As noted in the previous page, there is much economic and stock exchange information available to us if we only look.
For those trying to improve their financial education, there are several topics to investigate.
Firstly, a basic or better knowledge of both macro and micro economics will help. The macro will assist you with understanding the economy and trade in a broad sense. The micro will help you to understand business models of companies which you are considering investing in.
Another type of stock exchange information that will prove to be valuable is that of history. Learning about stock market crashes, booms and busts will be both interesting and instructive.
Why?
Everything moves in trends and cycles. A grasp of these cycles will be of great use. If you read another part of this site, relating to Elliott Wave Theory, you will understand a little more about why this topic is so important. When asked about his early career, Warren Buffett explained that he read everything he could find about the history of investment and the stock exchange. He didn't want to miss a thing.
It might not be necessary for you and I to read 'everything', but
it will certainly help to read something. There are several very good
books that relate to the great crash of 1929, the internet bubble, 1987
and much more. Take the time to acquaint yourself.
Watch These Free Videos And Learn How To Trade The Stock Market
Another area of stock exchange information interest will be that of
accountancy. Whilst I am not suggesting that you go and train to become a
CPA, having a broad understanding of the relevance of numbers contained
on a balance sheet will help you.
It isn't really worthwhile going into massive depth here, since any corporation that plans to deceive you will be able to do so. Just look at what was pulled off at Enron. But, being able to really understand the relevance of certain numbers will enable you to look a company report and decipher it yourself. This is important.
It is worthwhile pointing out that the key skill here is understanding what the numbers mean and which ones are important and why. A number of years ago, your author looked very closely at the CFA examinations to try and decide whether or not to sit this Master level qualification in the UK. It struck me that much of the information being learned and tested related to understanding how to calculate certain numbers. While that is clearly important, there were services available online that offered these numbers (already crunched) for every UK listed company at around US$50 per month. I chose not to sit the exam but to subscribe to the number service instead.
Whether you choose to subscribe to a regular service that updates with the latest news and prices or not (they can be extremely useful), your ability to receive up to the accurate information will be very valuable in making decisions. There is a reason why trading rooms are full of Bloomberg and Reuters terminals!
There are, of course, as many subscription services and models as can be imagined. We humans have an untold capacity for finding ingenious ways of making money. Which - if any - of these kinds of services appeals to you will depend upon your nature rather than the market. There are services that look for certain trading patterns in the prices, some that follow economic and political news, others that follow the dealings of company directors, others that follow the moves of major investment houses and their fund managers, and on and on. There is, for example, a service that picks stocks in the UK based on the criteria used by Warren Buffett.
Such information does not come for free and typically it will not come cheaply either. Whether the service warrants the money asked will depend upon the investor, but generally speaking, a newsletter or service that is profitable over the long term has very few people unsubscribing...
To read more about investment, please visit:
Are There Really Any Stock Exchange Secrets?
Are Corporate Executives Privvy To Stock Exchange Secrets?
Are Merchant Banks Trading Using Stock Exchange Secrets?
Are Some Stock Exchange Secrets Available To Everyone?
What Do Central Banks Do? Do They Influence Stock Markets?
What Is Insider Trading?
Stock Market Corruption - Just How Common Is It?
What Is High Frequency Trading?
Is The Stock Market For Kids?
What Is After Hours Stock Trading?