It is one of the strongest currencies in the world, but the whole economy is not as powerful. It fluctuates up and down, along with trends in privately and publicly-owned companies. England's economy has experienced some very high points, but has also experienced some low points as well.
No matter where you live, you must carefully consider your options before you try to earn a return on your investment; and England is no exception to that rule. But some people in the UK still like to take a risk with their money and one of these risks is day trading online.
Day trading online involves the process of buying and selling shares over the Internet at short notice. Day trading online has been seen by many as a way to get rich quick, but that isn't the half of it. Statistics show that online day traders are having a rough ride, with 70% of online day traders losing money. So if you are looking at getting into the world of online day trading, then you should know the risks that are attached to the service.
But when you are in the world of online day trading then you will get some excellent services given to you. One of these services is a chat room, where you can talk to other buyers and sellers. This is a good way to find out what the next big time company might be, but you have to know if this person is "share ramping," which is the process of talking up the shares artificially. So you have to take the risk of guessing if this person is correct or not and if the information hasn't been authorized.
These days, online trading websites are somewhat risky and can be dangerous. But if you are a professional when it comes to buying and selling shares, then you will know all about the risks and you can make yourself a tidy profit. Day trading online should not be used by beginners, but more used by people that are heavily experienced in the stock market world.
posted by Greg Secker
Tuesday 8 December 2009
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Stock Investing Tip - Posted by Greg Secker
If you are looking for a Stock Investing Tip you have come to the right place. Investing tips come from everywhere and from all sources. From strangers you over hear talking in the store to the gurus on the television.
When we are in a strong bull market, and it seems like the market will not go down no matter what, you can get a great stock investing tip just from throwing a dart at the list of stocks in Investors Business Daily, and come out with a winner.
An Investing Tip can come from an article you read in the newspaper or a magazine. Usually the time you read about it, the stock has already made it's big move. That is when the smart money starts taking their profits and sells to the dump money.
Sometimes investing tips come as a pump and dump. With the smaller priced stocks it does not take much money to buy alot of shares. They will then start talking about, or writing newsletters about how good (pump) the company is just to get people to start buying the stock, and at the same time they are selling (dump) their shares.
If you are getting into the market because of a tip you got, you are bound to lose your hard earned money. Sure you might get lucky a few times, like in a strong bull market, but in the long run you will eventually lose all your money that you set aside for investing.
The best stock investing tip you will ever receive is going to be right here. Do not buy any stock on any tip that you here!!! Do not put your hard earned money in any investment blindly, do your homework. Many beginners in the stock market will feel that they have to jump in on the tip they have gotten in order to make the big buck. They are afraid the train is going to leave without them. They don't want to be left out of the big move.
There is no reason to be jumping into any stock right away. There are thousands of stocks to invest in. Let the stock price come to you, do not go chasing a stock.
Learning how to invest in stocks is not difficult, but it does take time, just like learning anything in live. Take the time to learn, there are many books to read that will get you going in the right direction. Read them, study them, study the market, practice trading on paper. Take the time to learn how to invest, you will not regret it. The stock market is not going anywhere, it's been here for a long time, and will continue to be here for a long time to come.
Soon the only stock investing tip you will be listening to will be coming from the knowledge that you have learned, and that is the best investing tip that you can get. Then your friends and family will be coming to you for investing tips.
Posted by Greg Secker
When we are in a strong bull market, and it seems like the market will not go down no matter what, you can get a great stock investing tip just from throwing a dart at the list of stocks in Investors Business Daily, and come out with a winner.
An Investing Tip can come from an article you read in the newspaper or a magazine. Usually the time you read about it, the stock has already made it's big move. That is when the smart money starts taking their profits and sells to the dump money.
Sometimes investing tips come as a pump and dump. With the smaller priced stocks it does not take much money to buy alot of shares. They will then start talking about, or writing newsletters about how good (pump) the company is just to get people to start buying the stock, and at the same time they are selling (dump) their shares.
If you are getting into the market because of a tip you got, you are bound to lose your hard earned money. Sure you might get lucky a few times, like in a strong bull market, but in the long run you will eventually lose all your money that you set aside for investing.
