Whatever your investing style, knowing how to read stock charts is a skill that is sure to help you succeed in the stock market.
Watch this short tutorial video to learn the basic ways to read a stock chart—including how to read candlesticks, identifying trend lines, finding the support and resistance, and spotting breakouts or breakdowns. All of these will help you understand charts better and make more informed trades.
This video discusses technical analysis concepts in a mixture of Filipino and English.
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In general, there are two sides when it comes to stock market analysis—fundamentalanalysis and technical analysis. Today we’ll discuss both methods and explain their advantages and disadvantages.
**Before we begin, you may want to check out these basic terms to help you understand this article better.
What are fundamental analysis and technical analysis?
Fundamental analysis a method of stock market analysis where investors study the intrinsic value of a stock (A.K.A. what it should cost) based on a variety of factors. Decisions on whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock are based on comparing the intrinsic value to the market price. Fundamental analysis is generally less structured than technical analysis and is used most by long-term investors.
Technical analysis, on the other hand, is easier to apply to short-term stock trading. This method uses historical data on price, volume, and other statistics to predict future price movements. Stock charts are commonly used in technical analysis to track and analyze patterns that can predict price movement.
In reality, most traders will use a combination of these two methods. A general rule of thumb is that fundamental analysis will help you determine which companies to invest in, while technical analysis will help you determine when you should buy and sell shares of these companies.
So how do each of these methods work? Let’s take a deeper look.
How does fundamental analysis work?
In fundamental analysis, our objective is to assess the company’s performance and stability—basically whether it is a good business or not. This includes looking at financial statements, its performance compared to others in the same industry, news that may affect the company’s operations, and more.
When looking at the financial statements, one of the most important indicators is the company’s net income. We’re not talking about NGO’s or charities after all. In the stock market, a company needs to be making money to be valuable. However, you should remember that a company’s income only shows one part of the picture.
Using a combination of financial statements and news, you can answer more complex questions such as: Are the company’s expenses high compared to the industry average? What amount of its earnings are retained and reinvested into the company? Are they constantly improving their product or service? What are their plans for the future and will these plans increase or decrease their value? What risks are they taking are you willing to take on the same risk?
There is no single way to do fundamental analysis, but at the end of the day there is one question every fundamentalist is trying to answer: Is this a business that I want to put my money into?
How does technical analysis work?
In technical analysis, people focus more on identifying trends and chart patterns rather than the company’s intrinsic value. The underlying idea here is that a stock’s market value is not always determined by its intrinsic value. Especially in the short term, a stock’s price is mostly influenced by external factors such as market sentiment. Patterns and trends can be identified based on historical data, and this is what allows us to predict how sellers and buyers (read: supply and demand) will react.
There is a long list of tried and tested techniques for performing technical analysis, but there are far too many for us to cover in one article. Some of the most basic methods include:
Identifying chart patterns such as the cup and handles, head and shoulders, ascending triangle, etc.
Assessing the market sentiment based on price movement, volume, moving averages, etc.
Identifying and riding trends until your preferred indicators signal otherwise
Whatever your preferred methods for technical analysis, the objective remains the same: To capitalize on patterns formed by the unified emotions and reactions of market players.
So which is better, fundamental analysis or technical analysis?
While everyone has their own preferences, neither method is really better than the other. That’s why they both exist! Each method of analysis has strengths and weaknesses. It’s just a matter of finding your own fit.
If you want to invest long-term, then you might want to go for a more fundamental approach. You’ll have to do more work initially, but you won’t be as sensitive to the day-to-day price fluctuations. If you are able to buy an undervalued stock, all those ups and downs will still result in an overall price increase and profit for you.
If you’re going for a short-term investment, then technical analysis might be a better option. Because prices tend to fluctuate, patterns in price movement will more accurately predict the stock price tomorrow or next week. The emotions and reactions of market players have a bigger impact on short-term investments because there isn’t enough time for the ups and downs to average out—unlike in long-term investments.
In reality, most traders use a mix of fundamental and technical analysis to manage their portfolios. This allows them to see the complete picture and make more informed trades. Information, after all, is power. Nowhere is that statement more true than it is in the stock market.
