concepts of investing. They teach about various assets and the market. A new investor should practice prior to placing an investment. There are indicators and charts that can be studies. An individual, asset class or index stock can be chosen and followed for a period to determine if the investor made the correct guess regarding whether it would increase or decrease.