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Sunday, September 22, 2013

BASIC OF SHARES

What is Share
in finance a share is a unit of account for various financial instruments including stocks, mutual funds, limited partnerships, and REIT's. In British English, the usage of the word share alone to refer solely to stocks is so common that it almost replaces the word stock itself.
In simple Words, a share or stock is a document issued by a company, which entitles its holder to be one of the owners of the company. A share is issued by a company or can be purchased from the stock market.
By owning a share you can earn a portion and selling shares you get capital gain. So, your return is the dividend plus the capital gain. However, you also run a risk of making a capital loss if you have sold the share at a price below your buying price.
A company's stock price reflects what investors think about the stock, not necessarily what the company is "worth." For example, companies that are growing quickly often trade at a higher price than the company might currently be "worth." Stock prices are also affected by all forms of company and market news. Publicly traded companies are required to report quarterly on their financial status and earnings. Market forces and general investor opinions can also affect share price.
Quick Facts on Stocks and Shares
  • Owning a stock or a share means you are a partial owner of the company, and you get voting rights in certain company issues
  • Over the long run, stocks have historically averaged about 10% annual returns However, stocks offer no
    guarantee of any returns and can lose value, even in the long run
  • Investments in stocks can generate returns through dividends, even if the price
How does one trade in shares ?
Every transaction in the stock exchange is carried out through licensed members called brokers.To trade in shares, you have to approach a broker However, since most stock exchange brokers deal in very high volumes, they generally do not entertain small investors. These brokers have a network of sub-brokers who provide them with orders.

The general investors should identify a sub-broker for regular trading in shares and palce his order for purchase and sale through the sub-broker. The sub/broker will transmit the order to his broker who will then execute it .


What is Demat A/c
Demat Account Definition
Demat refers to a dematerialised account.                                                                       Though the company is under obligation to offer the securities in both physical anddemat mode, you have the choice to receive the securities in either mode.
If you wish to have securities in demat mode, you need to indicate the name of the depository and also of the depository participant with whom you have depository account in your application. 

It is, however
 desirable that you hold securities in demat form as physical securities carry the risk of being fake, forged or stolen.

Just as you have to open an account with a bank if you want to save your money, make cheque payments etc, Nowadays, you need to
 open a demat account if you want to buy or sell stocks.

HOW TO OPEN A DEMAT ACCOUNT ?

Opening an individual Demat account is a two-step process: You approach a DP and fill up the Demat account-opening booklet. The Web sites of the NSDL and the CDSL list the approved DPs. You will then receive an account number and a DP ID number for the account. Quote both the numbers in all future correspondence with your DPs.
So it is just like a bank account where actual money is replaced by shares. You have to approach the DPs (remember, they are like bank branches), to open yourdemat account. Let's say your portfolio of shares looks like this: 150 of Infosys, 50 of Wipro, 200 of HLL and 100 of ACC. All these will show in your demat account. So you don't have to possess any physical certificates showing that you own these shares. They are all held electronically in your account. As you buy and sell the shares, they are adjusted in your account. Just like a bank passbook or statement, the DP will provide you with periodic statements of holdings and transactions.
Is a demat account a must? Nowadays, practically all trades have to be settled in dematerialised form. Although the market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has allowed trades of upto 500 shares to be settled in physical form, nobody wants physical shares any more.
So a demat account is a must for trading and investing.
Most banks are also DP participants, as are many brokers.
You can choose your very own DP.                                                                            To get a list, visit the NSDL and CDSL websites and see who the registered DPs are.
A broker is separate from a DP. A broker is a member of the stock exchange, who buys and sells shares on his behalf and on behalf of his clients.                     A DP will just give you an account to hold those shares.                                    You do not have to take the same DP that your broker takes. You can choose your own.
Online Share Stock Trading
Online Stock Trading is a recent way of buying and selling stocks. Now you can buy and sell any stock over the Internet for a low price and you don’t need to call up a broker. You can buy any stock and sell any stock and it doesn’t take much to get started.
All you need is a brokerage account. A broker that I use is Scottrade http://www.scottrade.com/ and you can start an account with them for $500 and their commissions are only $7, so they are not expensive at all.
Once you have setup a brokerage account you then need to choose an investment method and then research different companies and then buy stock in the ones that you feel will go up because they are good sound companies.
So as you can see there are several benefits to online stock trading but let’s recap.
With online stock trading all you need is $500 to open a brokerage account, the brokerage commissions are low at Scottrade they’re only $7 and you can buy and sell your stocks from your home computer anytime that the stock market is open.
Well now that you know that you can do online stock trading with a minimal investment you should get started today and then start learning about the stock market and choose the stocks you want to invest in.
Different Types of Investment
These days, you can't retire without using the returns from investments. You can't count on your social security checks to cover your expenses when you retire. It's barely enough for people who are receiving it now to have food, shelter and utilities. That doesn't account for any care you may need or in the even that you need to take advantage of such funds much earlier inlife. It is important to have your own financial plan. There are many kinds of investments you can make that will make your life much easier down the road.
The following are brief descriptions for beginning investors to familiarize themselves with different kinds of investment
401K Plans - The easiest and most popular kind of investment is a 401K plan. This is due to the fact that most jobs offer this savings program where the money can be automatically deducted from your payroll check and you never realize it is missing.