Our advice?
The more knowledge you have, the better. Learning both fundamental and technical analysis will not only help you make better decisions, but also give you more confidence in yourself and your trades. This will prevent you from giving into hyped up stocks or selling your stocks too early because you doubted yourself. It will also allow you to start building your own stock trading system and strategy—the foundation of any trader trying to make money in the stock market.
Even if you eventually become a pure fundamental or technical trader, you won’t know which method works best for you if you don’t try them both first! You may even use one method to validate your analysis using the other. So give both methods a try, and tell us about your experience in the comments below.
Got any questions? Leave a comment below!
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We all know that there is money to be made in the stock market. Big corporations and retail traders make millions from the market every day! But how do they do it? And how can a regular Filipino do the same? Where do we even start?
The stock market can seem very complex, and sometimes it is! But don’t let that intimidate you. Just like with any other skill, you have to start with the basics first. Walk before you try to run. Keep making improvements, no matter how small, and you’ll reach your goals before you know it!
There are literally thousands of trading strategies being used around the world, but you don’t have to (and you shouldn’t) be using them all. Start with one simple strategy before trying more advanced tactics. Learn what works for you and what doesn’t, and slowly but surely you’ll see results.
In this article, we’ll help you take that first step by explaining some basic principles along with two simple strategies that you can use to start trading in the stock market. Ready? Let’s get started!
BUYING LOW AND SELLING HIGH: WHAT IT MEANS AND HOW IT’S DONE
When asked, “How can I make money in the stock market?” a lot of people say that “It’s simple. Just buy low and sell high.” Well, of course! No one is going to make money by buying high and selling low. That’s just common sense. But how can we buy low and sell high? There is no crystal ball to tell us what the future holds or how the market will move, so how will are we supposed to know whether the current price is low or high?
Well, the good news is that you don’t need a crystal ball or a time machine to see into the future—you just need to understand the concepts that trigger movements in the market. The better you understand the forces that shape the market, the more often your predictions will be right.
THE BASICS: SUPPLY AND DEMAND
In one way or another, everything that happens in the stock market is a result of supply and demand reacting to one another. There are a limited number of stocks, so if a stock is in demand and more people want to buy it compared to those who want to sell, then the price goes up. The opposite happens when more people want to sell and fewer people want to buy.
Think of it this way: A 1-pc Chickenjoy costs P89 right now. But what if that 1-pc Chickenjoy was the last one on earth and everyone wanted to eat it? How much would people be willing to pay for that? On the other hand, if there were mountains of Chickenjoy everywhere you look, would you still pay P89 for it? Probably not. It sounds funny, but the entire stock market functions on basically the same principle.
People want to buy and sell stocks for many reasons. Whatever those reasons are, they will cause either a stronger demand or supply. This will be reflected as an increase or decrease in price. So how does this help you see into the future? Simple. You just need to be able to identify the signals and triggers that indicate when a rise in supply or demand will come. All stock trading strategies, from the most simple to the most complex, are based on this idea.
BASIC STOCK TRADING STRATEGIES FOR BEGINNERS
Disclaimer: Before you read about the two basic strategies below, you should first understand the two schools of thought behind these strategies: Fundamental Analysis and Technical Analysis. You might want to first read about some basic stock trading terms here.
STRATEGY 1: VALUE INVESTING
Commonly described as “buying a business,” this strategy relies heavily on fundamental analysis. In this strategy, we assume that the market price will eventually become equal to the intrinsic value of the company. The basic principle here is to identify stocks whose market value is less than its intrinsic value. When you buy an undervalued stock and the market price corrects itself, that is where you make your profit.
There are many indicators and formulas people use to identify the intrinsic value of a company, but one of the simplest and most popular indicators is looking at the price-to-earnings or P/E ratio. To get the P/E ratio, just divide the price of the share by the earnings per share. Value investors will compare the P/E ratios of companies within or across industries to identify undervalued stocks. For example, if you see that the average P/E ratio for a company in the logistics business is 10 but one company has a P/E ratio of 5, then you may want to invest in that company.
