Financial Figuring

What is investing? Wikipedia defines investment as the following: “Investment is putting money into something with the hope of profit. More specifically, investment is the commitment of money or capital to the purchase of financial instruments or other assets so as to gain profitable returns in the form of interest, income (dividends), or appreciation of the value of the instrument”.



So what does that mean? We all know what money is, it’s the stuff we carry around in our wallets (hopefully), so what are financial instruments? Specifically they are:

• Stocks,
• Bonds,
• Treasury Bills,
• Mutual Funds,
• Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
• Options and other derivatives,
• Property, or
• Currency.

Investing therefore, means that you spend your money and in return you receive one or more of the above financial instruments. ‘Profitable returns’ refers to:

• Interest – this is what a company will pay you for the privilege of using your money. Think of a savings account at a bank. You give the bank your money and they use it to lend to other people and businesses. The bank pays you a small amount of interest for the use of your money.
• Income (dividends) – this is a form of profit sharing. When a company makes a profit, they pass some of those profits back to the owners of the company (some they keep to reinvest in the company to help it grow or survive during down times). As a stockholder you are an owner of the business and entitled to a share of the profits that are distributed.
• Appreciation of the instrument – this refers to the increasing value of whatever it is that you bought. For example, if you bought your home for $100,000 ten years ago and today you could sell it for $150,000 you would say that your real estate (real property) had appreciated by 50% or $50,000 in this example.

This all sounds good, but there is more to consider before you plunk down your money and expect to earn a luxury vacation in Cabo San Lucas. Your education is just beginning and the fun is about to start.

You need to understand what your financial goals are and what your position is on risk management. Your goals may include:

• The need to draw an income from your investments,
• Saving for a vacation or major purchase, or
• Planning for your retirement.

Whatever the case, you need to find out, because the answer will determine how you invest.

Many people believe that the more risk you take with your investments, the more reward you receive. This is true to a certain extent. It is also true that the more risk you take, the more likely you are to lose your entire investment. What we are talking about is called risk management and it is very important to understand. Every person is different when it comes to risk. In general the older you are, the closer to retirement you are, the less risky you want to be with your investments. This is because the older you are, the less time you have to recover from a big loss.

For one to succeed in the stock market on their own, they need to commit to learning and commit to having fun. Yes fun. Investing on your own can be very liberating and very rewarding, but if done in ignorance it can be very dangerous as well. Beginners should scan the business section of the local newspaper and look for names of companies that they recognize. Read those articles and get a feel for what is happening with those companies and how they work. Even Warren Buffet, the greatest investor of all time, doesn’t invest in companies that he doesn’t understand.

Using stock charts can provide a wealth of information about how a company is trading. Charts can provide hints of a coming rally or just the opposite is about to ensue. Combined with other buy and sell signals stock charting is a very useful tool.



Charting works because on a large scale human nature is predictable. Not individually of course, but when you are talking about large numbers of people – like everyone who is trading stocks. It is because people follow predictable trading patterns that there are certain chart patterns that can be worth a gold mine. (see my previous post)

These areas of a chart that coax people’s behaviour into buying or selling are often called lines of support and resistance. Don’t be fooled by the name however; they are zones, not hard and true lines. These zones are flexible. In fact, if you see a breach of short term support during an intraday move, you could be getting a signal of strong buyer support.

Take a look at the above chart of Winthrop Realty Trust, Inc. There are two patterns here to note.

First, look at the blue support line. Throughout most of October the price of FUR dropped below this line, but only intraday. Every time it dropped below the line there was strong buying that pushed it back before the end of the day’s trading. This is a terrific signal that buyers were willing to add to their positions during intraday weakness. Investors were unwilling to sell shares during these weak points. Another key point to note is that volume was strong when it finally did break out.

Secondly, we have a rising wedge pattern. This is very bullish and indicates that a strong rally may soon occur. Again look at the blue support line. Investors were buying the price dips and over time were not willing to let the price fall as far as the day before. The red resistance line indicates that there was reluctance on the part of buyers to pay higher prices. Again for most of October the maximum price investors were willing to pay was around $13. Eventually these two lines meet and the enthusiasm of buyers usually overpowers the reluctance of resistance.

It is a good idea to wait for the market to close before pulling the trigger on your trade. Volume is used to confirm a move in one direction or another. If you had been scared off by the intraday moves below the blue support line you would have missed a lovely break out above the red resistance line.