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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Inverse ETFs

By Ahmad Hassam

You can short stocks. You can even short ETFs. Have you ever heard of Short ETFs? The ProShares Short Dow 30 ETF (DOG) will return the inverse of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) on daily basis. If the DJIA falls by 2%, DOG rises by 2% and if the DJIA rises by 2%, DOG will fall by 2%. Short ETF returns the inverse of the index it is linked to.

ETFs are the most popular investing tool these days. They are a hybrid between the stocks and mutual funds. They give you the benefits of mutual funds without the high loads. They trade like stocks. During the past few years, the number of Short ETFs has risen dramatically. Short ETFs not only cover the major stock indices like the S&P 500 or the DJIA but also different sectors like the energy, utilities or technology. You will even find Inverse ETFs on currencies now. Short ETFs are also known as Inverse ETFs or Bear ETFs.

Most of the ETFs are designed around some market index. ETF shares trade like ordinary stock shares. You can buy them. You can sell them unlike the mutual funds that can only be sold at the end of the day. The ProShares UltraShort Dow 30 ETF (DXD) rises 2% when the DJIA falls by 1%. So you can even find leverage short ETFs. A leveraged short ETF gives the trader leverage without the use of margins.

Short ETFs give you an excellent opportunity to profit from the volatility in the market and the major indices. Over the years, short ETFs have risen in popularity with the investors and hedge funds.

If you have been trading currencies, then you should know that inverse currency ETFs are a great way to profit from the volatility in the underlying currencies. Short ETFs are a great product as they have created new opportunities for traders. A trader had to actually short sell stocks to take advantage of a market drop before the introduction of short ETFs.

Traders are not allowed to sell short stocks or ETFs in their retirement accounts. In the past if the market was dropping, the trader had to go against the trend and buy or else move into cash or fixed income. Short and leveraged ETFs provide traders with new opportunities.

Ever wanted to trade international stocks? Emerging markets give a higher rate of return as compared to the mature economies. China is one example that garners a lot of attention. The Shanghai Index in China rose 100% in 2007. In the first quarter of 2008, the Shanghai Index was down 35%. ETFs also provide you with the opportunity to take advantage of the global market swings.

China is a great emerging market. You can now profit from the volatility in the Chinese Stock market with the ProShares family of ETFs that introduced the Ultrashort FTSE/Xinhua China 25 ETF (FXP). Now if you want to trade the fall of Chinese stocks, you can trade FXP ETF. In the past, traders who wanted to benefit from the fall of Chinese stocks could only short Chinese stocks that were traded in US Stock Exchanges.

Short ETFs can be used for other purposes as well. Assume you have a portfolio of $100,000 composed of 75% stocks and 25% money market fixed income. As a long term investor you can take advantage of short ETFs to hedge your portfolio position.

Suppose the market falls by 10%. Your stock portfolio falls by 7.5% assuming the same ratio between the market and your portfolio. The forecast of the market for the next six months is not good. But you are reluctant to sell your stocks due to tax reasons. - 23226

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Trading System Essentials (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

It is very difficult to develop a trading system that can adjust to different market conditions. In simple terms, it is very difficult to adjust a mechanical trading system to a different market conditions if you are not the author of that system.

So how do you cater for this fact that markets keep on changing all the time. By developing a trading system that uses different trading strategy under different market conditions. For that, you will need to develop a diversified trading system consisting of a set of trading systems that can be used as a basis for a specific trade tactics at any given moment.

Trading systems based on these principles can be complex and adjustable. Such a diversified trading system can be used according to a trader's free choice and considering the individual situation.

Such a diversified trading system can be optimized for current market condition and the trader's resources at any given moment. This optimization can provide an effective evaluation of market shits and trends at any given time.

The optimal solution could be a diversified trading system based on the natural market features and regularities. A trading system needs to be evaluated by calculating its win ratio over let's say at least 100 trades. The only thing necessary is to find the tools for the probability evaluation for the trading system with maximum accuracy and minimum time.

Mechanical trading is good in the sense that it helps you avoid emotions in making your trading decisions. Emotions are your biggest enemy in trading. Fear and greed will always force you to make wrong trading decisions. Developing a mechanical trading system with a set of trading rules that you can apply rigorously in making your trading decisions in any market condition should be your goal. Have you ever heard about the turtle trading experiment?

Turtle trading experiment was conducted to demonstrate the fact that it's not the trader that matters; it's the trading system that matters. If you have a good trading system, you can become a highly successful trader.

What you need to do is learn from successful traders and try to copy their trading systems. As a young person you must have learned that just by observing good players play their games you could improve your level of playing tennis, golf, badminton, swimming or for that matter any type of game.

The same principle applies in trading. By observing the trading systems of successful traders you can also develop your own highly successful trading system. You need to take a look at these 25 forex trading systems that had emerged on the top of more than 5000 traders who had taken part in a recent forex trading championship. The best forex trading system had an ROI of almost 3000% in one month. - 23226

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What Investors Need To Know About Property Tax Sales

By Nathan Williams

Investing in tax liens and foreclosures can be extremely lucrative, however it can be a risky venture without having an in depth knowledge of the process or without receiving specialized training. Noriskinvestor.com can provide all the training and information needed in a brief time span to sling shot any investor straight into success. Further, the investor is presented with a compilation of information all in one place.