There are many other indicators that you could use, but this is one of the most basic. Keep in mind however that a low P/E ratio is not always a good thing. Low prices could also mean there’s trouble inside the company, and that the value will continue to go down. That is why it is important to do thorough research after identifying potentially undervalued companies. As the name suggests, traders that use this strategy have to look for a good business with real value. Act as if you are becoming part-owner of that business, because that’s essentially what you are doing!
Other similar strategies that also use fundamental analysis are Growth Investing, Income Investing, CANSLIM, and more.
STRATEGY 2: MOVING AVERAGE CROSSOVER
On the other side of the spectrum, we have the Moving Average Crossover Strategy which an approach based on the principles of technical analysis. Here, we rely on patterns and data available in the market to predict future movements and make trading decisions. Your aim is still to buy low and sell high, but you are using different indicators and signals to do it.
To implement the Moving Average Crossover strategy, you simply have to monitor two moving averages: the 20-day moving average and the 50-day moving average of a particular stock’s price. If the 20-day average becomes higher than the 50-day average, it means that the price is going up and you should buy shares. If the 20-day average falls below the 50-day average, you should sell because it means the price is going down. Sounds simple, right?
Many find this type of strategy easier to implement because it is very objective and there is very little chance of becoming emotional. It also requires relatively less research compared to Value Investing, so it’s less intimidating for a beginner. However, you should remember that at the end of the day it is always good to understand the logic behind the numbers. The “rules” in any trading strategy are never fool-proof. There are times when they will be wrong, and understanding the sentiment behind the market’s behavior can only help you make smarter trading decisions.
If you want to learn more about technical trading, you can also review some basic concepts such as Support and Resistance, Candlestick Charts, and Trends.
Every trader is unique and must refine his or her strategy over time. Some traders have very complex strategies, while others prefer to keep it simple. As you execute your trades and test more strategies for yourself, you will find a unique style that suits you. These are some basic ones to help you get started, but remember that the most important thing is for you to simply START. You can read all the articles you want, but unless you try it yourself, nothing will happen.
Good luck on your trades and remember, we’re always here to help!
What are the best stock trading tips you’ve received? Share them in the comments below and let’s move forward together!
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Many people think that the stock market is complex and that trading is hard. Maybe that was true before, but nowadays there are many ways to make stock trading easy and hassle-free. One way is to use the tools, services, and information here on Investagrams!
Here’s how we can help you on your stock market journey:
Learn using our free videos and articles
If you’re a beginner in the stock market, or even if you have no idea about how stocks work, we have learning modules that can help you.
If you’re starting from nothing, you can read the Investagrams guide on How to Start Investing in the Stock Market first. For concepts that are more advanced, like how to read charts and understanding moving averages, you can follow Investa Daily—your trusted source for investing tips and stock market advice.
Find your ideal stocks using our automated stock screener
Once you’ve learned the basics of stock analysis, you can start to develop your own strategies and trading system. Use InvestaScreener to quickly and easily find stocks that match your criteria. Filter stocks based on the 52 week high, support, resistance, and much more.
InvestaScreener is a powerful and flexible tool that will help you save tons of time and effort when analyzing stocks. With this powerful stock screener, you can do what would normally take hours in just a few clicks.
Practice using our virtual trading platform
If you’re excited to trade but afraid to risk money, don’t worry! You can practice with the Investagrams virtual trading platform. It shows real companies and actual price movements in the Philippine stock market. Why is that important? Because you get to practice under real market conditions, and you’re prepared to jump straight into trading with real money any time!
Buy, sell, and manage your portfolio just like the real thing to test your strategies before putting real money on the line.
Monitor stocks and charts in real-time
Use Investagrams to get complete and up-to-date information on any stock listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange. Easily access all the numbers you need to make smarter decisions and better trades.
You can also study the price movements of your stocks using our real-time charting tool. Here you will easily be able to monitor the historical movement of price and volume, understand the context of supply and demand, and identify patterns that are forming in the market.
Stay up-to-date on the latest stock-specific news
Instead of spending hours gathering information from tons of different sources, now you can just look atthe Investagrams News Feed. See all the business, economic, and stock-specific news organized in just one page. Not only will you save time, but you’ll also find it easier to monitor important news that could affect your stock picks.
