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How do I successfully pick stocks

By means of fundamental and technical analysis, you can deeply evaluate the potential value of stocks. Additionally, high attention on the macroeconomic environment and diversification of procurement efficiently decreases risks. Staying rational and sticking to long-term investment is a way towards consistent returns. Reviewing and adjusting strategies as the environment changes allows investors to be nimble.

Conduct Fundamental and Technical Analysis

Steps before I pick a stock – Fundamental Analysis. You can look at their financial statements, including the balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement, to determine how healthy they are financially. Some examples of profitable companies are Apple Inc., which posted a total revenue of $383 billion with a net profit figure being $94.6 billion in FY23, showing profitability very well. An examination of the balance sheet would indicate Apple is doing just fine since it has more than $90 billion in cash on hand. And Apple’s Tim Cook has been able to keep the company relevant because his management team is a group of very experienced managers. Apple has about 27.5% of the global smartphone market share, which places it in a strong position within this industry (- Statista).

Historically, technical analysis is a study of past price and volume data to predict future prices. Moving averages, RSI, and Bollinger Bands are all known indicators. For instance, moving averages expose the trend in stock prices. The 200-day moving average of the S&P 500 index indicated that most of the time, this average never went higher than where the index was trading (a booming market). RSI readings above 70 are seen as overbought, and those below 30 are considered oversold, helping buy/sell indicators on your chart.

Focus on the Macroeconomic Environment and Diversify Investments

This will allow you to judge the overall market trend with reference to current economic conditions, monetary policy, interest rates, and international political situations. In 2023, the inflation rate in the U.S. was ~3.2% and interest rates were around 5-6%, which has a direct impact on how stocks perform. The Federal Reserve notes that changes in monetary policy have a direct effect on the direction of the stock market. Market phase | United States and China trade tensions: International political situations cause market fluctuations. One such example was early 2022 changes in U.S.-China tariffs briefly crushed global stock markets.

Invest in different industries and companies; do not put all your money into one stock. That way, even if one stock does poorly, it will not dramatically affect your entire portfolio. In contrast, the S&P 500 index is an asset consisting of stocks from five hundred different companies across various sectors, thereby spreading risk. For example, even when you invested in technology, healthcare, and financials; even if one sector performs weakly, the other two sectors’ performance can overcome the negative impact. By 2023, the S&P 500 index returned +9.8% on an annual basis while information technology earned that sector a cool +15.1%, showing you how important it is to diversify your investments.

Remain Rational and Engage in Long-term Investment

The stock market is about being rational, and emotional stress has nothing to do with decision-making. Eschew market noise, and avoid the temptation to make changes to your investment strategy or judgment in response. Always use a stop-loss mechanism to ensure you do not lose too much on failed investments. For example, an automatic stop-loss mechanism that will sell the stock when its price falls by more than 10% can be set to avoid greater losses. As per a joint report by Deloitte and the International Association of Credit Portfolio Managers (IACPM), one of the key factors behind investor losses is emotional decisions. Market crashes, such as the global stock market crash at the start of COVID-19 in 2020; those who remained unruffled made a lot more money since markets recovered fast.

Large price fluctuations in the short term are normal; do not sell a high-quality stock because of this dive. Invest in companies with long-term growth potential, and keep faith to hold them for a longer period of time. Take, for instance, Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which achieved an average annual compound growth rate of roughly 20% over the period from 1965 to present, more than twice as high as that of the market. Both in the short and long term, fluctuations come very often. For example, the S&P 500 index lost approximately 20% of its value in 2022, but it gained back nearly a solid tenth of that during most of the first half of last year. So, one must not sell high-return earning stocks due to short-term volatility.

Regularly Review and Adjust Strategies

Check every stock in your investment portfolio for the performance of those stocks or any other changes in the market. Adapt your investments accordingly to market and company changes in your investment strategy. Do this each quarter, ensuring that you pertinently evaluate the performance of stocks within your portfolio as well. This includes selling the stock short, such as some retail stocks that have fallen over 10% in 2023 becoming an adjustment! This will enable you to respond faster when the market changes and be easily able to adapt.

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