3 comments about Candlestick Charting For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)).

1. I found this book informative. I have been interested in candlestick charting for years and I was not able to find a text that could give me simple, clear, and concise information until Candlestick Charting for Dummies. This book is just what I needed.



2. I have found many technical analysis books are written with too much jargon and are difficult to understand for the non-professional. This book simplifies everything in a well written and comprehensive guide for the layperson looking to learn about candlestick charting technical analysis.



3. Anyone who is interested in trading, whether its on NYSE,NASDAC,or FOREX like my self you buy this book. Loaded with tons of information.

3 comments about Trading Options For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)).

1. What this book lacks in detail, it makes in subject completeness.
   
   There are dozens and dozens of great websites out there describing options and trading strategies in far better depth and completeness than this book. So, if you're looking for complex spreads or techniques, this book will not satisfy you.
   
   However, online searches are so saturated in trading strategies that it's actually difficult to become aware of real world transactional details (like, "who are the market makers? how does assignment work?"). this book nicely wraps up those "loose ends" that are hardly ever mentioned on your favorite search engine.



2. I wanted something that took me from 0 to 60 in a couple of hours, to explain options in plain english. This book goes from 20 to 120 then back to 40 and up to 80 then back to 10, very poorly constructed and organized.
   
   (My review for Dummies: This book is difficult to follow, jumps around a lot, and rarely satisfies the curiousity at hand)



3. I wanted a book which would explain buying and selling options in a thorough way for someone who knew very little about options. This is not the book.
   
   The author seems to have the intent to throw in as many complex terms without every explaining the simple things. Never once in this book is a walk through through on how to buy a call, how to sell the option, or on how to exercise the underlying contract. The same goes for simple puts.

5 comments about Stikky Stock Charts: Learn The 8 Major Stock Chart Patterns Used By Professionals And How To Interpret Them To Trade Smart--in OSne Hour, Guaranteed (Stikky).

1. I have been investing for a short amount of time, but I am new to chart-reading and all the trading fundamentals. This book was a great place to start and I really loved the presentation of it as well. Cheap too.



2. What can a stock chart tell you? Well, it can tell you what masses of people are thinking... and what they might do next. If you think that might help you with your investing or trading, then this book is a cheap and easy to understand introduction for you. I read it through several times until I could just look at a chart and pick out some major patterns.
   
   The book gives you clear examples of typical chart patterns and what they mean. It also has examples where YOU draw the lines and make the interpretations. Don't skip over that part. Physically drawing on paper has a way of ingraining something into your mind more than clicking buttons on a computer screen or just skimming through pages, for the same reason some people take notes in class and never look at them again.
   
   Certainly, this book is aimed at people who know little to nothing about the subject, like other Stikky books, so don't expect any deep revelations here. But for the new or casually curious investor, I would highly recommend it!



3. This is a well-written, easy to understand, beginning chart reading book. I would recommend that anyone interested in learning to understand how to draw trend lines and to recognize certain chart patterns read this book.



4. In large print with big pictures (of charts), this 226-page guide is designed to be read in two 30-minute sessions, with at least a few days in between them. Readers are first introduced to various chart patterns and then shown partial charts and asked to predict what a stock will do based on the patterns. The following page shows the results.
   
   The eight major stock-chart patterns taught herein are rectangle, channel, double top, head and shoulders, megaphone, ascending triangle, descending triangle, and symmetrical triangle. Although these patterns don't always play out as they should in real life, more often than not, they are reliably bullish or bearish signs. I've been able to use the knowledge gained from this book to help me making buying and selling decisions in the real market, especially when combined with sound fundamental analysis.
   
   The only real drawback to the book is that, since you must write in it (draw charts), it can only be truly experienced once. I first read it about two years ago and then wanted to review it a few months back, and my previous chart-drawing reduced the worthiness of the review session. Regardless, I highly recommend the book and plan to buy one or two additional copies for myself and/or a friend.



5. This is the SEE JANE RUN of stock books but it will teach you the beginnings of trading. If you still work (or not)and you would like to some day trade your hard earned cash get this book.

5 comments about Futures & Options For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)).