You can even follow and interact with other traders on Investagrams’ social platform to see what people think and how the news may affect the stock market.
Save time with our price and disclosure alerts
We’re all busy with our lives, whether it’s because of work, school, or our families — we all know how important our time is. But becoming financially free is important too, right?
With InvestaWatcher,you can receive instantalerts whenever your stocks hit your buy point, target price, and cut loss level. You will instantly get notified when your stocks have disclosures such as the earnings report, company buy backs, acquisitions,and other important announcements.
The best part? You can receive the alerts everywhere — SMS, e-mail, in-app notifications, and even Facebook Messenger! Forget about spending hours monitoring the stock market and let us do the work for you.
Get help on-the-go with the Investagrams Facebook chatbot
Investagrams is fully integrated with the Facebook Messenger through the InvestaChatbot.
Just chat the Investagrams FB page to get instant information on the current stock price, news, financial reports, and more!
Improve your skills by joining events and competitions
Investagrams holds many competitions and on-ground stock trading seminars throughout the year. Follow our Facebook page for announcements, and join us to take your trading to the next level. Plus, we’d love to meet you!
Our mission is to make your stock market journey easier and, of course, more profitable. We’re always developing new features and services to serve you better, so keep checking back to see if we’ve added anything new! If you have a question or a request, just let us know in the comments below!
We’ve all heard the saying, “Practice makes perfect,” but practicing in the stock market can get very expensive very quickly! Don’t worry though, because we’ve got good news for you—now you can practice trading stocks without risking any money!
With our virtual trading platform, you can buy stocks, test strategies, and manage a portfolio under real market conditions. Learn about actual companies listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange, and jump straight into real trading whenever you’re ready.
Already have an account on Investagrams? Just follow these simple steps to get started with your virtual trading account:
STEP 1: How to use the virtual trading platform (vTrade)
Once you are logged in to Investagrams, simply click ‘Virtual Trade‘ on the top left navigation bar. You will see a dropdown menu that corresponds to ‘Virtual Trade’ menu option. Click ‘My Portfolio‘ to go to your virtual trading page. You will see the overview of your Portfolio, Records, Order History (left side) and the Buy and Sell box on the right for you to start trading. Choose your preferred Stock and enter the number of quantity that you want to trade in. Click ‘Buy’ if you want to buy stocks or Sell Order’ if you want to sell stocks.
STEP 2: How to buy a stock
On the Buy Order page, use the drop down menu to find the stock you want. You can also type the stock name or stock code to find your stock faster. Enter the quantity or number of shares you want to buy, and simply click the “BUY” button at the bottom of the page.
Other important information you will see on the page include: your available cash, the current price of the stock, the boardlot or minimum number of shares you can buy, and more.
STEP 3: How to sell a stock
To sell shares of a stock you own, simply follow the same steps on the Sell Order page—use the drop down menu or simply type in the stock name to find the stock you want to sell. Then, enter the number of shares you want to sell and click the “SELL” button below.
Important information such as the current price, boardlot, and more can also be seen here.
STEP 4: How to manage your virtual portfolio
To view your portfolio, simply go to the Portfolio page. Here you will see a summary of the stocks you currently have—the number of shares for each stock, the total cost, current market value, profit or loss so far, and more. You can also see the amount of cash you have available (at the top left corner) and the total value of your assets (stocks + cash).
Easy, right?
Don’t wait another second and start practicing today! You have nothing to lose!
Have you tried the virtual trading platform? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
Being profitable in the stock market is not easy as it requires not only your belief, patience, and discipline, but also a great deal of your time to research and adequate understanding of the market, among many others.
Here’s a list of common stock market terminologies that you will inevitably come across in your investing journey. We’ve also added the gist of their definitions to get you ahead as learning these jargons (for newbies) is of extreme importance especially when you are starting out.