The best stock investing tip you will ever receive is going to be right here. Do not buy any stock on any tip that you here!!! Do not put your hard earned money in any investment blindly, do your homework. Many beginners in the stock market will feel that they have to jump in on the tip they have gotten in order to make the big buck. They are afraid the train is going to leave without them. They don't want to be left out of the big move.
There is no reason to be jumping into any stock right away. There are thousands of stocks to invest in. Let the stock price come to you, do not go chasing a stock.
Learning how to invest in stocks is not difficult, but it does take time, just like learning anything in live. Take the time to learn, there are many books to read that will get you going in the right direction. Read them, study them, study the market, practice trading on paper. Take the time to learn how to invest, you will not regret it. The stock market is not going anywhere, it's been here for a long time, and will continue to be here for a long time to come.
Soon the only stock investing tip you will be listening to will be coming from the knowledge that you have learned, and that is the best investing tip that you can get. Then your friends and family will be coming to you for investing tips.
Posted by Greg Secker
Friday 13 November 2009
Successful Investors Have Learned to Talk Their Walk! - By Greg Secker
Today, English is the most widely spoken and written language on the planet. English was first spoken in Britain by Germanic tribes in the Fifth Century AD. At that time it was known as the Old English (Anglo-Saxon) period. During the Middle English period (1150-1500 AD), many Old English word endings were replaced by prepositions like by, with, and from. We are currently in the Modern English period which started in the Sixteenth Century.
The number of words in English has grown from 50,000 to 60,000 words in Old English to about a million today; the largest of all languages by far. An average educated person knows about 20,000 words and uses only about 2,000 words in a week. Despite its widespread use, there are only about 350 million people who use it as their mother tongue.
It is the official language of the Olympics. More than half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals as well three quarters of the world's mail, and its telexes and cables are in English. About 80% of the information stored in the world's computers (like this text) are also in English. English is transmitted to more than 100 million people everyday by 5 of the largest broadcasting companies (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC, CBC). It seems like English will remain the most widely used language for some time.
The field of finance was pioneered by the United States of America as an extension of mercantilism. This was at a time when study of anything but economics was considered unworthy as compared to hard sciences like math, chemistry and physic and kissing up in the king’s court was highly regarded. The first business schools were established in the United States for this reason and still maintain their dominance. Finance has many words such as “put” and “call” for which there are no translations in other languages.
It is critical that you develop your financial vocabulary. My understanding of the financial vocabulary is vast compared to the average person because of my Ph.D. that I hold in the field as well as my investing experience as a futures and options trader and long term stock investor.
Many years of study at the doctoral level combined with direct practice in investments has allowed me to develop a vast financial vocabulary. This allows me to capture the essence of investment readings and conversations that the average person does not understand. Many investors fail not for lack of intelligence (I am of average intelligence) but lack of comprehension of what makes the stock market tick. This is due, in great part, to a lack of vocabulary that the common man on the street has not developed. Take the time to develop your financial vocabulary and you will excel over time as an investor!
Posted by Greg Secker
The number of words in English has grown from 50,000 to 60,000 words in Old English to about a million today; the largest of all languages by far. An average educated person knows about 20,000 words and uses only about 2,000 words in a week. Despite its widespread use, there are only about 350 million people who use it as their mother tongue.
It is the official language of the Olympics. More than half of the world's technical and scientific periodicals as well three quarters of the world's mail, and its telexes and cables are in English. About 80% of the information stored in the world's computers (like this text) are also in English. English is transmitted to more than 100 million people everyday by 5 of the largest broadcasting companies (CBS, NBC, ABC, BBC, CBC). It seems like English will remain the most widely used language for some time.
The field of finance was pioneered by the United States of America as an extension of mercantilism. This was at a time when study of anything but economics was considered unworthy as compared to hard sciences like math, chemistry and physic and kissing up in the king’s court was highly regarded. The first business schools were established in the United States for this reason and still maintain their dominance. Finance has many words such as “put” and “call” for which there are no translations in other languages.
