Trading US stocks

[i_am_the_walrus]

Is there anyone here trading US stocks?

What is ur trading style? Buy and Hold? Short Term? Day Trading?

What is ur current investment/trading stragey? R u holding any position at present or waiting for more good news before jumping in?

How do u determine when and what to buy and sell? Techincal? Fundamental?

Any favorite stocks? sector?

Share naman dyan.

[JDELEON]

QQQ- Can't beat the index in the long-run.

May Angels smile upon you,
Joe

also consider SPY, IVY, DIA

[i_am_the_walrus]

JDELEON- i agree with u buying the index is the best way to play the market. specially the nasdaq (qqq), which is dominated by companies which i believe still had great potentals for growth. we dont know when will the nasd companies will rebound. some analysts say probably 2nd quarter of 2002. It is still posible to go down from this level. I think for long term the best time to buy/accumulate is now. i buy only using my extra money. mahirap na at baka mapasama pa ako sa mga lay-off. mabuti na rin *** may extra cash.

[abcxyz]

i think stock trading in the us really demands a good knowledge of reading the technicals. the market is sp huge, diverse and good data is abundant that often, i think the technicals drive the market more than the fundamentals. it appears there are many here who are knowledgeable on the US stock market. share with us your knowledge for present and aspiring us stock investors.

first off --- what are the good online trading companies for US stocks? can pinoys who are in the philippines open an account? how?

[tidus1203]

You could open an account, pero I know of it manually. My uncle went to the US set up his brokerage account with Merryl Lynch, and then went back home and just trade online. Then he just wires the money in and out of the account.

The US market is very weird and yep fundamentals dont work well in everyday trading. But for an investor fundamentals still work, malakas kasi mag-hype sa US eh. For instance Google....

[woulfe27]

i'm based here in manila, but i still own microsoft stock. u can open an account with my broker:

https://www.istockplan.com/
http://www.fidelity.com

[finadv]

woulfe27, are you a filipino citizen?

[abcxyz]

i'm based here in manila, but i still own microsoft stock. u can open an account with my broker:

https://www.istockplan.com/
http://www.fidelity.com

did you set this up from manila and is there a minimum $ placement?

[abcxyz]

for the us-based pexers who will soon post here (time difference, remember?) --- you got hot tips? what are your favorite issues?

is nasdaq now a good buy? its not going to tank anytime soon?

which is better --- charles schwab or e-trade?

[Dunedain]

for the us-based pexers who will soon post here (time difference, remember?) --- you got hot tips? what are your favorite issues?

is nasdaq now a good buy? its not going to tank anytime soon?

which is better --- charles schwab or e-trade?

I've been with a certain figure with NASDAQ (what symbol? go figure) for the last 5 years and haven't broken away nor cashed in anything yet (but they do send me a check from time to time). With splits that has happened four times already in the past 2 years, I've got a pretty good ballpark figure of what I could get if I cash it in - but that'll only happen on a "rainy day" or when I retire.

As for tips, I wouldn't even give one. Best reason is that by any chance the market falls, I don't want to be the person blamed for lost investments of others. Use The Force. Trust your feelings.

[woulfe27]

yup, i'm a filipino citizen. i set up that account when i was with microsoft phils. afaik, non-US citizens can open accounts but they will have to fill up certain tax forms (BEN form?) that will indicate they will pay minimal tax rates for their stock earnings.

if you sell, you can get your money by wire transfer or by check. i get mine by check, it's cheaper but slower to come.

[knightrader]

I'm a full-time trader of futures, stocks and options. I don't know if pinoys in P.I. can open an account but if you can, then you can trade US markets as I can trade foreign markets in Europe and Asia (not Phil Exchange though). Also, when I go "home" for vacations, I can trade my accounts with any computer as all my trading is browser-based. The time difference though is kinda weird so partying to early morning is out and hey, I can watch the markets from Australia to Japan to Hongkong, etc.

I use Charles Schwab for mutual funds and Interactivebrokers for my microtrades and swingtrades. The speed and deep discount comish on IAB account is just great. Stock tips? Hah! That is very dangerous. Learn to formulate your own trading style and in/out triggers. Trading tips? Technicals rule the trading world. We will check fundamentals as a guide but be very careful as numbers are greatly exagerated and politically biased. Don't try to predict the market, that is suicide. With technicals, you are prepared when a pre-determined set-up is presented as what you should do- if the stock goes up, goes down, or move sideways- also if it gaps up, gaps down or gaps up and slowly trade down or gaps-down and slowly trade up. The set-ups can be for one bar or a series of bars. The length of the bars and the colors all say a story of greed or fear. This combined with technical indicators give you a reasonable probability of 85-95% accuracy. Yup, there is no such thing as a 100% accuracy in initial trade. There are always risks that's why stops are VERY important. However, with options after the initial trade, you can lock-in profits by cashing out half right away or spreading it.

This is a great business. And could provide a nice living especially if you are in a low-cost country like the Philippines.

[knightrader]

I wanted to mention about the gold/silver market exploding today to $480 and $8.02 respectively but this article says it all

Again, Which do you Believe, Gold or the Government?
Peter SchiffNov 16, 2005

With yesterday's release of October producer prices, and today's data on October consumer prices, government and Fed officials, as well as Wall Street analysts, continue to play the "inflation is well contained" game, despite the fact that so far this year consumer prices are rising at a 4.9% annual rate, and producer prices an even more alarming 6.6% clip.