The goal here is not to memorize every terminology but use it as a guide to understand each vocabulary so you may take value from it:
GENERAL INVESTING TERMS
Invest – putting your money where it can grow
Stock – a share in the company
Dividends – the amount of money paid by the company to its shareholders
Common Stock – the type of stock that is least prioritized when declaring dividends and mostly profits through price appreciation
Preferred Stock – the type of stock that is first prioritized when declaring dividends
Risk – the potential of either gaining profits or losing your capital
Returns or Rewards – profits earned by investors
Short Term – less than six weeks (may vary)
Medium Term – six weeks to nine months (may vary)
Long Term – more than nine months (may vary)
Investors – people who invest their money with the expectation of gaining returns over a longer timeframe
Traders – people who buy and sell stocks to earn from price growth over a shorter timeframe
Blue-Chip Stocks – stocks of the biggest companies in the country
Growth Stocks – stocks which have high growth potential
Value Stocks – stocks which have low price-to-earnings or P/E ratio
Speculative Stocks – stocks which carry high risk compared to similar stocks
Defensive Stocks – stocks which do not decrease in price immediately, even when the market is down
Penny Stocks – stocks which trade at a very low price
Stock Market – where investors or traders buy and sell company stocks
Stock Market Index – a measurement of the value of the entire stock market or a particular industry in the market
PSEi (aka PSE Composite Index) – the stock market index of Philippine Stock Exchange which consists of top 30 listed companies based on market capitalization
Industry Index – the index of a group of companies which are classified based on their business activities (i.e. Financial, Holdings, Industries, Mining & Oil, Properties, Services)
Bullish – used to describe a particular stock market or stock when its value is going up
Bearish – used to describe a particular stock market or stock when its value is going down
Initial Public Offering (IPO) – when firms are selling their company shares for the first time in the public to raise capital
Market Value – the value at which a stock can be sold in the market at a specific point in time
Unrealized P/L – profits or losses which have not yet been converted to cash because the investor has not sold the stock
Buying Power – the available money an investor has in his account for buying stocks
Buy Order – a request made by an investor when he or she wants to buy stocks
Sell Order – a request made by an investor when he or she wants to sell stocks
Volume – number of shares bought and sold in a particular day
Bid – the prices at which the buyers want to buy a particular stock
Ask – the prices at which the sellers want to sell a particular stock
Bid-Ask Spread – the price difference between the bid and the ask
Trade – made when the bid and ask price have matched
Brokers – firms or individuals who are licensed to execute the buy and sell orders in exchange for a commission fee
Portfolio – a group of financial assets such as stocks held by the investor
Average Cost/Price – the total price at which you bought a group of shares plus the commission fees, divided by the total number of shares
Shares – units of capitalization that represent part-ownership of a company (i.e. buying 1 share means you contributed capital to the company and therefore own an equivalent portion of it)
Board Lot – the standardized minimum and multiple number of shares to be traded for a particular stock, depends per price range
Cash Dividends – dividends given in the form of cash
Stock Dividends – dividends given in the form of additional shares
Profits/Gains – the amount that an investor earns when he sells stocks at a price higher than his average costs
Losses – the amount that an investor loses in his capital when he sells stocks at price lower than his average costs
Stock Split – when a company divides its shares according to a particular ratio, increasing the number of shares and lowering the price of each share (i.e. 1 share becomes 2 shares)
Reverse Stock Split – the opposite of stock split, when a company decides to combine its shares in a particular ratio to decrease number of shares and increase price (i.e. 2 shares become 1 share)
Most Active – most active stocks in a particular day in terms of volume traded
Top Gainers – list of stocks which had the largest increase in price in a particular day
Worst Losers – list of stocks which had the largest decrease in price in a particular day
Year to Date (YTD) – the period from the beginning of the year (January 1) to present
Investment Strategy – set of rules and behaviors an investor practices towards his investment portfolio
Peso Cost Averaging – an investment strategy where you put the same amount of money into a particular stock in a regular schedule to get a lower average cost
Value Investing – an investment strategy where investors look for undervalued stocks
Growth Investing – an investment strategy where investors look for companies which have a high growth potential
Margin – the equity value an investor has in his account/portfolio
Average Down – buying additional shares of a stock for a price that is lower than your current average cost
Long Position – A “long” or “long position” is the buying of a security such as a stock, commodity or currency with the expectation that the asset will rise in value.