It is critical that you develop your financial vocabulary. My understanding of the financial vocabulary is vast compared to the average person because of my Ph.D. that I hold in the field as well as my investing experience as a futures and options trader and long term stock investor.
Many years of study at the doctoral level combined with direct practice in investments has allowed me to develop a vast financial vocabulary. This allows me to capture the essence of investment readings and conversations that the average person does not understand. Many investors fail not for lack of intelligence (I am of average intelligence) but lack of comprehension of what makes the stock market tick. This is due, in great part, to a lack of vocabulary that the common man on the street has not developed. Take the time to develop your financial vocabulary and you will excel over time as an investor!
Posted by Greg Secker
Wednesday 11 November 2009
Stock market guide - Posted by Greg Secker
Stock market is an inquisitive place for many. It is because the place has given birth to many millionaires and is also responsible for turning millionaires to locals. Thus the bulls and bears have always been charismatic. Now millions of people invest in the stock market to make good money. The aura of the place is such that it is swarming with people any hour of the day and any season of the year. But only few know that how the stock market came into existence or what actually are its origins.
A short encounter with the past
The oldest stock certificate was issued in favor of a Dutch company in 1606. The purpose of this company was to benefit from the spice trade between India and the Far East. During the 18th and the 19th centuries the trade of spices drifted to England when Napoleon reigned over the place. With the development of United States of America as a colony to British and Alexander Hamilton (the first US secretary of the Treasury) flourished the American Stock Exchange. Hamilton played a crucial role in encouraging the trading in the Wall Street and Broad Street in New York. The New York Stock and Exchange Board now popularly known as the New York Stock Exchange was organized by the traders of New York in 1817 when trade and commerce bloomed there.
A precise survey of the Western stock market
• The Wall Street- a place where the whole of 18th century trade and commerce took place, Wall Street is a recognized place across the globe. The street was termed as Wall Street since it ran alongside a wall that was taken as the northern boundary of New Amsterdam in 17th century.
The Wall Street is known for the J.P. Morgan’s million dollar merger that created US Steel Corporation, the ruinous crisis that resulted in Great Depression and the “Black Monday” of 1987.
• The NYSE or the New York Stock Exchange is perhaps the foremost and so the oldest stock exchange in United States that is believed to be born in 1792. The significant aspects related to NYSE include the Buttonwood Agreement when 24 stockbrokers and traders of New York signed this accord and established the New York Stock Exchange and Securities Board which is now recognized as the NYSE; the considerable swings that the NYSE saw during the 20th and 21st century; the hitting of the 100 and later even 1000 mark by the Dow around 1971 and the mark of 10,000 that the Dow scaled in 1999.
• NASDAQ is the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Questions. It is an apparent or virtual stock market where all trading is done through the electronic media. NASDAQ, the global and the largest electronic stock market today was first established in 1971 in United States at the time when computers were not as developed as they are today and it was very difficult to compute. The main exchange of NASDAQ is in United Sates while its branches can be found in Canada and Japan and it is also linked to markets of Hong Kong and Europe. NASDAQ functions by purchasing and selling the over- the- counter or OTC stocks.
• AMEX-was discovered in 1842. The putative father of the institution is Edward Mc Cormick (the commissioner of SEC) who endowed it with its current name. It started its journey as the New York Curb Exchange and its name is factual. The AMEX in contrast to the NYSE operates with the small and more dynamic companies some of which even make it to the NYSE board.
Posted by Greg Secker
A short encounter with the past
The oldest stock certificate was issued in favor of a Dutch company in 1606. The purpose of this company was to benefit from the spice trade between India and the Far East. During the 18th and the 19th centuries the trade of spices drifted to England when Napoleon reigned over the place. With the development of United States of America as a colony to British and Alexander Hamilton (the first US secretary of the Treasury) flourished the American Stock Exchange. Hamilton played a crucial role in encouraging the trading in the Wall Street and Broad Street in New York. The New York Stock and Exchange Board now popularly known as the New York Stock Exchange was organized by the traders of New York in 1817 when trade and commerce bloomed there.
