Introduction to Stocks

Stocks are among the most talked about and most popular investment opportunities available. But although virtually everyone has heard about stocks, many people don't understand the basic concepts underlying them. Indeed, the starting point for any investor interested in investing in stocks should be to understand what shares of stock actually represent and why there is a market for them.
[view entire article]

Choosing a Stock

Stock Screens There are literally thousands of stocks available for purchase on the stock market. So how do you go about finding the right ones to buy? Often it is helpful to use a stock screen, a set of criteria that you can quickly compare stocks against to see if they meet your requirements. You should first sit down and come up with a list of your investing objectives; once you have that you should be able to come up with a suitable screen . Your selection criteria for the initial screening should be a few quantifiable measures that you think are the most important for your investing. Here are a few criteria worth considering (and of course there are many others):

Earnings growth Recent earnings surprises Price/earnings ratio Dividends Market cap or size Industry Relative strength Stock Research (more)

Introduction to Stocks

Choosing a Stock

MORE