Short Position – A “short”, “short position”, or “short selling” is a trading strategy where the investor sells shares of borrowed stock in the open market. The expectation of the investor is that the price of the stock will decrease over time, at which point the he will purchase the shares to replace those that he initially borrowed.
MARKET STATUSES
Pre-Open Period – trading participants can modify and cancel existing orders or enter new orders
Pre-Open No-Cancel Period – trading participants may enter new orders but may not modify or cancel open orders
Opening Period – opening prices are calculated during this period
Continuous Trading – the period where trading participants’ orders are matched and may enter, cancel, and edit orders
Market Recess – the period where trading-related activities are halted
Pre-Close Period – indicates the last two minutes to open new orders but can’t cancel or modify orders
Run-off Period – trading participants can still enter limit and market orders but matching for both is executed at the closing price of the stock
ORDER TERMS
Stock Order – a request to either buy or sell a stock
Normal Orders – orders which follow the normal board lot
Oddlot Orders – orders which are less than the minimum board lot
Good to Day (GTD) – an option in ordering where your order will expire at the end of trading day when not fulfilled
Good to Week (GTW) – an option in ordering where your order will last for a week
Good to Month (GTM) – an option in ordering where your order will last for a month
Good to Cancel (GTC) – an option in ordering where your order will last until you cancel
ORDER TYPES
Market Order – these are buy and sell orders that transacts the current bid and ask prices
Limit Order – this type of order allows you to set the price you’re willing to buy or sell a stock far from the current prices
Iceberg Orders– allows you to hide a portion of the volume of your order
FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS
Fundamental Analysis – a method of stock market analysis that evaluates the economic and financial factors affecting the intrinsic value of a company
Intrinsic Value – the actual and true value of the company based on all aspects of its businesses
Overvalued – when the current price or market value of the stock is higher than its intrinsic value or the average industry price-to-earnings ratio
Undervalued – when the current price or market value of the stock is below its intrinsic value or the average industry price-to-earnings ratio
Income Statement – provides an overview of revenues, expenses and net income
Balance Sheet – provides an overview of assets, liabilities and equity
Statement of Cash Flows – traces the company’s cash movement from operating, investing and financial activities
Financial Ratios – ratios derived from the financial statements of the companies which are used for evaluating the overall condition of its company performance
Price-to-Earnings Ratio (P/E Ratio) – measures the current price of a stock over its company earnings per share, the lower the better
Earnings per Share (EPS) – company earnings for the year divided by the number of shares
Leverage – borrowed capital or loans used to fund company activities
Debt Ratio – the total debt of the company divided by its total assets, the lower the better
Debt-to-Equity Ratio or Leverage Ratio – a company’s debts divided by the value of its equity (based on preferred and common stocks)
Dividend Payout Ratio – the dividends paid divided by the company’s net income
Dividend Yield – the percentage of dividends declared in relation to the stock’s current price
Par Value per Share – the price of the stock during its Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Book Value per Share – the value of the stock in the company’s books (total equity divided by number of shares)
Price to Book Value Ratio – the ratio used to compare company’s current price or market value to its book value, the lower the better
Sector – a subsection in the exchange of companies that share similar characteristics in operation
Sub-sector – a subset of a sector of a group of stocks that have the most similarities in terms of operation
TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
Technical Analysis – a method of stock market analysis that uses past data and statistics to predict future movements in the market
Trend – the general direction of a market, a stock, or the price of an asset based on a chart of its historical value
Uptrend – when price movements consistently reach higher highs and higher lows
Downtrend – when price movements consistently reach lower highs and lower lows
Sideways – when the price of a stock moves in a generally flat manner
Chart – a visual summary of a stock’s prices within a certain period
Open – the first price at which a stock is sold for a particular day
High – the highest price at which a stock is sold for a particular day
Low – the lowest price at which a stock is sold for a particular day
Close – the last price at which a stock is sold for a particular day
Volume – the number of shares that are bought and sold on a particular day
Value Traded – volume multiplied by the price that investors have paid for a stock