A precise survey of the Western stock market
• The Wall Street- a place where the whole of 18th century trade and commerce took place, Wall Street is a recognized place across the globe. The street was termed as Wall Street since it ran alongside a wall that was taken as the northern boundary of New Amsterdam in 17th century.
The Wall Street is known for the J.P. Morgan’s million dollar merger that created US Steel Corporation, the ruinous crisis that resulted in Great Depression and the “Black Monday” of 1987.
• The NYSE or the New York Stock Exchange is perhaps the foremost and so the oldest stock exchange in United States that is believed to be born in 1792. The significant aspects related to NYSE include the Buttonwood Agreement when 24 stockbrokers and traders of New York signed this accord and established the New York Stock Exchange and Securities Board which is now recognized as the NYSE; the considerable swings that the NYSE saw during the 20th and 21st century; the hitting of the 100 and later even 1000 mark by the Dow around 1971 and the mark of 10,000 that the Dow scaled in 1999.
• NASDAQ is the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Questions. It is an apparent or virtual stock market where all trading is done through the electronic media. NASDAQ, the global and the largest electronic stock market today was first established in 1971 in United States at the time when computers were not as developed as they are today and it was very difficult to compute. The main exchange of NASDAQ is in United Sates while its branches can be found in Canada and Japan and it is also linked to markets of Hong Kong and Europe. NASDAQ functions by purchasing and selling the over- the- counter or OTC stocks.
• AMEX-was discovered in 1842. The putative father of the institution is Edward Mc Cormick (the commissioner of SEC) who endowed it with its current name. It started its journey as the New York Curb Exchange and its name is factual. The AMEX in contrast to the NYSE operates with the small and more dynamic companies some of which even make it to the NYSE board.
Posted by Greg Secker
Tuesday 10 November 2009
Online Stock Trading, Is It Here To Stay? - Posted by Greg Secker
Trading stocks on the internet is a relatively new thing for most people but it won’t be for long. The only reason that it is new in the first place is that the internet is new relatively speaking. In 1999 a little under 3 million people traded over the internet, now online stock trading has ballooned with more than 10 times that number of people trading daily.
So why have people begun to do this? Why is it so popular? Well there are several reasons and some are good and some are not as sound when you think critically. The most popular reason cited for online stock trading is that they no longer have to forfeit some of their earnings to brokers in fees charged per trade. This doesn’t get them out of being charged fees per trade but it does cost a lot less to do it yourself with one of the dozens of day trading companies that there are available on the internet.
People are often trying to get away from brokers all together for more than just the fees they charged. Many people are fed up with brokers who did poorly in the recent downturn in the market. Their performances were sub par and people lost a lot of money so you can’t blame them. However the word of caution is to not lump all brokers into the overpaid and under skilled group. There are many brokers who are well worth their weight in gold because they know the market so well and have such good instincts—this shouldn’t be your only draw to online stock trading.
Other reasons people left their jobs to go into full time trading on the internet because they think that they can do better at it than at their real job and it will be more fun to boot. There is a certain romantic idea that people have about sitting in their beautiful home sipping gourmet coffee and checking in on their online stock trading portfolios a few times a day while making hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is a dangerous move for lots of people because they have no idea what they are getting into.
In order to be successful you have to have knowledge of the world’s economies and how that can be affected by the current events of the day. You also have to be good at evaluation of companies as far as potential for profit and so on. The third thing that you must have is nerves of steel and a loose grip on the money that you are trading with. Many day traders (or former thereof) will tell you of the “hits” they have taken totaling many thousands of dollars in a few hours for a wrong move.
Posted by Greg Secker
So why have people begun to do this? Why is it so popular? Well there are several reasons and some are good and some are not as sound when you think critically. The most popular reason cited for online stock trading is that they no longer have to forfeit some of their earnings to brokers in fees charged per trade. This doesn’t get them out of being charged fees per trade but it does cost a lot less to do it yourself with one of the dozens of day trading companies that there are available on the internet.