1. Helped pass the Series 3 license, and helps with understading the industry.



2. If you're new to options, this is _the_ book to start with. Surely, online resources are plentiful, but no single web site can give you all the information and explanations you need to really get a good grasp on whqat exactly might be happenning. I've already made some money in options but, believe it or not, I've made more in stocks because I didn't quite grasp how these things work. This said, if you understand options and have a good idea of how the underlying (stock) is going to perform you can see your option appreciate 20, 50, or even 100 plus percent in a very short time. This is the draw of options. The most important thing you need to know, however, and this is 'experience' speaking, is that you have to, i mean, have to reel in your money if you see so much as 5 or 10 cent markdown in the price of your option. Why? because, unlike stocks, you can always buy right back in if the thing does start going your way With stocks, you usually hold it until you see , say, an 8% depreciation in value. This is not true with options. If you have, say, ten contracts, you're leveraging 1000 shares. Thus, if your thing goes down 5 cents, you've lost 50 dollars; 10 cents, 100 dollars and this usually happens intra-day, within a few minutes. For this reason, options are classified as 'high risk', but it's only high risk if you're averse to gettting rid of them. Stocks might take 2 or 3 or 5 days or more to show such a drop; that's when you might sell. Oh, and one more thing...having the right software makes or breaks your trading. Schwab offers options, but not any kind of software that gives you all the information and tools you need. Check around; there's a few that offer killer stuff. Visit investools.com
   I hope this helps future traders but, if you must know, you gotta digest all the info in the options part if you're to get a grip on the thing.



3. I found the book way too cumbersome. The author tries to write about everything financial and as a result does it very poorly.
   
   I found the section on Options especially weak. He's taken a straight forward subject and made it seem more complicated.
   
   Pass on this one!



4. This isn't what you expect from the "For Dummies" series. Meaning you don't close the book feeling you can get started with confidence (unlike, say, Currency Trading for Dummies, after which you can do just that). Overall it's a useful primer but nothing more. Its strengths are some macroeconomic insights and occasional tips on how the big players play the game. It is average in terms of giving the basics on calls and puts and basic spreads, and it gives the usual overview of charting and technical analysis. The three main weaknesses are: 1) An overemphasis on using historical charts to show where you could have bought and sold based entirely on 20/20 hindsight; 2) Trying to cram in too many subjects in the second half of the book, offering brief intros with very few insights but what feels like at least 2 warning per page on "Don't forget there is risk involved" and "Moves can be huge and reversals are unexpected;" 3) An absence of an overview of the tools and software available. This last is the clincher why I gave it only 2 stars. Because trading in futures is considered the big league (and rightly so, because there IS huge risk involved), the best softwares cost money and are sold business to business. It is still not considered the realm of the burgeoning individual speculator. For internet software, well for any software, you need to have a simulation so you are expert in the workings of the software before trying to trade real time- imagine losing thousands of dollars because you don't understand how to correctly set up your spread in the software!
   If software does include a simulation package for evaluation, it is likely using simulated data. The better software packages that offer simulation for options will balk at futures and tell you you need to be approved for a futures account, in other words you need to commit before seeing it. This current grey area for individual speculation is to be expected, but that's why I bought the book, hoping it would bridge those gaps. It did not.



5. I'm new to options so this seemed to be a good place to start and some of the information was helpful but when I found a glaring mistake on page 75 I lost faith in the book and won't finish it. An example is given of a covered call that is supposed to make $500 or 10% but it actually looses you money with commissions..Read at you own risk

No comments about Bond Investing For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance)).

5 comments about Technical Analysis Explained : The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points.

1. I have nothing to say more than what I said in the title , this book is essential for learning technical analysis , no wonder why it's included in most of the reading lists of the technical analysis certificates .



2. Great book. I got it thinking it'd relate mostly to candle charts. But it covers everything. The book is pretty confusing at first and takes awhile to get used to the author's writing style. He uses words that college business students should understand. It'll take you forever to read, if you want to learn what it has to offer, but it's well worth it. Just google the topics after reviewing to get a full understanding of what Pring offers. Well worth the $10 used price (got lucky!.



