Main Factors that Affect Trading Decisions

Published on: 18 February 2019 Last Updated on: 08 August 2019
Trading Decisions

The ebb and flow of the markets provide many opportunities to make money. The goal is to consistently generate gains and limit your losses. There are several factors that affect trading decisions. New information, which could include economic data, or an earnings release will change the course of the markets. While there are a number of factors that will alter the price of an asset in the long term, the most common driver of short-term changes is sentiment.

Market Sentiment:

The price of security is based on supply and demand. At each price level, the market is attempting to determine if supply and demand are in balance. When supply and demand are at equilibrium, sentiment becomes neutral and prices trade sideways. Sentiment will determine how a market reacts to any given price level.  Measuring sentiment is an important tool that can help you determine if prices are at equilibrium or not.  Many investors measure sentiment using a technical indicator such as the relative strength index, but you can also use market psychology to determine how others feel about the future direction of a security or currency pair.

How to Measure Sentiment:

Sentiment analysis uses several factors. This could include economic events, political events, as well as changes to the price of a security. Sentiment includes both fundamental and technical issues and measures how the market feels toward a currency pair or commodity. One way that investors measure the fear in the US stock market is to evaluate the levels of the VIX volatility index. Any volatility index on a specific asset would measure the same market psychology. When the VIX rises, options traders are more concerned about large moves due to fear. When the VIX declines complacency sets in.

New Information:

There is a prevailing thought that all the available information is incorporated into the price of a security. Since the markets are efficient, any new information is immediately priced into security. New information usually changes the price but might not change whether security will trade into a different range. When prices move from one range to another, there is generally a shift in sentiment which could further induce the price to continue to trend.

New information is either expected or unexpected. Expected news can be priced in or not. For example, ahead of an economic release, economists will estimate the outcome.  The average estimate is likely priced into every security.  If the actual release is different from the expected release, the value of the security will change to reflect the new information. While the moves following expected news can be volatile, the fact that news is expected allows traders to be ready. Unexpected news can cause significant volatility. For example, if a war breaks out or currency is devalued, the reverberations can be extreme. When you trade the markets, you need to be aware that you are taking a risk, and you need to be aware of how to handle unexpected news if it arises.

Read Also:

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

How You Can Invest In Your Small Business

Many small business owners crave growth and dream of running a successful company, but many of those same people struggle to invest in their dreams. It may require all of your time and energy simply to keep the company running, so how can you effectively plan for the future? You don't have to commit to any overhauls right now, and you may find that even small improvements result in immediate and obvious improvements. If you lack confidence in your company or your abilities, here are some ways you can invest in your small business and finally reach your goals. Business Loans Many of the tactics that will help small businesses grow require money to even think about implementing. When you own a small company, chances are you've already invested a lot of your own personal assets into the business and aren't in a position to contribute more. A business loan can help you meet a variety of your goals if you've got a healthy financial history and a stellar business plan. Make sure you do your research, because you might qualify for special programs like minority business loans. New Suppliers If you're looking to improve your products, you might want to start with your suppliers. Everyone wants the lowest price for the highest quantity of the best products, but many small businesses have to pick and choose their priorities. For example, they can choose the lowest price and get more products, but the quality might suffer. Or they want the best products for the lowest price and can't afford to buy in higher quantities. Your supply chain has an impact on every area of your business, so branching out and establishing relationships with new suppliers can make a big impact. New Employees The idea can make some business owners nervous, but having extra help can change the way you perform daily operations. Maybe you're looking for a specialist who can help you with marketing. Maybe you need help interacting with customers or packing orders. Maybe you just don't want to do all the boring, pesky little tasks that are essential to the company's survival. You can hire a new employee, but you can also outsource or hire someone to work a few hours here and there instead of every day. Marketing consultants and customer relations services are very popular, for example. Specialized Training If you want to get ahead of your competition and keep an eye on industry trends, you should consider investing in specialized training and furthering your education. There are numerous ways you can do this. You can take a course, attend a training session in person, read books, and attend industry events like conferences and conventions. This will require taking some time away from your company, but you're likely to receive enough valuable experiences to make up for the time away. In addition to learning new skills, you can network with others in your niche and brainstorm with people who intimately understand your industry. After a few days away, you can come back home inspired and ready to try something new. Diversified Products And Services It's easy for businesses to become stagnant if they only offer the same products and services year after year. Consistency is great, but adding something new and exciting is how you're going to keep your loyal customers interested and draw in potential new customers. You don't have to come up with an entirely new product line, either. Sometimes one or two new products is enough to drum up some excitement. You can also get creative and utilize products you already have. Creating the same product in new colors, flavors, scents, or sizes is a great way to start experimenting without opening yourself up to extreme risks. Running a small business is a lot of work, so it can feel impossible to implement new tactics and pursue new goals. Just remember that there are strategies you can take advantage of to invest in your company and see real growth on your own timeline. Try to know as much about the market as possible, where to invest and opportunities it can provide. If required, also take help from professionals like the Singapore venture capital. Read Also: Master’s In Business Analytics: Is It Worth The Effort? Your Business Needs Marketing To Survive – Here’s Why Content Marketing Campaign Strategy For Small Business