People are often trying to get away from brokers all together for more than just the fees they charged. Many people are fed up with brokers who did poorly in the recent downturn in the market. Their performances were sub par and people lost a lot of money so you can’t blame them. However the word of caution is to not lump all brokers into the overpaid and under skilled group. There are many brokers who are well worth their weight in gold because they know the market so well and have such good instincts—this shouldn’t be your only draw to online stock trading.
Other reasons people left their jobs to go into full time trading on the internet because they think that they can do better at it than at their real job and it will be more fun to boot. There is a certain romantic idea that people have about sitting in their beautiful home sipping gourmet coffee and checking in on their online stock trading portfolios a few times a day while making hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is a dangerous move for lots of people because they have no idea what they are getting into.
In order to be successful you have to have knowledge of the world’s economies and how that can be affected by the current events of the day. You also have to be good at evaluation of companies as far as potential for profit and so on. The third thing that you must have is nerves of steel and a loose grip on the money that you are trading with. Many day traders (or former thereof) will tell you of the “hits” they have taken totaling many thousands of dollars in a few hours for a wrong move.
Posted by Greg Secker
Friday 6 November 2009
A Review Of The Stock Market Crash Of 1929 - Posted by Greg Secker
The great Wall Street Crash just previous to the Great Depression of the 1930s has become a part of North American legend. People speak of the crash, its causes and its consequences, with great authority, although few people actually understand the fundamentals that led to the crash, and fewer still the intricacies involved in it. This article will detail a short review of the crash, analyze some of the myths evolving out of this period in American history, and also answer some questions such as why the crash happened, and if something like it could happen again.
The crash began on October 24, 1929 and the slide continued for three business days, ending on October 29 1929 (as we can see, the crash did not occur in the ‘30s, as many people believe). The first day of the crash is known as Black Thursday, and the last day is called Black Tuesday. The crash began when a rush of nervous spenders panicked and rushed to sell their shares- over 13 million stocks were sold on that first Thursday. In an attempt to halt the slide, several bankers and businessmen gathered and tried to rally the numbers by buying up blue-chip stocks, a tactic that had worked in 1909. This was to prove only a temporary fix, however. Over the weekend, while the stock markets were closed, the media added to the fear of investors as the published the wrap ups to the week. By Monday, a fearful populace, nerves on edge due to the reports, were waiting to liquidate. Again, industrial giants and other businesses tried to halt the panic by demonstrating their faith in the system by buying more stock, but the slide would not stop. The market did not recover its value until almost a quarter of a decade later.
As with any legend, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 carries with it several mythical misconceptions. To start with, the Crash did not lead to the Great Depression. In fact, many financial analysts and historians are still not sure to what degree the Crash even contributed. The economic forecasts were poor before Wall Street fell, and it was poor people who could not even afford to think about stocks that were the most affected by the Depression. For these people, poverty was mostly caused by very poor farming conditions. There was also not the onslaught of suicides that is commonly referred to- a few investors did succumb to depression, but their numbers are generally agreed to have been very small indeed- enough to count on one hand.
What was it that caused this Crash? Because the market had been doing so well, many Americans were investing- many more, in fact, than could afford it. These people were investing on speculation. This means that they were buying stocks with an eye to selling them in the future for a higher profit, and to achieve the capital to invest they borrowed from banks. When prices began to drop, people realized they would not be able to pay their debt, let alone make any money,. They rushed to get out as soon as possible. To prevent panics such as this in the future, buying on speculation is now illegal.
Posted by Greg Secker
The crash began on October 24, 1929 and the slide continued for three business days, ending on October 29 1929 (as we can see, the crash did not occur in the ‘30s, as many people believe). The first day of the crash is known as Black Thursday, and the last day is called Black Tuesday. The crash began when a rush of nervous spenders panicked and rushed to sell their shares- over 13 million stocks were sold on that first Thursday. In an attempt to halt the slide, several bankers and businessmen gathered and tried to rally the numbers by buying up blue-chip stocks, a tactic that had worked in 1909. This was to prove only a temporary fix, however. Over the weekend, while the stock markets were closed, the media added to the fear of investors as the published the wrap ups to the week. By Monday, a fearful populace, nerves on edge due to the reports, were waiting to liquidate. Again, industrial giants and other businesses tried to halt the panic by demonstrating their faith in the system by buying more stock, but the slide would not stop. The market did not recover its value until almost a quarter of a decade later.