However, today's action in gold revels that this charade continues to wear thin. More impressive than its 2.5% rise in U.S. dollars is the metal's even larger gains when measured in other currencies. In fact, gold traded as high as 410 euros per ounce, above the 400 euro level for the first time ever!

Today we also learned that Americans hocked a record 101.90 billion dollars worth of financial assets to foreigners in the month of September. While the ability to pay one's Visa bill with a MasterCard temporarily buys a debtor some time, it does so at great cost, and in the long run can hardly be viewed as a positive development.

Now that Bernanke's appointment has been rubber stamped by the Senate Banking Committee, a few comments on his testimony are warranted.

When asked if he was troubled by foreigners buying all of our debt, his reply was 'It's better than the alternative." What kind of answer is that? Is he saying that it's better to dance with the devil than not to be asked? However, at least this "Clintonesque" response reveals that Bernanke appreciates the precarious nature of America's predicament, even if he does not come right out and acknowledge it.

He also made clear that he does not regard the Fed's primary role to be containing inflation, but regarded economic growth and employment concerns to be of equal importance. He even went so far as to criticize other central banks that place too much emphasis on inflation. Such dovish statements will not go over well among Americas creditors once this short-term dollar rally ends.

Nov 16, 2005
Peter Schiff
C.E.O. and Chief Global Strategist
Euro Pacific Capital, Inc.

[knightrader]

Nice moves in gold and silver stocks the last few days. There is, however, some selling today probably because of technicals and the holidays. That is a divergence as the PM futures are still going up- Dec futures are currently about $495 and $8.20 respectively. I have a feeling I would regret taking some profits off the table as gold is looking to hit $500. The energy sector is showing some strength but doesn't confirm a full reversal so I just put some probing trades. The Euro finally is having a decent move against the dollar. We'll see if it sustains the move and confirm a bottom. The gold/silver physicals are doing great with price of silver bags about doubled from 2 years ago. I buy peace, morgan, kennedy silver coins. I also on occasion have been able to buy Philippine silver coins during the American occupation. We are very leary of the US dollar. It will be wise to diversify into either gold, silver or the Euro.

[knightrader]

Same old music but no one's dancing

The markets received positive economic news with better than expected reports on third quarter GDP growth and from the Chicago Purchasing Managers, but the markets are fumbling around with little direction. In light of the good news, stock prices are mixed to lower along with the dollar and Treasury bonds. One would expect bond prices to move lower with the positive reports, but they haven’t done so with any conviction. Market participants seem to be more concerned about the flattening yield curve with the two-year note yielding 4.4%, the ten-year yield at 4.5% and all the way out to 30-year debt only yielding 4.7%. The bond market continues to depict a weakening economy while the economic reports and perpetual bulls on Wall Street brag about the resilience of the U.S. economy and American consumers.

I call this a “hat-trick” day when we see the U.S. dollar, stocks and bonds all closing lower in the same day. The Dow Industrials ended up skidding out on the lows for the day with a loss of 82 points, closing at 10,805. The NASDAQ Composite closed flat and the S&P 500 fell eight points to 1,249. Technology shares held up the best in today’s trading with the Semi-conductor index higher by 1.2%. For now I’m guessing we get a consolidation for another week or so, then stand aside as the bulls “paint the tape” to close the year on a positive note.

[abcxyz]

based on some analysis, us stocks's recent rise is surprising a lot of people. is the marfket ignoring the possibility of a recession in the us next year?

[knightrader]

based on some analysis, us stocks's recent rise is surprising a lot of people. is the marfket ignoring the possibility of a recession in the us next year?

Bernanke is not Greenspan and may react differently in using the fed's tools to control (or not control) money supply. While Greenspan presided over the country's excessive stimulation through interest, reserve requirement and open market operations; Bernanke may think the same tools will still work without American productivity and support from foreign creditors. They may manipulate the markets to show positive returns for the year, however. Greenspan may want to retire at a high point. After which, I am not sure how America can survive the insane budget deficit, trade deficit, current account deficit, oil/enrgy induced inflation, the nation becoming a net food importer, two wars (afghan and iraq), housing bubble, interest rate conundrum (carry trade), consumer indebtedness, long-term currrency weakness, widening income gap, etc. Not to add the probability of terrorist attack and natural disasters! It will take a miracle and very strong and wise leadership to get America back. Sadly, that may not be the case.

[knightrader]

Everything is magically up today! Energy, technology, precious metals, housing, etc. are all on a stampede. These sectors don't usually go in the same direction but today is fantasy hour. Enjoy. The move to produce a positive year-end is in play. Actually, it is moving worldwide- Japan and Europe too. One last gasp? HE-HE

[knightrader]

Can a stock move 100% in 3 days? This one did- MYNG. Whoa! A gold exploration company prospecting in Bolivia. This is speculative play to ride the gold boom/bust scenario. Only play money that you can afford to lose. It is a long shot, very cheap bet for a few thousand shares. I buy this kind of stocks with profits from regular option trades.

[knightrader]

Gold is trading at 513.30 and silver at 8.86 in the access markets. Wow! I have NEVER seen gold move like this! I guess I was quite young during the late 70s and 1980 when gold hit over 850. Gold is money anywhere in the world. This action is keeping me awake! Simply incredible.