Thanx PAL. And to all newbies, I am concerned at the level of questions I am getting, some publicly and some by PM. People are trading options without knowing how to execute a "buy to open, sell to close" order, or asking questions about simple options terms on the thread, or seeeming not to know how to look up a stock by inputing the name or symbol. Options are risky vehicles and I myself did not begin trading them last year until several months of intensive online and on-the-phone coaching by several people here who had been trading for their entire lives, as well as subscribing to several newsletters. That was a great benefit for me. But in any case here are some ways to answer simple questions on your own first, which is necessary for your own portfolio as well as to offer courtesy to threadmates who are taking time to try and keep this thread alive and answer questions.
1) Harrison Roth's LEAPS is easy to understand and will give a general overview of options. The Motley Fool gives an entire course in investing, available online in sections, and it's a good idea to read that as well.
2) CBOE's website offers a lot of good information. If you don't know what a term is, best to look it up there first. They will also send you a CD ROM for free. cboe.com
3) If an SI member mentions a stock, and you are curious about it you can
a) put the stock symbol up in the quote box in the upper left hand side of your screen and click on quotes. Then you will most likely get the stock, along with the ability to view discussion here on it, bookmark that discussion thread, view charts, view news, and analyst recommendations
b) if for some reason that doesn't work, put the entire stock name in the box at the bottom left of your screen and click on "stock talk" to find threads about the stock
c) if there are no discussion threads and you want additional information, go to yahoo finance and cnet, where you can do searches on stocks and the news on them. Your online broker should also have that capacity. If you are trading options, you should be familiar already with your online broker's research functions.
d) if you want to follow a particular member's postings and/or recommendations on a stock, click on that member's name in a post. Go to his profile and peoplemark it. All his public posts will be available for reading. You may find other posts he has made about the stock
I make all the above as friendly suggestions. Everybody contributing to a thread is taking time to share their DD and views, and those who are facilitating threads feel an even greater responsibility. To function effectively and courteously here in this forum I think it is necessary to know how to navigate the entire SI interface, and how to use other simple vehicles such as Yahoo, CBOE, MOTLEY FOOL, your own online broker and CNET to do some further stock research.
I am very appreciative of what I've learned already. Our lives are busy. When taxman takes the time to research the exact rules of exercising options, information that Fidelity can't seem to give me, or Rose takes the time to analyze the percentages and #s of an options play, information that in spite of my best effort I find hard to pin down, I for one am very appreciative. I consider it a favor, not an obligation.
Thanx
Jill |
