| Data/Research | | | | Bloomberg can be a useful background item for |
| Information is the key to being successful in | | | | your online working time too. There are also |
| financial betting. A range of sources are available | | | | certain companies which provide corporate level |
| for free, but it's worth paying for as much data | | | | news feeds, eg. Bloomberg, Reuters. The |
| as you need to trade your market successfully. | | | | company ADVFN provides a great deal of info for |
| There's always someone else who could get the | | | | free, as do Yahoo Finance or Motley Fool. There |
| edge on you with better data, so it pays to keep | | | | is live data on ADVFN and free software called |
| ahead. | | | | Medved Quote Tracker can stream data sources |
| Data and News | | | | directly into a useful interface. |
| The biggest driver of market sentiment is news. | | | | Technical Analysis |
| A story that breaks will have a knee-jerk | | | | This is a form of investigation into the price of a |
| response from the markets, and then when the | | | | share/ index/ commodity which produces |
| news is more thoroughly digested the real price | | | | predictive information. There are simple forms of |
| adjustments will happen. This interpretation part | | | | analysis such as the use of moving averages and |
| can be performed alone or via one of the many | | | | support/ resistance areas, then there are the |
| market analysts opinions, but being in consensus | | | | more derived branches such as Elliott Waves and |
| with the crowd isn't always an advantage. Proper | | | | Fibonacci. Some people become pure technical |
| examination of market-moving factors will at least | | | | analysts and just trade on this information, whilst |
| allow you to explain a confusing price movement | | | | most people use the technical analysis alongside |
| and could enable you to notice a major | | | | fundamental indicators Charts are extremely |
| development before everyone else. | | | | useful and carry a wealth of information. Any |
| International events will affect the whole market | | | | trading decision should be accompanied by at least |
| but keep an eye open for industry-specific | | | | some research of the charts. |
| implications e.g. An event leading to a higher oil | | | | Fundamental Analysis |
| price could benefit alternative fuel sources like | | | | This is the traditional method of examining a |
| Wind power or Nuclear. Industry-specific websites | | | | stock. Some factors which are looked at in great |
| are useful to have at hand in your bookmarks, a | | | | detail are; Industry sector, Dividends, Yields, |
| handy start-point would be the financial directory | | | | Market Capitalization, Earnings, Projected Earnings, |
| at the link below. More local level news stories | | | | Growth Rates, etc etc. Basically it is a company's |
| affect individual stocks, as can tangential news | | | | valuation and future growth rates which are being |
| about a company's suppliers or clients. | | | | weighed up, and prices are derived from that. |
| It is advisable to set up email alerts so that | | | | Fundamental is no longer the one and only way of |
| whenever something relevant to your markets | | | | assessing a company, but rather should be taken |
| happens, these are freely available from any large | | | | in conjunction with a range of other tools and |
| Finance portal such as Yahoo. Internet | | | | factors. |
| broadcasting of Finance channels such as | | | | |