3. With John Murphy's book 'Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets', this book should also be studied diligently. This book contain a few technical nuggets which only Martin Pring can offer in depth detail.



4. Psychological this will be a valuable read. There are some nuggets of wisdom in this book despite the typos. Pring is highly respected in TA.
   I am currently studying his TA Explained book to pass the CMT.
   I think many investors overlook the benefit of understanding and learning investor and market psychology. To realize that Fundamental, Technical, AND Psychology can have equal footing in investing was a
   breakthrough for me.
   I enjoyed studying this book along side Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.
   Created some of my trading plan based on this book...
   Study hard and the market WILL reward.



5. I am writing this review retro as I bought it several years ago, and I think for a very basic, easy to understand approach, it was the best one on the shelf. One, he starts with the most basic idea and progresses to more difficult. Two, it includes a CD with self tests after each chapter. If you cant get the test right, then you didnt get the material so it is a good checkup on your understanding of the material covered. Third, I still find it uncommon to see instructional manuals and the like in audio or video format. I get really tired of reading text all the time. Pring responds in audio after each question and tells you why its right or wrong. Again, what good to know the right answer if you dont understand why its right! This book is a great beginner book for first timers and a step closer to the AV interactive books that are the next technology.

5 comments about The Successful Investor: What 80 Million People Need to Know to Invest Profitably and Avoid Big Losses.

1. I believe every investor ought to read this book before putting any money in the market. If O'Neil's CANSLIM system is followed, it is IMPOSSIBLE to to lose money in the stock market!



2. William O' Neal has done an excellent job laying out for investors and stock traders the 5 steps to take for outstanding results. I have read Oneal's other books but this one really laid out his strategies in a very easy to understand format. Here are the 5 steps he puts forth:
   
   #1 Which way is the general market going? Only invest in bull markets, if the market is continually going down and has rallies that fail and fall again into lows. Stay away and safely in cash. Wait to enter when the market is clearly in an uptrend.
   
   #2 Use a simple 3 to 1 profit and loss percentage plan. By setting a 7% stop loss on all stocks, and capturing a 20% gain when you are right, you can be right on 33% of your stock picks and still be a profitable investor/trader. Of course this is the worst case scenario. The important thing is taking losses quickly and letting profits run to a reasonable place and then take them.
   
   #3 How to buy the very best stocks at the very best times. Buy stocks using the CAN-SLIM method for the fundamental value. (With current and 5 year earnings increases being the #1 measurement of valuation). Then buy them after they have reached there 52 week high, pulled back and resumed upwards after coming off new support levels.(Cup and handle chart pattern).
   
   #4 When to nail down your big profit. Sell a stock that has run up to a ridiculous price while it is still heading up. Do not try to call the top, these stocks pull back tremendously when they run out of buyers. The signs to sell include when it closes at the low for the day or fails to make new highs for a few days. (Railroad tracks on a chart).
   
   #5 Managing your portfolio for maximum gains and minimum losses. When it is time to realign your portfolio sell your losers and keep your winners. Diversifying is for people who do not know what they are doing, successful investors buy 4 to 10 stocks they are experts on and watch them closely. Only add a new one after you sell your biggest loser. Never buy more of a stock that is going down only increase position sizes on winners. Only buy the best stocks in an industry, stay away from stocks under $15 to $20 a share.
   
   Excellent book that belongs in every investors/traders library. William O'Neal belongs with other legendary traders he has done a great job of building on what others have learned. I predict it will be a classic one day.



3. I think IBD is worth every penny. You can do everything that the author says without using IBD (by using MSN, Yahoo etc) but if you don;t have time for that IBD is the way to go. I have been following many (not all, i don't like the idea of buying at market price) of the advices in this book and have bagged 30% return in the last year despite two nasty corrections. If you want to take one lesson from this book, it would be
   
   Buy high and sell higher in a bull market.



4. For once someone who knows what he is talking about. If you are serious about investing buy this book, you won't regret. In fact, it can be your only investment book. What I like is that the book clearly shows that there is no such thing as buy-and-hold investor. To me investor is a just trader who trades in a weekly timeframe.



