You will likely hear about technical analysis during your trading experience. Technical analysis is a discipline that uses stock prices to determine signals on when to trade. Many people swear by the practice. Others equate it to sorcery. While it may work for determining signals for stocks, can technical analysis help your options trading? A […]
Category: Real Academy
How to Use Options to Trade High Priced Stocks
With round lots of 100 shares becoming less important these days, we are seeing fewer stock splits it seems. There are a number of stocks that are trading above $200 a share and that is something we didn’t use to see very often — at least not when I first started studying the market, but […]
Warren Buffett’s Favorite Indicator Suggests a Stock Crash Is Coming
Anyone in the realm of finance or the stock market knows Warren Buffett. He is the billionaire CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and has been one of the world’s best investors for decades. That is why when he talks about warning signs of a potential crash coming soon, I pay attention. Warren Buffett has a market […]
Protecting Your Trades: How Puts Work as Portfolio Insurance
When you buy a new car, you look for insurance on the car. Most states require some form of coverage, but it is usually worthwhile to have it. When you buy a home, lenders will require you to purchase homeowner’s insurance. While it doesn’t cover everything, it gives you some peace of mind. While many […]
Use Options as Portfolio Insurance in Rocky Times
Since the beginning of September we have seen the main U.S. indices drop. There are a number of possible reasons for the decline, but more importantly I expect the increased volatility will be with us through the next few months. Between the uncertainty about the virus and the impending election in November, I don’t see […]
Cooking the Books? How to Know When Companies Boost Earnings Artificially
Experienced investors have heard of now-bankrupt companies such as WorldCom and Enron. Both participated in scandalous accounting schemes. Neither company exists today, but each left a trail of losses that are still keenly felt. Many employees had their life savings in company stock quickly made worthless. The scandals involved tricks that these companies used and […]
Options: Meandering Market Tamed by Using a Straddle or a Strangle
When you hear talk of markets trending, people think of uptrends or downtrends. However, markets often get stuck in a trading range. This is the condition where there is no definitive direction. But, eventually, one direction or the other reasserts itself. The problem is knowing which direction will prevail. A few strategies can help in […]
Most Investors Should Just Forget About Alpha
How would you like to have an “edge” in the stock market? The vast majority of investors would love to find one, of course, and many constantly seek advantages to exploit. We are led, however, to believe that markets are efficient. This means that the price of stocks is determined by the current information available. […]
Options Calls vs. Puts: What’s the Difference?
Options are nothing more than a contract with a specified premium, strike price and expiration date. Unlike buying and selling stocks or funds of stocks, options provide almost an endless number of strategies. Nevertheless, all options trading has two sides — calls and puts. Both are “sold” by an options trader. You sell a call […]
Analysis: Markets and the Economy Boom Under Democratic Presidents. But Why?
An interesting report caught my eye this past week regarding the economy and markets under Democratic versus Republican presidents. One would intuitively think that under the latter, economic growth and financial market performance would be orders of magnitude higher versus under the former. After all, Republicans are always thought to be more pro-capitalist, espouse less […]










