Everything But Violence

It would be virtually impossible to list all the sources of financial information. Financial information is presented on television on networks such as CNN, shows like Moneyline, and even the evening news, which has a segment to recap the daily trading activity. In addition, specialized financial magazines such as Fortune, Inc., and Forbes provide even further information. Finally, the advent of technology has enabled the Internet to provide more, better, and faster financial information than could ever be used by one person. Read the rest of this entry »

The Wilshire 5000 is the granddaddy of them all. It is composed of the prices of all stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, and the NASDAQ system for which there is a quote. This astounding number, more than 5,000 in all, confirms the Wilshire 5000’s position as the largest of the popular indices. The value of the stocks listed is easily billions of dollars, ensuring that the Wilshire 5000 is affected minimally by extenuating extreme circumstances surrounding either a particular stock or an individual market. Read the rest of this entry »

As you may have already noticed, the number of stocks sampled varies from index to index. Nevertheless, it is a generally accepted rule that the larger the sample, the more accurate the subsequent measure will prove to be. The Frank Russell Company utilizes this theory in compiling the Russell Indices, three indices that measure the movement of companies with varying levels of capitalization. The three are the Russell 3000, the Russell 2000, and the Russell 1000. Read the rest of this entry »

The American Stock Exchange (AMEX) Market Value Index, or the AMEX index as it is more popularly known, lists 800 stocks that trade on the American Stock Exchange. Much like the NASDAQ, then, the AMEX index is primarily concerned with the performance of stocks in that particular market, rather than being geared to represent the overall American markets as a whole. Read the rest of this entry »

But the safeguards as well as the similarities don’t stop there. The stocks listed on the S&P 500 are further broken down into four industry segments that are designed to represent the overall health of the American markets. Also, in a further attempt to adjust for the appropriate level of effect that each industry has on the market as a whole, the number of stocks assigned to each industry is not equal. These four industrial segments and the corresponding number of stocks assigned to them in the S&P 500 are listed in the following table: Read the rest of this entry »

Standard & Poor’s Corporation, a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill, Inc., is a well-respected financial company, providing a variety of services such as stock and bond ratings and publication of a number of financial advisory reports. In 1957 Standard & Poor’s launched its own index, the Standard & Poor’s 500, or the S&P 500 as it is more commonly known. Read the rest of this entry »

The Theory of Relativity is therefore a good example of left brain/right brain synchronised thought.

Since the state of reverie or daydreaming is associated with a predominantly theta and alpha wave pattern, it is also a perfect example of how an alpha brain-wave state creates the meditative background conditions for creativity.

Leonardo da Vinci is often quoted as probably the best example in history of the genius that can be liberated when left and right brain activities are fully combined. He was the most accomplished artist, mathematician and scientist of his day in at least half a dozen different fields, and he could write
simultaneously with his left and right hand. The artist Sir Edwin Landseer, had a similar ability he used as a popular party trick. He could draw a horse with one hand, whilst simultaneously drawing a deer with the other!

Now this is not to say that there is a rigorous demarcation between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. Each half contributes to the majority of thoughts, but there is no doubt about a specialisation of the two brains. There are cases where patients had lost the power of speech (left brain) but could still sing (right brain).

Taken From : Accelerated Learning

• The ticker tape is still used in many electronic forms and contains such information as the stock’s name, price, and the number of shares traded. Read the rest of this entry »

It would appear that the better connected the two halves of the brain, the greater the potential of the brain for learning and creativity.

Recent research by Dr. Christine de Lacoste Utamsing at the University of Texas has found that the interconnecting area is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres in women than in men. We don’t know why yet, but it has fascinating implications.

Roger Sperry’s work further showed that, when people develop a particular mental skill, it produced a positive improvement in all areas of mental activity, including those that are lying dormant. In other words, the popular belief that painters and musicians (right brain people) must inevitably be poor at mathematics is not true.

Einstein, who actually failed mathematics at school, was a creditable violinist and artist, and has described the insight that gave birth to his Theory of Relativity. Alone on a hill on a summer day, he was daydreaming, and imagined himself riding a sunbeam to the far edge of the universe; but in his mind’s eye he saw himself returning towards the sun. That flash of inspiration, (which as we shall see was probably associated with a theta brain-wave pattern), suggested that for the dream to come true, it required the universe to be curved. Space, light and time had to be curved also.

Taken From : Accelerated Learning

The point is that, as an investor, one problem you should never encounter is a lack of resources with which to monitor the success of your investments. It is of the utmost importance to ensure that your efforts to digest some of this information do not turn investing into a grudging chore but rather an activity that is enjoyable and exciting. This enjoyment can be facilitated by using the media with which you are most Read the rest of this entry »