5. William O'Neil, who started a successful financial paper known as Investors Business Daily, wrote How to Make Money in Stocks. Decade of research and critical thinking has helped O'Neil to create some very powerful ways of investing successfully.
   
   O'Neil's ideas aren't about getting rich quick. It takes time, study diligence and patience coupled with controlling ones emotions to become an excellent investor. The Successful Investor melds both the technical and fundamental aspects of investing with common sense. O'Neil uses a great number of charts throughout the book to explain concepts in detail.
   
   The Successful Investor provides strong basics to help the intermediate investor as well as the experienced investor. This book may not be right for a novice.
   
   Topics include Managing Your Portfolio: How to Buy the Very Best Stocks, When to Sell and Nail Down Your Big Profit While You Still Have It, Time-Proven Methods to Maximize Results and Minimize Losses and much more.
   
   I have read many books, magazines and articles on investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and more over the years. O'Neil's ideas are some of the most solid and consistent I have found to apply to the stock market. They are easy to read and understand the basic...but like anything worth while...it takes years to be good. I have read three of O'Neil's books and have found great ideas in all of them.
   
   The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

5 comments about The Little Book That Builds Wealth: The Knockout Formula for Finding Great Investments (Little Books. Big Profits).

1. Reviewing a book like this today is like joining a weight-loss program and concluding on the first day whether or not you got your money's worth. Too early to tell. Ask me again after I've put the lessons in this book to work. Like a year from now. (Gave it a one-star rating because this system wouldn't take my submission unless it included a rating.)



2. Have not finished reading book as yet, but thus far I am picking up good, useful investment information and insights. The only omission I sense, so far, is that there may not be enough "actionable" information (i.e, much theory, but lack of specific recommendations based on that theory). But I will not know that for sure until I finish the book.



3. Becoming an investor who can quite regularly beat a broad based index (e.g. S&P 500) is near impossible. Just ask two of the most famous investors ever: John Bogle of Vanguard (who wrote his own "Little Book" warning investors to stay away from anything but low cost index funds) and Warren Buffett (of Berkshire Hathaway who also recommends index funds for the average investor). They point out that numerous studies show professional money managers (mutual funds) fail to beat the index funds they set out to beat time and time again--and trying to find the few mutual funds that will beat the index is close to a fool's errand. And when regular folks try to pick individual stocks, the results are even worse. Unfortunately, there is one problem with index fund investing: it's boring. Very boring. Moreover, we, for better or worse (worse in the case of investing in capital markets), don't like to be "average" and index fund investing by definition will only yield "average" results.
   
   So investors try very hard to be more than average. And they start by buying books like this one.
   
   This is where Dorsey comes in. He borrows Warren Buffett's now famous concept of 'moats', which is just another term for a structural competitive advantage of a business, and shows his readers how to find them, evaluate them, and then use them to make a profit by investing in individual stocks. Dorsey's game plan is straightforward: find a great business with a moat and buy it only you can get it for less than it's intrinsically worth. The book is well-organized, uses plain-written language and is easily understandable; Dorsey's categories of different moats are well thought out and he provides multiple examples in each moat category.
   
   Here's my problem with this book: Dorsey has you believe that if you can master the concept of moats then you, little you, should spend some time trying to "beat the market." To do this right, however, requires more time than almost any investor (even those who are retired or fanatical) has. First, you have to find a great business with a moat (not as easy as it sounds and it entails both qualitative and quantitative analysis). Then you have to value it (also not easy). Then you have to figure out how much of your portfolio to invest in that company (this step Dorsey conspicuously leaves out which is critical and often overlooked - I would recommend the Kelly Formula outlined in the book "Fortune's Formula"). Then you have to stay up-to-date with the corporation (and its competitors) by reading news stories, press releases, and quarterly reports. Finally you have to watch the stock price: if the stock goes down a lot but the moat and intrinsic value hasn't shrunk, you should buy more of the stock (this is hard for most investors to do) and if the price goes up and the moat or intrinsic value hasn't grown as fast as the stock price, you should sell some of the stock. Get any of these steps wrong along the way and you are sunk. Oh, and you will likely be following multiple companies in your portfolio. Are we still having fun?
   
