Stocks Articles

Here we look at some of the landmark incidents of insider trading.

In the insurance space, accurate predictions of metrics such as ROE are important, and paying a low P/B can help put the odds in investors' favor.

STRIPS provide an alternative form of bond for fixed-income investors who need definite cash flows at specific times. Read the article to find out how.

Companies use M&As and spinoffs to boost profits - learn how you can do the same.

The main purpose of equity valuation is to estimate a value for a firm or security. There are three primary equity valuation models: the discounted cash flow (DCF), cost and comparable approaches. The comparable model is a relative valuation approach and is explained in more detail below.

Large amounts of debt can cause businesses to become less competitive and, in some cases, lead to default. To lower their risk, investors use a variety of leverage ratios - including the debt, debt-to-equity and interest coverage ratios - to identify firms with unhealthy debt levels.

Rather than relying solely on net profit figures to evaluate a company's performance, seasoned investors will often look at gross profit and operating profit as well.

Find out how this index tracks market movements and where it falls short.

An academic study, published several years after the peak of the dot-com bubble in March 2000, accurately described just how whacky internet valuations grew until the bubble burst. The study's first sentence basically stated that valuations lost touch with reality.

This influential strategy capitalizes on the relationship between price and liquidity.

There are different ways stock traders attempt to profit from market movements. Which of the strategies do you use?

In the dramatic world of M&As, battleground terms meld with bizarre metaphors to form the language of the game.

Learn to decipher the secret language of the IPO prospectus report - it can tell you a lot about a company's future.

What people buy and where they shop can provide valuable information about the economy.

Appreciate the different methods used to describe how book value is "used up".

Learn how to make gains even if you don't get in at the right time.

Get a piece of Warren Buffett's profit by using Form 13F to coattail his picks.

The purpose of this article is to provide a general overview of hostile corporate takeovers, while highlighting a general course of action against such activity. This article provides basic information about the Williams Act, the use of company stock with differential voting rights, ESOPs as a defense mechanism, poison pill strategies, white knight investor alternatives, and greenmail as an alternative to blackmail.

There are a lot of similarities between golf and investing. Find out how to keep your game out of the rough.

The CMT certification involves three tough exams. Find out what you need to do in order to pass.

The most common types of price to earnings ratios are forward P/E and trailing P/E. Find out how they differ and the advantages and drawbacks of each.

Discover the components and basic patterns of this ancient technical analysis technique.

Running financial analysis on a company or industry is a key skill every investor must learn and understand how to undertake without which an ineffective financial report and investment recommendation ensues.

All trading platforms have benefits and drawbacks - master the fake trade before making a real one.

Take a look at how this effective ratio can be influenced by certain critical factors.

The P/E ratio is a simple tool for evaluating a company, but no one ratio can tell the whole story.

Look at the big picture when choosing a company - what you see may really be a stage in its industry's growth.

Balance risk and return to produce adequate income despite inflation.

Learn what pundits mean when they say that stocks are undervalued according to the Fed model.

Active trading is an investing style that aims to beat the market. Find out how it works, and whether it will work for you.

We go over the concepts behind the excitement over the most important figure in the stock market.

If you don't realize how big small-cap stocks can be, you'll miss some good investment opportunities.

Different funds invest in companies with different market caps. Find out which is right for you.

Discover how to distinguish a real investment opportunity from a fraudulent one.

Wall Street tends to focus on large cap stocks, leaving other stocks under-followed and undervalued.

This sophisticated approach will add flair to your returns.

Find out the differences between mega-, large-, mid- and small-cap stocks and how each suits different investing styles.

Find out why little companies have the greatest potential for growth.

A profit/loss plan helps investors recognize mistakes and invest logically, rather than emotionally.

If these numbers have you in the dark, these easy calculations should help light the way.

Discover the key elements of a good long-term investment and how to find them.

How can a trader use the Elder-Ray oscillator as the second screen of this system? Find out here.

Learn about market wave, the second screen in this three-part system.

Getting big quickly looks good, but companies can get into trouble when they do it too fast. Find out how to spot this trouble.

