Investing in Solar Energy
By Cato Green

From February 8, 2008 to February 14, 2008 volatility was in the market concerning First Solar stock. But unlike the way most other stocks have performed or under performed lately, this stock went up, way up. From $164 a share on Feb. 8th to $236 on Feb. 14th, that is 44% in just 5 trading days. This could be just the luck or hard work of one company if this type of jump was just one company in one industry, but it wasn’t. During the same time period Sunpower’s stock went from $63 dollars a share to $83 dollars a share. That is equivalent to a 32% rise in the value of the stock.

Is this a trend within an industry or just a fluke? Both companies reported 2008 fourth quarter earnings during this 5-day period. These advances were against not only what the so-called Wall Street professional analyst projections but against the trend of the Dow Jones and Nasdaq themselves. Not to mention that many other solar energy companies saw gains in this same period.

Is there a reason why this industry is gaining while the rest of the economy is in a free fall? There are four major factors to this in the solar industry.
1) An increase in production of solar energy. The source of the energy is also free.
2) A decrease in the cost per watt being produced.
3) The replacement of the more efficient thin film solar cells is taking place.
4) An ever-increasing demand for cheap reliable energy.

With several companies reporting the production of a single solar cell for around $1, solar power is a cheap reliable source of energy. Investing in solar energy is not only a way to make money as an investor but also a way to invest in a greener earth. This renewable, reliable green energy source is not only profitable but the wave of the future. There will still be volatility in the market. The stocks of solar power suppliers will continue to fluctuate, but over the long period of investment that has been necessary, the trend is positive. Investing in solar may not only be profitable but good for a greener earth.

Cato Green for http://www.WayToGoGreen.org

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Understanding The Advantages of Futures Options
By David Rivera

Over the last decade, the popularity of options has grown significantly. According to the data compiled by the Options Industry Council, the volume of options contracts traded on U.S. exchanges in 1999 was approximately 507 million. By 2007, that number grew to more than three billion, thus setting an all-time record.

Though futures options are quite risky investments that can only be understood by expert traders options can be very useful to the individual investor as well.

Futures Options can also add value to your portfolio and have several other advantages that are definitely worth noting. A few are outlined below and will help illustrate reasons why options have gained so much popularity in such a relatively short period of time.

The first advantage of options on futures is that they can provide increased cost efficiency. Since they possess great leveraging power, you the investor can obtain a great option position that nearly mimic a stock position but save you unnecessary cost.

The second advantage is that they provide less risk when used correctly. While there are situations where buying options is actually riskier than owning equity, but they can also be used to reduce the amount of risk incurred. Futures options can be less risky because they require less financial commitment than equities. They are also the most dependable form of hedge which makes them safer than stocks.

The third advantage of futures options is they provide higher potential for returns. This means you can spend a lot less and make nearly the same profit as you would with the underlying futures. This gives you a higher percentage return.

The fourth and final advantage discuss in this article pertains to the strategic alternatives futures options provide. Options are a very flexible tool and provide many ways to recreate other positions. These positions are known as synthetics. Synthetic positions provide you the investor multiple methods of attaining the same investment goals which can prove extremely useful.

The four points outlined above are the key advantages futures options offer and are a contributing factor to their growing popularity. If used correctly, they present less risk than straight futures and can actually save you unnecessary costs while providing you the same profit. This is important to consider when selecting a type of investment. You want to get the most out of your money and futures options provide several ways of making this happen. Take the time to review this information before ever making a buying decision. Make sure you understand how you will benefit from the decision you make and what it will mean for you in monetary terms.

Before you decide on a particular investment, consider the key advantages and weigh the risks of each possibility against what you are willing to lose. Be sure you understand how to correctly utilize futures options in order to get the most out of them. You are investing for your future so think wisely and choose carefully. The more you know, the closer you’ll be to a more secure and prosperous future.

David has traded futures & options for one of the largest cash trading firms in the world. He currently owns and runs the following websites:

Future Option Trading.
Gann Trading.

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2 Ways to Completely Go Green and Create Renewable Energy From Home by Hilal Sabur

With the economy and the environment as they are, it is not only important to Go Green as a means of survival while we are here on this earth, but also to save some money if we can. The costs of energy and gas alone, is enough to depress you a little, and then you walk outside into a global warming situation.

I do not want to get into much bashing, but the government is not really a fan of people thinking outside of the box and cutting corners with resources like energy, because they profit from it. However, the government does not have to worry about your bills and your familys necessities and survival.

There are two things you can do today to cut your electrical costs to almost nothing, and it will not cost you much to produce. Solar energy and homemade windmills are two of the most efficient and effective devices known to man in creating energy, and more and more people are starting to investigate this fact.

Both do not take much to make, in time and money, and if done right, can power your household free of charge or at least drastically reduce your electrical bill. Utilizing one or both of these instruments would not only be the bigger statement in Going Green, but would actually help you and the environment the most.