   As you can now start to tell, applying this "little book" will take a lot of your time. Of course, you could beat the market, but chances are you will make a few mistakes that could cost you a lot of money. My recommendation is to use the book instead in two counterintuitive ways. First, use it to understand what make a great business "great" and if you are thinking about opening your own business, figure out how you can create a moat for it, no matter how small. Second, if you are working in corporate America use the concept of moats to make your company better.
   
   But if you use the book for what and who it is intended for, be forewarned.



4. This is a quick, easily comprehensible, read to understand the philosophy of Morningstar's analysis approach and fundamental investment thesis. Well worth the money.



5. Pat Dorsey's Little Book That Builds Wealth really is a big book that contributes volumes to the investment universe. Overlaying Pat's explanation of the different types of moats on Warren Buffett's portfolio helps the professional and the private investor understand the very important investment moat principles. Coke is a brand or intangible asset moat. Wells Fargo is a switching cost moat. American Express is a network effect moat. And although no longer publicly traded and now a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, GEICO is a cost advantage moat. This little book is a must read for every participant of the stock market."
   -- Robert P. Miles, author The Warren Buffett CEO

5 comments about A Beginner's Guide to Short-Term Trading: How to Maximize Profits in 3 Days to 3 Weeks.

1. This book taught me a great deal in a short time. It was not only easy to read, but informative and encouraging. She explains concepts in a very straightforward manner plus and was very positive about trading in general. I would recommend this book to anybody just starting out and want to learn more about trading stocks using technical analysis.



2. Learning to trade confidently & profitably was probably the most daunting endeavor I've ever taken up. As a former novice trader, I recall having the feeling that I was paralyzed by uncertainty and self-doubt about my trades. It seemed then that there was drastically more information than a person could take in. Everything I heard or read made me believe that it was so critical and important. Yet I never seemed to understand how I should use what I was learning. I was always a step behind the market, chasing the crowd and loosing money. The more I traded the more frustrated I became. I thought I'd never understand how to trade. I'd lost so much money and enthusiasm that I considered quitting trading and leaving it up to smarter people than myself. I was beaten and embarrassed.
   
   That was all before I read this book. Toni showed me step by step what I needed to know in order to get a firm grasp of trading successfully and profitably. What made this book so special to me is that Toni has an easy style that describes everything in really plain language. She takes nothing for granted when she explains how to read charts and when to buy and sell. She rounds out every chapter with some words of wisdom that guide the novice and expert trader alike toward having the knowledge, attitude and confidence to succeed. It's akin to having a "market mentor" showing you the ropes in a very thoughtful and intuitive way. She's a great teacher and what I've learned from her has been the foundation for all of the knowledge I've acquired since reading this book.
   
   In short, this book helped me see the beauty and simplicity of trading for profit & I'll never give it up (I do it for a living).



3. this book is good for beginner but i think if it has more real life example that will be more easy to understand.Should have specific rather then histroy.helal for sydney australia



4. Excellent book - fast shipping - excellent condition - will buy from you again. Thanks very much



5. Look no further than this book if you are just getting started trading. This book condenses a wealth of knowledge from the super pros into a very understandable read. Better than the Dummies Series books.

5 comments about The Options Playbook.

1. The title of the book says it all. Goes over the basics of many different options strategies. I would say a great reference but does not go into great much detail. I prefer the Options Bible by Cohen



2. This is by far the best book on Option plays. It doesn't get too fancy, and is more of a summary of the most commonly traded strategies.... all in a neat little book.
   
   You need to understand Options before getting this book, but it does explain it a little... but there are better books out there that do better explaining.
   
   I keep this book JUST for the plays. It's a quick reference that is easy to access.



3. this book is so helpful to the new option trader. It makes option trading and how it works very clear, awesome tool.



4. Before reading this book, I knew nothing about options. I had been trading stocks online for 5 years. The book is easy to read and understand. Options are still complex to me and I often refer back to this book. Brian Overby does a good job breaking down options trading into understandable parts.



5. The book is more of an introduction with some basic methods to trade, it does not go into much detail. If you are interested in trading options and what strategies to use for different scenarios, you are better off looking elsewhere.