Stock Trading News

The quality of a company and which financial, operating, investing, and business metrics to use to assess it can be subjective because it largely depends on its purpose. A for-profit company has a different type of purpose than a non-profit. In this case, we are going to consider the question from the vantage point of […]

Over the long run, an economy boils down to productivity. When we trade markets and invest our money, our goal is to generate income. That income, over the long run, is a function of productivity and is the biggest driving force of economies over time. In the near term, it’s economic cycles that make the […]

In the US, from 1802-2012, the real (inflation-adjusted) returns of stocks have been between 6 and 7 percent. Bonds have returned between 3 and 4 percent. Bills – which are safe government bond securities and have a duration of less than one year – have a return between 2 and 3 percent. Some might also […]

In An Overview of the Leveraged Buyout (LBO) Financial Model, we discussed the basic main inputs into a private equity LBO model, assumptions, how debt and financing works, valuation multiples and financial metrics, and how each of these inputs affects outputs and the feasibility of a deal occurring. Here, we are going to take a […]

What Is Modern Portfolio Theory? Modern portfolio theory (MPT) is a framework for analyzing and making decisions about investment portfolios. It was first developed by Harry Markowitz in the early 1950s and has since become one of the most important ideas in finance. MPT is built on the idea of diversification, which is the concept […]

In this article, we explore the concept of the business cycle and all of its implications on financial markets.   What are business cycles? Business cycles are periods of time during which the economy grows or contracts. The four main phases of a business cycle are expansion, peak, contraction, and trough.   What are the […]

Cash flow return on investment (CFROI) is a valuation method by which it is assumed that the stock market sets prices based on cash flow rather than company performance and earnings reports. For the company, it essentially equates to an internal rate of return (IRR) calculation. Calculating CFROI The CFROI is compared to the total […]

What Is Probability Theory and Why Is It Important? Probability theory is essential in trading and investing because it allows market participants to understand and quantify the uncertainty and risk associated with financial decisions. Like life itself, trading is about probabilities. There are rarely black-and-white obvious outcomes that are easy to capitalize on. By using […]

What Is Residual Income? Residual income is defined as revenue that continues to be generated after the initial effort has been expended. This can include interest payments, dividends, and royalties. Essentially, residual income is money that is being earned without having to put in active work.   Types of Residual Income There are different types […]

When it comes to trading and investing, there are two main types of strategies: alpha and beta. Alpha refers to generating returns through active management, while beta refers to achieving returns by matching market returns. Smart beta is a combination of the two involving harvesting beta in a more efficient way. Alpha strategies Alpha strategies […]