As with any legend, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 carries with it several mythical misconceptions. To start with, the Crash did not lead to the Great Depression. In fact, many financial analysts and historians are still not sure to what degree the Crash even contributed. The economic forecasts were poor before Wall Street fell, and it was poor people who could not even afford to think about stocks that were the most affected by the Depression. For these people, poverty was mostly caused by very poor farming conditions. There was also not the onslaught of suicides that is commonly referred to- a few investors did succumb to depression, but their numbers are generally agreed to have been very small indeed- enough to count on one hand.
What was it that caused this Crash? Because the market had been doing so well, many Americans were investing- many more, in fact, than could afford it. These people were investing on speculation. This means that they were buying stocks with an eye to selling them in the future for a higher profit, and to achieve the capital to invest they borrowed from banks. When prices began to drop, people realized they would not be able to pay their debt, let alone make any money,. They rushed to get out as soon as possible. To prevent panics such as this in the future, buying on speculation is now illegal.
Posted by Greg Secker
Thursday 5 November 2009
9 Survival Tips for the Market Shakeout Blues - Posted by Greg Secker
Investors who bought during the top of the frothy commodities rally are now panicking or kicking themselves. Neither activity helps an investor or trader think straight. Below are a few tips in dealing with the current market shakeout.
1. If you believe you invested in the right stock(s), then turn off your computer and do something enjoyable. Exercise is a great stress reliever. The market has already begun its shakeout. If you didn’t get stopped out, or failed to place earlier stops, your best opportunity lays ahead in picking up additional shares at a much lower price. Most of the experts we’ve interviewed tell us the next rally should start sometime between late July and Labor Day. In an attempt to interview the uranium guru James Dines in late May, we were told, “Call back in a couple of months.” That was a helpful clue that the markets were less than exciting. Mr. Dines is often eager to be interviewed, but recently he was not.
2. Do you believe the fundamentals which engendered the commodities boom have changed? If they haven’t, then the bullishness is only taking a breather. We don’t see any fundamental change in the markets. Russia still wants nuclear power, and its oil production may be peaking. China hasn’t announced the end of its nuclear expansion program. India wants to spend $40 billion on new nuclear reactors. If you are invested in uranium stocks, spot uranium jumped another dollar to $45/pound this past week. Hardly the end of the bull market.
3. If you worry about your investment in one stock or another, then stop watching the ticker and focus on the company fundamentals. Is the story still true or has it changed? See #7 A, B and C below.
4. There’s an old cliché that the time to buy is when you feel like dumping everything you own in the category. At the exact moment you want to sell your entire portfolio of uranium stocks, it may be wiser to add to your holdings. This applies mainly to the retail investor. Most of the professionals did dump at the top and are now slowly accumulating the shares of the naïve who waited until the washout to start selling off.
5. Has a major, earth-shattering event occurred? The last bull cycle in uranium ended with Three Mile Island (TMI). The last decent rally in the precious metals markets fell off a cliff after it was discovered Bre-X Minerals had perpetrated a fraud about its gold ‘discovery’ in Indonesia. Something significant and newsworthy always transpires, and it is also far-reaching. That is the trigger. As with TMI and Bre-X, those were the first shots which launched a later chain reaction to end those bull markets.
6. Before pulling the sell trigger, ask yourself: Do I really want to give up these shares to a bargain basement hunter, who will make a killing on my losses?
7. Since most of you will still panic, please review the following basics for any of the uranium companies you’ve read about:
A) How much cash does the company have in the bank? During shakeouts, cash is king. Prescient companies, which completed their financings during the recent and robust rally, are sitting pretty. They can weather the short-term storm and are well-oiled to move forward when this correction bottoms and reverses. Those companies are the strongest ones to check out when this correction looks gloomiest.
B) Has the management remained the same? Unless the top financial and/or technical people blew out the door, in recent weeks, the story probably hasn’t changed much. Companies which built a strong technical team are resilient and powerful. They will move forward.