Imagine air conditioning in the summer time for free. I do not want to get into much speculation, so I will try to keep this as factual as possible. The construction of these devices, are not as complicated as you may think.

It is all simple science when broken down to how they work and what they can do for you. The only difference would be to what scale you want them to work for you.

In comparison, spending a few hundred dollars and a couple days time, to a couple thousand dollars annually and using up the natural resources and adding to the pollution and global warming problem, the answer is simple. If we all make the commitment to do our part in reserving our planet and saving money at the same time, it will happen.

If you really want to Go Green and start to utilize renewable energy and resources as opposed to those that will destroy the environment and chew on your bank account, please look into alternative ways of powering your home. Your family and your pockets will be grateful in the end.

H. Sabur is a seasoned internet marketer and has been practicing “Going Green” since the new millennium. Go to http://earthenergycomcreate.tk for more info on what you can do to be more energy efficient and significantly decrease your electrical bill, without effecting your lifestyle.

By Kishore Parankusam

Financial experts love to use jargon that confuse and infuriate the newbie. Education is key- before making any trade transaction you should know a little about the market, how it works and the definitions that are associated with it. Taking the time to arm yourself with just a little bit of education can save you some heartache and embarrassment later on. It does not matter whether you trade online or with a traditional broker, you do need to know a few things before you begin.

For instance: the basic definition of the word “volume” when related to stocks is simple. It is the number of stock shares that are traded usually over the course of one trading day. If there are fewer trades than usual for that time period, then they say that the volume is “thin”. Likewise, more trading is “heavy”. The amount of trading will influence market prices either up or down as stocks change hands. The more trading (heavy trading) that goes on, the higher the price for that stock will rise and vice versa.

Researching the volume of a particular stock before making a transaction is a wise idea and can be done in a number of ways from the traditional to the more modern. In the old days, this information was only available through a broker, but times have changed and many people now handle their own stock portfolios with no financial consultant involvement at all. The do-it-yourself investment wizard can find out a stock’s previous day volume by looking in the newspaper or online. Online is probably the better choice if you are dealing with a stock that seems to be having wide variables- information is updated frequently, in some cases as often as every half hour or less.

Knowing volume of your particular stock can be important for several reasons. First, it can give some indication how many buyers and sellers are involved with it. The higher the volume, the more movement has been reported. A sudden jump or decline in volume, especially in one that has been typically steady may indicate an event, either positive or negative that may affect the entire market. Of course, not every little spike or valley on the volume chart of a stock will indicate a major change and sometimes there is little or no reason at all for the change. Do not make any major decisions to buy or sell stocks based on one day’s volume information, however. You need to track the stock’s average daily volume for several days before finalizing a decision.

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How to Go About Investing in the Stock Market
By Geoff Cummings

Although many people have been burnt by the recent falls in stocks, some are perhaps wondering whether the stock market has gone as far as it is likely to, and if now is the time to consider making investments.

For those new to the market, getting hold of a good broker is important. There are various forms of brokerage, offering differing levels of service (and with differing charges of course). Going on the London Stock Exchange website is one way of finding the type of broker service you require.

Here are the more common types of services.

Execution only where brokers solely buy or sell shares according to your instructions. They offer no advice on how good/bad the shares are.

Advisory brokers provide advice and also execute the buy/sell decisions you make.

Discretionary brokers will buy and sell shares on your behalf. They will also have your authority to make investment decisions without your prior approval.

Nowadays a lot of investors use online services. This avoids having to phone to give your broker instructions. They are relatively quick, and simple to use.

For those new to buying stocks and shares, it`s a wise move to pretend to play the market. This means picking out those stocks you think will do well, without actually buying any. Follow how well, or badly they perform over a period of time. If you do this, and lose money, then you could try the same thing again. If you lose money more often than you win, then the stock market might not be for you.

Remember too that often even for the most basic investments there is a fee, often a flat rate of say £10, plus a small percentage on stamp duty. Small investments are usually not worth doing, simply because any potential profits can be more than eaten up with the commission on the buying and selling of the shares.

On the other hand of course, you could enter the stock market by letting others make your decisions for you. This would be through the medium of Unit Trusts, or, Investment Trusts. Although you have to pay a small amount in commissions and charges for them to do the work for you, there`s often less risk involved, as shares are spread over a number of companies, or sectors etc, and the company doing the trading employs professionals whose sole job is to make a profit, one hopes.

Final pieces of advice, which I`m sure you`ll have heard before, but is worth repeating. If you can`t afford to lose the money then don`t invest it in the stock market. There are some nice profits to be made, true, but the stock market is made of winners and losers. Also, if you need to lay your hands on your money quickly, again think twice before investing. The likelihood is that when you want your money out it will not be the best time to sell your stocks, as the stock market should be seen as medium to long term investments.

Geoff runs a money making tips blog as well as his site on discount DIY tools

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