Why ETFs are taking over the global markets

A recent article in the publication Barron's pointed out one of the big success stories in 2010 has been the growth of the ETF market.  This market is expected to close out the year around $1 trillion up from $794 billion at year-end 2009.

For quite some time now we at MarketClub have been big fans of ETFs for investors. There are several reasons for this, but one of the great reasons is the easy way it allows investors to diversify their holdings not only across different markets, but also across different countries. We utilize this particular strategy in 2 popular ETF portfolios that we have constructed for MarketClub members.

Continue reading "Why ETFs are taking over the global markets"

Traders Toolbox: Money Management Part 1 of 4 Revisited...

Trader's Toolbox

At MarketClub our mission is to help you become a better trader. Our passion is creating superior trading tools to help you achieve your goals -- no matter which way the markets move -- with objective and unbiased recommendations not available from brokers.

The Trader's Toolbox posts are just another free resource from MarketClub.

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"Crucial but often overlooked, money management practices can mean the difference between winning and losing in the markets.

Plenty of books, manuals, and software packages will help you form and opinion of a market, but not many will tell you how to trade once you have decided to get long or short. The goal of money management is to increase the odds of high quality trades. And as we’ll see, leaving the money management variable out of your trading equation can lead to ruin, even if you’re correct about the market direction.

In a broad sense, money management can encompass those elements of trading outside the initial decision to get long or short in a given market or markets – that is, how many positions to put on, when to get out, where to place protective stops. More specifically, it refers to the strategic allocation of capital to limit risk and optimize trading performance in the long run. Allocation of capital can refer to how much money to put into any one market or how much money to risk on any one trade. These decision directly affect how many positions to put on and where to place stop orders...."

Revisit the Trader's Toolbox Post: "Money Management Part 1 of 4" here.

Another nice profit in this ETF

We have been trading the ETF FXE for some time now in MarketClub's Perfect "R" Portfolio and today we exited our long position at $136.64, which produced a profit of $8.14 a share.

This market has performed very well for us and we have only had two major trend changes for the year so far. The FXE is an ETF that mimics the Euro versus the US Dollar, so there's always plenty movement which equals opportunity in the market. That is one of the principal reasons why we chose to include this ETF in the Perfect "R" Portfolio. Continue reading "Another nice profit in this ETF"

Perfect "R" Portfolio Alert!

The United States Oil Fund symbol (PACF_USO) triggered a long position entry on a Green Monthly "Trade Triangle" at 37.15 today. This ETF is part of MarketClub’s Perfect "R" Portfolio.

Learn more about our Perfect "R"Portfolio by requesting the completely free pdf report here.

The Power of Money Management

We have all heard the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare, wherein Aesop teaches us the lesson that "slow and steady wins the race." Like wise in trading, consistent, steady profits and solid money management translate into a winning portfolio. With us today to share his thoughts on money management is Mark Hodge, Head Trading Coach at Rockwell Trading. After you have read Mark's take on this important facet of market success, please share your thoughts, comments, or questions below.

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In my experience very few traders truly understand money management and how to use it. This is unfortunate. I’d argue that money management is the single most influential factor on your financial growth as a trader.  Using the example below, I’ll even show you how you can double your trading account in less than a year, averaging only $125 a week. Continue reading "The Power of Money Management"