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Michael Griffis
Michael Griffis became an active trader in the mid 1980s. He first traded commodities and precious metals after taking a commodities trading class as part of his MBA program at Rollins College. He became a stockbroker in 1992, where he helped businesses and individuals manage investments in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, retirement plans, 401(k) employee-savings plans, and asset management programs. Michael is an author and business owner and has written about stock trading for online audiences.
Articles & Books From Michael Griffis
Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-20-2022
Forecasting what will happen in the economic future is hard. Nobody gets it right all the time. However, with a grounding in economic indicators, you can improve your investment results and the profitability of your business.How are economic indicators relevant to you?Economic indicators were first published for government leaders who needed a better understanding of the country’s current economic condition.
Article / Updated 07-06-2021
If you decide you want to trade for others as well as for yourself, you need to become a registered representative. The most comprehensive test you can take is the FINRA’s Series 7 exam. To qualify for the test, you’ll need a sponsoring broker.When you sign up for the required coursework for this exam, either through self-study courses online or a nearby training school, the school can help you locate a sponsoring broker if you don’t have one.
Article / Updated 06-29-2021
Traders can open brokerage accounts in a couple of different ways: as a cash account or a margin account. However, if you open a margin account, you also must open a cash account. You also may open separate accounts for retirement savings. Because retirement accounts have more restrictions, your trading alternatives are more limited in those accounts.
Article / Updated 02-02-2017
The moving average convergence divergence (MACD) indicator is a trend-following momentum indicator. MACD is designed to generate trend-following trading signals based on moving-average crossovers while overcoming problems associated with many other trend-following indicators. MACD also acts as a momentum oscillator, showing when a trend is gaining strength or losing momentum as it cycles above and below a center zero line.
Article / Updated 02-02-2017
A simple moving average (SMA) is a simple trading indicator to calculate and use. To calculate it, you add a number of prices together and then divide by the number of prices you added. An example makes the SMA clearer.
A nine-day moving average of Intel’s (INTC) closing price is calculated throughout May 2008 and then is plotted on a price chart.
Article / Updated 02-02-2017
When to trade a stock is the million dollar question. A stock can transition from a downtrend to an uptrend in several different ways. It can, for example, fall precipitously, turn on a dime, and begin heading higher. Although turning on a dime from downtrending to upward trending sometimes presents profitable trading opportunities, these transitions are difficult to identify and are even more difficult to base a trade on.
Article / Updated 02-02-2017
You need only a handful of tools to determine the dominant trend or phase of the market and these can help you know when trading is a good idea. Significant changes in the markets happen slowly and thus show up better in weekly charts than they do in daily charts because insignificant changes are filtered out.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Stock options can be used as substitutes for the underlying stocks when swing trading. A stock option is a limited-duration contract that grants the option buyer the right to either buy or sell a stock for a fixed price. The option seller, called the option writer or the option grantor, is granting the right to the option buyer to either buy or sell a specific stock for a fixed price.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Looking for the best economic forecasting tools? Here are a few investor favorites that you can use to improve your investment decisions:
Unemployment insurance: A rise in unemployment insurance claims is one of the earliest signs of a faltering economy. A one-week rise doesn't foretell a recession, but a persistent increase usually does.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
The economy cycles through periods of growth and contraction. Knowing the following signs of each economic phase makes planning your investment or business strategies easier:
Expansion: During expansion, consumer spending is growing, especially for purchases of big-ticket products. Although interest rates are relatively low at the beginning of an expansion, they generally rise as the economy grows.