Life Insurance
Life Insurance policies are another kind of investment that is fairly popular. It is a way to ensure income for your family when you die. It allows you a sense of security and provides a valuable tax deduction.

Stocks
Stocks are a unique kind of investment because they allow you to take partial ownership in a company. Because of this, the returns are potentially bigger and they have a history of being a wise way to invest your money.
Bonds
A bond is basically a promise note from the government or a private company. You agree to give them a set amount of money as a loan and they keep it for a set number of years with a predetermined amount of interest. This is typically a safe bet and one that is a good investment for a first time investor because there is little risk of losing your money.
Mutual Funds
Mutual funds are a kind of investment that are based on the gains and losses of a shareholder. Basically one person manages the money of several or many investors and invests in a list of various stocks to lessen the effect of any losses that may occur.
Money Market Funds
A good short-term investment is a Money Market Fund. With this kind of investment you can earn interest as an independent shareholder.
Annuities
If you are interested in tax-deferred income, then annuities may be the right kind of investment for you. This is an agreement between you and the insurer. It works to produce income for you and protect your earning potential.
Brokered Certificates of Deposit (CDs)
CDs are a kind of investment where you deposit money for a set amount of time. The good thing about CDs is that you can take the money out at any time without paying a penalty fee. We all know life isn't predictable, so this is a nice feature to have in your option.
Real Estate
Real Estate
 is a tangible kind of investment. It includes your land and anything permanently attached to your piece of property. This may include your home, rental properties, your company or empty pieces of land. Real estate is typically a smart and can make you a lot of money over time

Saving vs Investing

Traditionally, saving has been viewed as quite different from investing. In most savings alternatives, the initial amount of capital or cash remains constant, earning guaranteed rates of interest.

The capital value of investments can go up or down. Returns are not guaranteed. However, creation of money market funds and deregulation of the banking industry have resulted in a variety of savings options that earn variable rates of return.
Savings provide funds for emergencies and for making specific purchases in the relatively near future (generally within two years). The primary goal is to store funds and keep them safe. This is why savings are generally placed in interest-bearing accounts that are safe (such as those insured or guaranteed by the federal government) and liquid (those in the form of cash or easily changed into cash on short notice with minimal or no loss). However, these generally have low yields. Because of the opportunities for earning a higher return with a relatively small pool of funds, some financial experts suggest that savers consider slightly higher risk (but liquid) alternatives for at least part of their savings.
Saved money is insurance. It is insurance against risk, against losing your job, against having a major unexpected repair bill or medical expense in the family. It is the backbone of you and your family’s financial well-being. Saved money grants you financial security. And the more you save, the more financial secure and independent you will be.
The goal of investing is generally to increase net worth and work toward long-term goals. Investing involves risk. Risk of your stocks losing money, or even going bankrupt (Enron, MCI, the airlines, etc. etc.). Risk of interest rates rising, and bond prices falling. Risks of your broker swindled you, or coerced you though his sales pitch to buy speculative investments. Risks of the economy. Risks of a particular industry. Risk of losing your principal. Risk of losing it all, and then some (such as with margin calls).
Primary & Secondary Market
There are two ways for investors to get shares from the primary and secondary markets. In primary markets, securities are bought by way of public issue directly from the company. In Secondary market share are traded between two investors.
PRIMARY MARKET
Market for new issues of securities, as distinguished from theSecondary Market, where previously issued securities are bought and sold.
 

A market is primary if the proceeds of sales go to the issuer of the securities sold
.
This is part of the financial market where enterprises issue their new shares and bonds. It is characterised by being the only moment when the enterprise receives money in exchange for selling its financial assets.
SECONDARY MARKET
The market where securities are traded after they are initially offered in the primary market. Most trading is done in the secondary market.

To explain further, it is Trading in previously issued financial instruments. An organized market for used securities. Examples are the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE),National Stock Exchange NSE, bond markets, over-the-counter markets, residential mortgage loans, governmental guaranteed loans etc.

What is a Stock Broker
A stock broker is a person or a firm that trades on its clients behalf, you tell them what you want to invest in and they will issue the buy or sell order. Some stock brokersalso give out financial advice that you a charged for.
It wasn’t too long ago and investing was very expensive because you had to go through a full service broker which would give you advice on what to do and would charge you a hefty fee for it. Now there are a plethora of discountstock brokers such as Scottrade http://www.scottrade.com now you can trade stocks for a low fee such as $7 total.                                                                                   I can think of three different types of stock brokers.
1. Full Service Broker - A full-service broker can provide a bunch of services such as investment research advice, tax planning and retirement planning.

2.
 Discount Broker – A discount broker let’s you buy and sell stocks at a low rate but doesn’t provide any investment advice.

3.
 Direct-Access Broker- A direct access broker lets you trade directly with the electronic communication networks (ECN’s) so you can trade faster. Active traders such as day traders tend to use Direct Access Brokers
So as you can tell there a few options for a stock broker and you really need to pick which one suits you needs.


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