Picking these potential winners is all about sizing up risk. We show you how.

Market tide is the basis for making trading decisions in this three-part system.

Learn to take advantage of both trend-following and oscillator techniques to analyze your trading decisions.

Goodwill represents an acquisition amount over and above what the purchased firm’s net assets are deemed to be valued at on the balance sheet.

If a company is strong enough to survive tough times, it is more likely to provide long-term value.

Understanding the different asset classes is an essential part of portfolio diversification.

Reimann family holding company is paying $340 million for Caribou Coffee, and paid $1 billion for Peet's in July. Is it looking to take on Starbucks?

This straightforward ratio measures whether a company is efficient, money-making or neither.

Find out how to look at the big picture - even when the market's short-term outlook is less than rosy.

Learn how to read these formations of horizontal trading patterns.

Find out how to analyze the way a company spends its money to determine whether there will be any money left for investors.

This calculation will serve up your portion of the shareholder pie.

To analyze retail stocks, investors need to be aware of the most common metrics used. Find out what they are.

In spite of the rewards going public can bring, some companies prefer to remain private, and they are very successful in this.

ACOs have the components required to securitize. Can your health become an instrument that can be traded?

Learn how enterprise value can help investors compare companies with different capital structures.

This type of strategy demands controlled decision-making, requiring a continual refinement of entry and exit techniques.

Find your sound exit strategy based on support and resistance levels, while understanding the psychology behind them.

To protect yourself from an attack, don't swim in this ocean.

A company's retained earnings matter. Be investment-savvy and learn how to analyze this often overlooked information.

Make informed decisions about your investments with these easy equations.

A careful review of a bank's financial statements can help you identify key factors in a potential investment.

These metrics can help you better understand the information found on balance sheets.

Developed in 1967 by Richard Arms, this volume-based breadth indicator can be applied over various time periods.

These figures can either shed light on a company's performance or skew it. Find out why.

Don't rely on Wall Street analysts for information on these stocks.

Calculate whether the market is paying too much for a particular stock.

Find out how to put this important component of equity analysis to work for you.

By using economic releases in a timely way, buyers can beat the "big players" without endless chart analysis.

The metrics for the Statement of Cash Flows is best viewed over time.

Here are some industry-impacting innovations that could potentially belong in the famed Carousel of Progress.

Understanding and analyzing OCI greatly improves financial analysis, especially for financial companies.

The tech sector can provide fantastic returns for investors with a little know-how in the field.

Sometimes positive announcements can mean bad news for a stock. Find out why.

Learn how to think big by investing in smaller stocks.

Learn how to capitalize on the predictable behavior of others during breakouts and breakdowns.

Often the most attractive companies are also a little fierce - learn how to spot healthy corporate aggression.

Here are some U.S. companies that have historically competed with one another for market supremacy.

Learn how to use a number of different indicators to know when to make your trading moves.

Here are some of the worst business decisions of all time, made across a broad range of sectors and industries.

Featuring the right amount of growth and stability, mid caps represent a great opportunity to play the marketplace.

On May 6, 2010, the DJIA plunged 998.5 points in twenty minutes. Find out more about what happened that day.

The investing world loves to talk about fundamentals, but do you know what it means?

Profit from up, down and sideways markets with commodity trading advisors.

The largest acquisition of 2011 was barely one-sixth the size of the largest from a dozen years ago. Find out what they were.

Learn more about the process business owners go through to seal a merger or acquisition deal.

Lousy companies can live on for quite a long time, sucking in investors' hopes and capital.

From pre-market to after hours, see what you need to do to capture gains quickly.

Adopting realistic expectations is essential to staying in the trading game.

Helium is a non-renewable resource in an industry dominated by an unusual infrastructure.

More common risk theories can lead to missed opportunities. Find out how margin of safety can propel your portfolio.

Intrinsic value reduces the subjective perception of a stock's value by analyzing its fundamentals.

The relatively modest amount of time it takes to build these models can pay for itself by leading you to better investment decisions.