Whether an investor wants to take the training then tackle purchasing properties on their own or continue to utilize the site to assist in finding properties the goals remain the same. From the start every member is given the opportunity to start purchasing properties, so there is no waiting period. Properties, for property tax sales, have been pre-evaluated and are provided in list format ready for review. Properties include residential homes, land, and commercial real estate. No Risk Investor has compiled list of properties available through various sources not just through county tax sales but through other real estate investment opportunities as well. When an investor provides detailed information regarding the criteria a property suitable for purchase a composite of properties will be presented to the investor.

Different states implement laws regarding the handling of the sales or liens of properties that owe delinquent taxes. Learn the specific property tax sales for each state and become familiar with the local ins and outs of investing in tax liens. Learn the difference between the different types of liens and how the states and counties within them handle the tax liens, tax deeds, and redemption deeds.

No Risk Investor provides valuable information regarding calendars and important dates for nationwide property tax sales. Countless hours are continually spent compiling the information from all over the country and present it in one convenient place so that any investor can quickly make their way through the information and make the most of their time investing and making money.

As more and more counties across the United States move their auctions online instead of holding auctions locally the competition is heating up. More and more people are gaining access to the information; this is where the training and convenience of No Risk Investor is immeasurable and can give any investor who works with the program an advantage when purchasing property tax sales. All the information needed to participate is kept at hand and made available and accessible to investors through the No Risk Investors site. - 23226

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JP Morgan Must Have A Crystal Ball!

By Gavin J. King

Recent news posted stating that JP Morgan was hiring 1200 loan officers at locations all across the nation. In case you did not know who they are, they are the wall street bankers who acquired WAMU to get out from under several billion dollars worth of tax money they owe to the government. Sound familiar? I thought it might.

They also purchased Bear Stearns, the other wall street bank, when they went under and were refused a bailout by the head of the Federal Reserve.

JP Morgan states that many of the mortgage officers that they are hiring will be stationed and loan centers all across the United States. What baffles me is their logic for the hiring trend. They are reported to have claimed that they want to be able to most dutifully service and serve home loan seekers when the real estate market does turn around. That is not an exact quote but you get the idea.

My question is what do they know that we are not hearing from the media? They are hiring when it seems every other business is laying people off? That does not make any sense to me, unless they know something not many other people do.

With everything revealed, I think it will be profoundly obvious that JP Morgan, and the only other remaining Wall Street bank, Goldman Sachs, have been working diligently to establish themselves as the exclusive source of credit, before turning back on the spigots of credit.

They are putting in a place the mechanism to make the real estate recovery emerge suddenly and lift many homeowners out of what would otherwise be a hopeless situation. My question is are you a hero if you present the cure for the disease you have caused? - 23226

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Looking for the Right Stock Broker Online

By Warren Bryte

The online stock market today is a great money making circle but it often seems chaotic and confusing, especially to those who are new to stocks and shares. With so many options to consider, making decisions in stock trading in this arena can be a huge challenge, and finding a good online broker to help you make the right choices can just be as hard.

When finding an online stock broker, be sure to consider these very important factors that may help you determine whether the broker can really help you achieve success in trading.

Fees

Take note that all brokers charge fees for commissions, which are the costs to trade by buying and selling stocks. You can be charged with a commission fee twice, first when you buy a stock and second when you sell that same stock.

Aside from the commission fee, you will also be charged with a minimum initial deposit and this can range from $500 to around $10,000. But if the balance in your account is less than the minimum, then your broker may charge a monthly or quarterly fee that may range from around $10 to $20 or higher per payment

Make sure that in choosing a broker, you should first consider that you could actually afford fees that will be charged to you.

Features

Every online broker has a set of tools and features that will be integrated in your trading account. Some trading accounts may even offer you additional features, but sometimes, these may cost you extra. Find a broker that offers you features that you believe will benefit your trading transactions, as well as your budget.

An application called the streamer, which includes tools for streaming charts, and streaming data should usually be included in your account. This allows you to see behaviors in the stock market, such as the latest real time prices.

There are even streamers that can simply the process by directly allowing you to buy and sell stocks without having to open other websites. Such features can be very helpful in making trades.

Popularity

It also wouldn't hurt if you choose an online broker that is more popular and known. In this way, you would be able to review their performance in the market through checking out reviews and hearing what other people have to say.

There is a huge chance that when a broker has achieved popularity, that it performs quite well in the market. Aside from this, popularity may also indicate experience in trading. Of course, you would certainly prefer to get help from a trader that has sufficient knowledge and experience in the industry. Through this, you would at least be assured that you are getting good help in making trades.

Remember to first and foremost consider your needs as a trader and whether or not the broker you are eyeing-on will be able to meet these needs. Financial factors, services, knowledge and experience in the online trading market are very vital for you to garner success in this arena.

Choosing a stockbroker for online trading may certainly be difficult and even overwhelming at times. But as long as you take in mind the important factors mentioned above, then you just might be able to find the right broker that can be of valuable help to you. - 23226

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