Indicators/Oscillators – measurements that investors use to anticipate price movements, momentum, and other behaviors of a particular stock or market
Support – a price level at which, historically, a stock has had difficulty falling below
Resistance – a price level which historically, a stock has had difficulty breaking above
Breakdown – a situation where the price falls below the support level
Breakout – a situation where the price rises above the resistance level
Reversal – the change of a price level from resistance/support to support/resistance after a breakout/breakdown
Cut Loss/Stop Loss – realizing or actualizing your loss by selling the stock to save you from a bigger loss
Bottom-Picking– the act of buying a stock with the anticipation that it has bottomed out from its downtrend
Divergence – this happens when a technical indicator and price action are headed into opposite directions
Bullish Divergence – a signal that indicates an impending upward move
Bullish Signal – signal that is given by a technical indicator that indicates a possible bullish move
Bearish Divergence – a signal that indicates an impending downward move
Bearish Signal – a signal that is given by a technical indicator that indicates a possible bearish move
Volatility– the proportion or rate wherein the price of a stock is increasing or decreasing
Confluence – this occurs when multiple indicators or strategies share the same sentiment/bias
Insider Trading – this is done by someone who has non-disclosed, nonpublic information about a company and trades its shares based on it
Rally – a period of continuous surges, whether downward or upward, in price
Parabolic Move – an upward movement in price where it moves in the manner of a parabola
Oversold – a reading made by a technical indicator that indicates that it’s below its period’s “true” value
Overbought – a reading made by a technical indicator that indicates that it’s above its period’s “true” value
Momentum – the rate of the acceleration of a stock’s price
Momentum Trading – the method of buying a stock while there’s buying pressure from other investors or traders
Range Trading – a strategy where a trader buys at support and sells at resistance during a sideways movement
Target Price (TP) – the price point where you plan to sell a position
Time Stop – a way to sell a stock when it isn’t moving within your bias in a specified time
Trail Stop – an amount below the current trading price of a stock that you plan to sell it for a profit
Tranche Buying – the action of buying a stock in portions
Tranche Selling – the action of selling a stock in portions
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What is the stock market and how does it work? How can you start investing in the stock market and making money? These are some of the most common questions we receive at Investagrams. In this article we’ll try to answer those questions and give you a step-by-step guide on how to start trading stocks yourself!
Let’s start with the basics of the stock market.
The stock market, as the name suggests, is just another type of market—like a food market where you buy meat and fish! The only difference is that in the stock market, people buy and sell companies like PLDT, Ayala Land, Meralco, and many more. Yup, that’s right! In the stock market, you can become a part-owner of some of the biggest companies in the Philippines.
You might be wondering, “How can a regular person afford to buy such big companies? Isn’t that expensive?” Well, it is! That’s why companies are divided into shares before being sold. Just like how you would cut a pizza into slices to make it easier to eat, companies are divided into shares to make it easier for people to buy. Once you buy a share in a company, you will become a part-owner of that company.
For example, if a Company X is divided into 10 million shares and you own 1 million shares, then you own 10% of Company X. Cool, right?
So why would these big companies sell shares of their business? Why do they need our money? The answer is that sometimes, big companies need to raise additional capital (A.K.A. tons of cash) to grow their business faster. If a company wants to develop new products, conduct research, or build more facilities, it would take a lot of money to fund those projects. Even big companies would find it hard to get so much cash so quickly, so they raise the money by selling shares on the stock market instead. This means that if you buy shares from a company, you are giving them money to grow their business in exchange for part-ownership that same business.
Okay, so how can you make money in the stock market?
Once you’ve bought shares in a company (or a few companies), you can make money in 2 ways: through price appreciation or through dividends.
1. Earning through price appreciation
When you own shares of a company, it is possible for the market value or price of those shares to change over time. Depending on how many people want to buy those shares and how many people are willing to sell them, the price will either go up or down. This is the concept of supply and demand—how many people want to sell vs. how many people want to buy.
