High-frequency trading works for a few large firms. They have access to special computer systems and high-speed data connections that allow them to enter thousands of orders a minute. The fastest firms can enter and exit trades in less than a second. Individuals cannot possibly compete with these firms and… Read More

The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as #google-ad# 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago.[1] The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, was the first major civilization in South Asia.[2] A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE.[3] This Bronze Age civilization collapsed before the end of the second millennium BCE and… Read More

The history of India begins with evidence of human activity of Homo sapiens as long as #google-ad# 75,000 years ago, or with earlier hominids including Homo erectus from about 500,000 years ago.[1] The Indus Valley Civilization, which spread and flourished in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent from c. 3300 to 1300 BCE in present-day Pakistan and northwest India, was the first major civilization in South Asia.[2] A sophisticated and technologically advanced urban culture developed in the Mature Harappan period, from 2600 to 1900 BCE.[3] This Bronze Age civilization collapsed before the end of the second millennium BCE and was followed by the Iron Age Vedic Civilization, which extended over much of the Indo-Gangetic plain and which witnessed the rise of major polities known as the Mahajanapadas. In one of these kingdoms, Magadha, Mahavira and Gautama Buddha were born in the 6th or 5th century BCE and propagated their śramanic philosophies. Most of the subcontinent was conquered by the Maurya Empire during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE. It became fragmented, with various parts ruled by numerous Middle kingdoms for the next 1,500 years. This is known as the classical period of Indian history, during which time India has… Read More

Investors who seek to hedge their portfolios by taking short positions in certain stocks have felt a huge amount of pain in recent quarters. As the S&P 500 is on track to… Read More

Adding to the bullish case are all of the sell signals that have failed to work. Prices have failed to heed the Hindenburg Omen and the Titanic Syndrome, among other bearish indicators. Even when signals don’t work as expected, they can still offer insights into the direction of the trend. Failed Sell Signals Are Bullish Jack Schwager interviewed some of the greatest traders in the world for his… Read More

Adding to the bullish case are all of the sell signals that have failed to work. Prices have failed to heed the Hindenburg Omen and the Titanic Syndrome, among other bearish indicators. Even when signals don’t work as expected, they can still offer insights into the direction of the trend. Failed Sell Signals Are Bullish Jack Schwager interviewed some of the greatest traders in the world for his Market Wizards books. In later writings, he distilled some of their best ideas into trading rules. Among his rules is that “a failed signal is more reliable than the original signal.”#-ad_banner-# This year, a number of sell signals have failed, and they could now be pointing toward additional gains for stocks. SPDR S&P 500 (NYSE: SPY) is up 15.3% since the beginning of the year, adding 1.27% last week. Considering just the… Read More

We all know the ancient Greek legend of the phoenix, a giant and beautiful bird that rises from its ashes, renewed and stronger than ever. A few high-tech companies have experienced this same phenomenon. Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) immediately comes to mind. Innovations like the iPhone and iPad transformed Apple from… Read More

There are some indicators pointing to a possible top, but the weight of the evidence is not saying it’s time to sell. Traders should, however, start getting more cautious and move their stops closer to current prices. There are always a number of factors… Read More

It was late October 2008, and we were in the midst of one of the worst bear markets of all time. Short-biased traders were making a killing, but most of us bulls were getting hit daily. As a professional proprietary trader, my software… Read More

In recent years, the phrase “seeking alpha” has come into vogue. This refers to the ability of a portfolio to outperform the broader market or a related set of benchmarks. Yet in light of the market’s choppy start… Read More

Defensive stocks are always popular among conservative investors. These are stocks that are believed to have some degree of immunity to the business cycle. Consumer staples are favorites of defensive investors… Read More

Widely known as a corporate raider and activist investor, Carl Icahn views himself as a classic value investor. His company describes the Icahn strategy in simple terms: “We seek to find undervalued companies in the Graham & Dodd tradition. However, while the typical Graham… Read More