READ MOREDetails
stock trading

How businesses can use stock trading

Stock trading is often associated with the popular mindset either with retail investors who dabble in trading on the side or financial services providers such as hedge funds. However, there’s a whole world of people and organizations out there that benefit from stock trading, and they’re not limited to these categories. Businesses that aren’t involved in trading financial instruments as their main source of income can also benefit from stock trading, and it’s actually a wise move for most people. Here, then, is how a business can enter the stock market and provide a sustainable second income stream for itself. Keep on top of developments :  Running a business is a busy task: from hiring new staff to restocking the printer, there’s plenty to be thinking about. If you don’t have someone managing your business stock trades for you all of the time, then it’s definitely worth investing in a service that can help you monitor the markets and flag up any new stock opportunities that may be of interest, as well as any key market events such as data releases that could impact their value. Stock tips every week from an information provider are sensible, and it could mean the difference between a vibrant and profitable portfolio and a less successful one. Work with a broker : Buying stocks as a business will most likely require the assistance of a broker. This is by far the most sensible option to take as it means that you’re less likely to run the risk of getting ripped off or investing in a stock that turns out to be a dud. You may be under the impression that only individuals can sign up for brokers like these – but that’s not the case. Many major brokerages make this process very simple: the online interfaces of most such companies allow you to specify your company as the buyer, and you can pick from corporation, limited partnership, limited liability company (LLC) and more. If you’re an LLC or a similar organization, then your operating agreement or constitution should probably specify who in the company has the authority to buy shares using company funds. Get your goals right : The main strategic job that you’ll have to do is work out what you want to achieve with your company investment. Perhaps you’ve got a lot of cash tied up in your company and simply want a better return than the bank, or maybe you’re hoping to build a larger income stream to fund a new branch or venture. Once you’ve got that settled, you’ll be able to instruct your broker to develop a risk profile for your firm and find stocks that match your requirements. It’s not just individuals who have the ability to sign up for brokers and buy stocks but also businesses. By keeping on top of stock market developments and having a range of fixed goals, you can raise the chances that your company stock trading experience is a smooth and ultimately profitable one. Read Also : How To Start Trading On The Stock Market And Profit? Buying Stocks For Beginners: A Guide What You Should Know Before Using ExpertOption

READ MOREDetails
board members

How Portal Software Improves Communication Between Board Members

Managing the board of a corporation or not-for-profit, no matter how large or small always comes with a number of challenges. Board members, who may be based in several different cities, need to be able to communicate easily and openly with each other, but they also need to be mindful of security issues. Because board members tend to be quite busy people, finding time for preliminary discussions is as important as it is difficult. As anyone with board management experience knows, the key to running an efficient board meeting lies in the planning and preparation that takes place in the days and weeks leading up to the meeting itself. Ideally, board members should always have all of the factual information they need before the meeting starts and be ready to discuss higher-level questions, which is why making sure there is a secure forum for board members to discuss the information and clarify any questions they might have beforehand is vital for ensuring that meeting time is used as efficiently as possible. One of the most common complaints about board meetings is that valuable time gets wasted making sure everyone is up-to-date on the issues being discussed that could have been spent debating motions and planning for the organization’s future. At the same time, some of the most popular electronic communications tools, such as Jook SMS and Gmail, are notoriously susceptible to hacking. This makes them a risky way to hold discussions ahead of a board meeting and often leads board managers into a double-bind: the tools that their members are most comfortable with and most likely to use in preliminary discussions also pose serious threats to the organization’s security. So how can boards strike a balance between facilitating good conversation while also maintaining security? One of the most popular solutions to both of these problems is board portal software. Companies like Vancouver’s Aprio have developed software that allows board members to share and discuss information through a secure electronic portal that they can access from their mobile device or desktop computer. Portal software not only makes it easy for the board manager to deliver all of the necessary documentation to board members before the meeting begins, it also provides the members with an intuitive, easy-to-navigate way of accessing the documents from anywhere in the world. The portal software also streamlines governance by making everything that board members need available in a single place. Instead of having to scroll through email threads to find the right documents, and potentially getting into inefficient discussions about which version of the document is most up-to-date, with portal software members literally have all the information they need at their fingertips. Board portal software can play a major role in helping boards communicate more effectively, and by giving board members a chance to do more of their work in advance they can drastically improve the efficiency of board meetings. With better communication comes better decision-making, and it is no surprise that some of the most innovative businesses in North America have turned to board portal software to create stronger, more networked leadership and improve board governance. Read also: 6 Things You Should Know Before Starting A Business

READ MOREDetails