For example, if a company announces that it will launch a new product or that it earned a lot of money in the last quarter, more people may want to own a share of that company. If more people want to buy shares but few people want to sell, then the demand will be greater than the supply and the price will go up. On the other hand, if there is bad news about a company like low sales or problems with their factory, then people may not want to own a share of that company anymore. If more people want to sell their shares but fewer people want to buy, then supply will be greater than demand and the price will go down.
This is a simple example, but in reality there are a lot of factors that affect supply and demand. Because the whole world is connected, what happens in other countries may also affect the Philippine economy and the prices of our stocks.
To make money through price appreciation, you must know how to consistently invest your money in stocks that increase in price and then be able to sell them before the price goes down. It takes time to develop this skill, but it can be very rewarding. There is no limit to how much money you can make, and the opportunities are endless!
2. Earning through dividends
Another way that you can earn money in the stock market is through dividends. Dividends are simply portions of the company’s profit that are shared with their stockholders as a benefit of being part-owners of the company. How much and how often dividends are given is up to the company to decide.
This is simpler than price appreciation, but you will have little control over how much money you can make. However, if you do not want to be concerned with analyzing supply and demand, you can buy shares in companies that are known to give out dividends regularly. This would require less effort while still allowing you to earn.
Interested? Here’s how you can get started.
Step 1: Know what you’re getting into
Although you can make a lot of money through the stock market, you can also lose a lot of money if you don’t know what you’re doing. Stock trading is a skill, just like drawing or playing an instrument, so don’t expect to be a stock market wizard right away. It will take time for you to develop your skills and learn how to trade stocks properly, so don’t put your life’s savings on the line unless you have tried and tested your strategies already. Stock traders are not gamblers.
If you want to practice trading stocks but don’t want to risk money yet, then you can try out our virtual trading platform. Using this platform, you can buy and sell stocks, manage your portfolio, and follow price movements of real stocks in the Philippine Stock Exchange—all with zero risk of losing money. You will see what it really takes to make money in the stock market and then be able to decide for yourself if you want to start trading with real money or if you are better off with other investment options.
The stock market is a great option if you want to grow your money, but it is not your only option. Know what you’re getting into before you dive in with all of your hard-earned money.
Step 2: Find a stock broker
If you’re sure you want to invest in the stock market, then the next step is to find a stock broker. Stock brokers are individuals or institutions that are licensed to buy and sell stocks in the Philippine Stock Exchange. If you want to trade stocks, you will need a licensed stock broker to make the actual transactions for you.
There are two main types of brokers: traditional brokers and online brokers.
1. Traditional Brokers
Traditional brokers are usually individual people that you call or text whenever you want to make a transaction. Nowadays, you can even reach some of them through popular messaging apps like Viber, Facebook Messenger, and more. Traditional brokers are great for people who are busy with other things and want advice from a professional.
2. Online Brokers
Online brokers on the other hand are usually institutions that are licensed to buy and sell stocks. To make a transaction, you would simply log into their website and make the transaction yourself. This is sort of the DIY method where you are given the tools to trade stocks, but there is no one to give you advice. This type of broker is usually used by active traders because the fees are lower and the transactions are faster. However, you will need to learn about the stock market and proper trading on your own because there is no one to guide you.
Step 3: Open an account
Once you’ve chosen a stock broker, you will have to open an account with them. Different brokers have different requirements, but most of them will only require a few things:
1. A properly filled up application form, which you can get from their office or website
2. Two valid government ID’s, like a passport or driver’s license
3. Your Tax Identification Number (TIN)
After you submit all the requirements, simply wait for your application to be approved before depositing the capital investment for your account.
Step 4: Start trading!
Once you’ve deposited the money to fund your account, you can already start trading! But remember that this doesn’t mean you’ll make tons of money right away. As you may already know if you tried our virtual trading platform, stock trading takes time and effort. You need to spend time and effort analyzing the market, refining your strategy, and constantly improving yourself if you want to succeed. The more you trade, the better you will understand yourself and what works for you—how much risk you can take, how often you want to make trades, how much money you can afford to invest, etc.
It doesn’t stop there.
We’ve covered a lot in this article, but there’s always more to learn! There are many ways to invest, make money, and conquer the stock market.
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