Stock Market

Investing in the stock market can be difficult, even for the most financially savvy investors. The money to be earned can be enormous while the effects of losing money can be devastating both financially and personally. If you are about to enter the realm of buying and selling stocks utilizing an online trading account, it is important that you understand the different between real-time and delayed stock quotes.

Real Time Quotes

Real-time stock quotes provide you, the investor, with actual continuous streaming information as it is happening in real time. Whether a stock increases or decreases in value, if you follow the activity via a real-time stock quote, you will be following the actual trail of movement. Some websites offer real-time stock quotes for a fee, courtesy of a live feed so you can not only see what is happening not only in the United States, but in the world wide markets.

Delayed Stock Quotes

Delayed stock quotes tend to run about 15 minutes after the fact as the information feed is delayed and the theory is to provide NASDAQ traders on the floor a bit of an advantage. According to NASDAQ's website, "Trading information on NASDAQ and OTCBB companies is delayed at least 15 minutes. Trading information on NYSE and AMEX companies is delayed at least 20 minutes per those exchanges' rules. The Most Active section is delayed at least 15 minutes for NASDAQ and 20 minutes for AMEX and NYSE. The NASDAQ Indices and the Major Indices scrolling ticker are delayed at least 1 minute. Mutual Funds are updated at the end of each day." This theory is generally applied to stock market feeds around the world.

The main reason why both real-team and streaming stock quotes exist is for money. Many brokerage firms pay large amounts of money for the right to access real-time information. When there is money to be made, the stock market will find a way to make it.

Those who work hard for their money want their money to work just as hard for them. If you are ready to take the plunge and build up your investment portfolio, investing during a recession can prove to be a valuable strategy for you. According to the number-crunching conducted by Morningstar analyst Bill Bergman, historical data from the last nine recessions proved that investing normally during a recession was better than traditional investment strategies.

Value Stocks

Investors may be hesitant to put more money into uncertain investments as economic downturns can certainly take away large amounts of gains. However, the recession has forced the price of many excellent stocks to be lowered and become financially obtainable for many investors. There is no better time to purchase a "brand name" stock than when the price has adjusted lower due to circumstances beyond the company's control.

Bond Purchases

Another place to consider investing during a recession is the bond market as according to Martin Fridson, Merrill Lynch's chief high-yield strategist, "Interest rates start to come down during a recession, and all bond [prices] tend to benefit from that." Some planners are even suggesting switching the allocation for bond investments to a hefty 20% or your portfolio value as they are considered to be attractive investment vehicles now. The types of bonds you should pursue depends on how much available money you have allocated towards investing and your risk tolerance levels.

Investors would also be wise to keep some cash stored safely in a money market fund as it is a liquid account and can be easily accessed. Although you would not make a huge profit off the investment, you could pace the average rate of inflation and keep your money's face value.

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