C) Have the properties come up dry? One of the reasons you invested in a uranium company was because it announced it had “pounds in the ground.” Some companies have more than others. Some went to the expense and trouble of completing a National Instrument 43-101, which independently confirmed the quantity and quality of the uranium resource. If that changed – and the company announced, “Sorry, nothing there after all,” or announced, “Hey, we were kidding,” that’s one thing. If you haven’t heard that, or read a news release announcing that, then the uranium didn’t walk away or move onto a competitor’s property. It’s still there.
Next time, when the markets are racing higher, and you feel like you won the lottery, consider this bit of biblical advice. The old joke goes, “When did Noah build his ark?” The answer of course is: Before it began to rain.
Posted by Greg Secker
1. If you believe you invested in the right stock(s), then turn off your computer and do something enjoyable. Exercise is a great stress reliever. The market has already begun its shakeout. If you didn’t get stopped out, or failed to place earlier stops, your best opportunity lays ahead in picking up additional shares at a much lower price. Most of the experts we’ve interviewed tell us the next rally should start sometime between late July and Labor Day. In an attempt to interview the uranium guru James Dines in late May, we were told, “Call back in a couple of months.” That was a helpful clue that the markets were less than exciting. Mr. Dines is often eager to be interviewed, but recently he was not.
2. Do you believe the fundamentals which engendered the commodities boom have changed? If they haven’t, then the bullishness is only taking a breather. We don’t see any fundamental change in the markets. Russia still wants nuclear power, and its oil production may be peaking. China hasn’t announced the end of its nuclear expansion program. India wants to spend $40 billion on new nuclear reactors. If you are invested in uranium stocks, spot uranium jumped another dollar to $45/pound this past week. Hardly the end of the bull market.
3. If you worry about your investment in one stock or another, then stop watching the ticker and focus on the company fundamentals. Is the story still true or has it changed? See #7 A, B and C below.
4. There’s an old cliché that the time to buy is when you feel like dumping everything you own in the category. At the exact moment you want to sell your entire portfolio of uranium stocks, it may be wiser to add to your holdings. This applies mainly to the retail investor. Most of the professionals did dump at the top and are now slowly accumulating the shares of the naïve who waited until the washout to start selling off.
5. Has a major, earth-shattering event occurred? The last bull cycle in uranium ended with Three Mile Island (TMI). The last decent rally in the precious metals markets fell off a cliff after it was discovered Bre-X Minerals had perpetrated a fraud about its gold ‘discovery’ in Indonesia. Something significant and newsworthy always transpires, and it is also far-reaching. That is the trigger. As with TMI and Bre-X, those were the first shots which launched a later chain reaction to end those bull markets.
6. Before pulling the sell trigger, ask yourself: Do I really want to give up these shares to a bargain basement hunter, who will make a killing on my losses?
7. Since most of you will still panic, please review the following basics for any of the uranium companies you’ve read about:
A) How much cash does the company have in the bank? During shakeouts, cash is king. Prescient companies, which completed their financings during the recent and robust rally, are sitting pretty. They can weather the short-term storm and are well-oiled to move forward when this correction bottoms and reverses. Those companies are the strongest ones to check out when this correction looks gloomiest.
B) Has the management remained the same? Unless the top financial and/or technical people blew out the door, in recent weeks, the story probably hasn’t changed much. Companies which built a strong technical team are resilient and powerful. They will move forward.
C) Have the properties come up dry? One of the reasons you invested in a uranium company was because it announced it had “pounds in the ground.” Some companies have more than others. Some went to the expense and trouble of completing a National Instrument 43-101, which independently confirmed the quantity and quality of the uranium resource. If that changed – and the company announced, “Sorry, nothing there after all,” or announced, “Hey, we were kidding,” that’s one thing. If you haven’t heard that, or read a news release announcing that, then the uranium didn’t walk away or move onto a competitor’s property. It’s still there.
Next time, when the markets are racing higher, and you feel like you won the lottery, consider this bit of biblical advice. The old joke goes, “When did Noah build his ark?” The answer of course is: Before it began to rain.
Posted by Greg Secker
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