Wordscapes® (David Turner, Registered Trademark Owner) Business & Finance Links

Wordscapes^® Business & Finance Links

Online trading, advice & resources

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MICROCAPS & SMALLCAPS Controversy surrounds trading of micro- and smallcap stocks (microcaps are generally stocks for companies with between US $5O million and US $150 million in market capitalization; smallcaps range from US $150 to US $500 million). While micro- and smallcaps are relatively inexpensive and can be extremely profitable, investing in them is as risky as screwing in a light bulb while standing on a rolling swivel chair. Instability abounds. Low trade volumes mean that movement of even a few shares affects stock price, and large sales can cause prices to suddenly crater. Small company stocks are also sensitive to market volatility and when the market falls, small stocks often plummet the fastest. The companies themselves are volatile, too; small and young companies are much more subject to failure and loss than established Firms. Finally, many micro- and smallcap stocks have wide bid/ask spreads, which means that the selling and asking price for a stock often vary by 5 to 15 percent or more. The bid price of a stock has to increase by the spread amount just to break even. Researching micro- and smallcaps call be difficult, which might make investing seem like taking shots in the dark. Analysts rarely cover small company stocks and less information is generally available on small companies than large ones. Although there is much talk out there about micro- and smallcaps, telling useful analysis from propagandizing puffery can be difficult. The Stock Detective Guide to Pseudo-Research and Other Phony Financial Reports (http://www.smallcapinvestor.com/), reviewed in this section, offers an excellent list of biased sources and stocks to avoid, as well as a table of publications featuring financial disclosures of interest to smallcap investors. A good article describing the basics of small company stock trading is the Beginner's Guide to Microcap Investing (http://www.smallcapinvestor.com/guide.asp). Other articles in this category lead you to indexes, articles, and exchanges for micro- and smallcap investing. MICROCAP1000 The MicroCap1000 Index is comprised of 1000 microcap companies selected for liquidity and the presence of certain growth indicators. Click on MicroCaps on the Move for a daily report; you'll find a brief market comparison. Three surging stocks and three sliding stocks are listed and briefly analyzed. Stock prices and performances are updated every 20 minutes in The MicroCap1000 Model Portfolio. Get the edge on continental stocks at EuroBeat, which features articles on European smallcaps. SMALLCAPINVESTOR One of megasite FinancialWeb.com's 17 sites, SmallCap Investor offers a strong range of services to investors. There's a useful introduction to microcaps, news and quotes on these stocks, research reports, investing tips, advice on how to choose a broker, and discussion on the risks involved. Use the MicroCap 50 Index (updated daily) to monitor how microcaps are performing in comparison to smallcap and largecap stocks, and subscribe to the free newsletter. 13 STEPS TO INVESTING FOOLISHLY: STEP EIGHT, CONSIDER SMALL COMPANY STOCKS This page, a thoughtful article, on the Motley Fool site, explains why microcap stocks should have a place in your portfolio. It tells why mutual funds don't invest in these equities and how this provides opportunities for you as a small investor. The downside of smallcap investing is addressed too. Don't shy from surfing through the site: The Motley Fool has numerous features for the online investor (regardless of investment preference) including bulletin boards, lots of advice (like how to pick an online broker), a portfolio monitor, stock quotes, and more. SILICON INVESTOR: STOCK TALKFIVE DOLLARS AND UNDER Silicon Investor is one of the leading sites for posting questions and messages about stocks. (Despite the name, it's by no means limited to technology stocks, although it has a high-tech emphasis.) This board is dedicated to stocks priced under US $5 a share. It's a very active board; there are threads with hundreds - even thousands - of messages. Remember: some participants might not be entirely unbiased observers of the price action of these stocks. FORBES 200 BEST SMALL COMPANIES Each November Forbes picks the 200 best small companies (businesses with annual sales ranging from US $5 million to US $3SO million) in the US. A database for these companies can be searched by a variety of criteria, including sales and return on equity. Each listing includes a profile of the company and key financial and business data. MICROCAP WORLD MicroCap World is a great resource for information on OTCs (over the counter) securities, which are not listed or traded on an organized exchange. Registration is free and provides access to the sections MCW Qualified Companies, MCW Qualified Analysts, and MCW Client Companies. The site makes a point of telling you that, while it might contact you, it won't sell your contact information to spammers. Curious about what other investors are saying about microcaps? Go to Discussion Forums for links to and reviews on 15 sites with bulletin boards. NASDAQ-AMEX This is the site for the combined NASDAQ-AMEX markets, which merged in October 1998. The NASDAQ was the world's first "electronic" (i.e., non-floor-based) stock market. It lists almost 5,400 companies (more than 1,100 of which are smallcaps); the AMEX is America's second largest floor-based exchange. The site includes NASDAQ history, rules, market activity, and listing requirements. This is a good resource for finding quotes, company news, and SEC filings for both NASDAQ and AMEX securities, as well as stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). SMALL STOCK NEWS NETWORK The focus of this site is companies with market capitals of less than US $300 million. On the home page, enter a ticker symbol to pull up closing prices, high/low statistics, volume traded, and more. There are links to news about companies, including SEC filings. Each company listing includes the name of the company's president and the company's address. This isn't the easiest site to use; some of the links were broken at the time of this review, and the page design is sometimes confusing. Still, it is free. THE RED CHIP REVIEW Unbiased commentary in the small-stock world is rare. "Research" reports might be written by public relations people and some newsletters read like brochures. The Red Chip Review is praised by industry critics for its impartial analysis. Red Chip doesn't exactly give away the store at its site (US $199 a year for an Internet subscription), but you can sign up for two free weeks, as well as view sample reports and read short features.
Accu-Rate Foreign Exchange	Administration on Aging
Bank of America	Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
Bloomberg Foreign Exchange	Business Executive Resources Worldwide
The Business Telephone Etiquette Page	Business Writing Tips
Charles Schwab	Citibank Direct Access
CNBC	COMFIN
Consumerinfo.com	Credit 411
Credit Data Exchange	Currencies
CyberInvest's Guide to Online Banking	Direct FX
The Facts on Saving & Investing Campaign	FX Week
MBendi AfroPaedia	National Credit Source
National Partnership: Workplace Fairness	NationsBank
OANDA	Pacific Exchange Rate Service
Resources for Business Writers	The Retire Early Home Page
RetireNet	Sexual Harassment
SpCom 100A Effective Public Speaking	Test Your Business Etiquette
ThirdAge	Tufts Unviversity Writing Tips Sheet
vangUArd Online	Virtual Presentation Assistant
Wells Fargo	Working Women Working Together
Writing for Business & Pleasure

Library of Congress

The U.S. Library of Congress provides online documents and library publications to conduct historical research about specific eras and topics in U.S. history.

Discovery Channel Online

The Discovery Channel brings its entertaining and educational television content to the Web. The site's links to the latest science news (either text or audio) provide environmental news that's not always easy to find elsewhere on the Web. Read the feature articles, which like their television counterparts, tell the tales of nature and history. An encounter with the Discovery Channel would not be complete without learning more about animals. There are plenty of affiliated features here, including Animal Cams, which provides frequently updated still shots of animals at prominent zoos.

National Geographic

Learn about geography and other subjects, as well as learning how to buy and sell collectible items. Other highlights include Map Machines (which lets you view physical and political maps), featured exhibits at the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., and of course the outstanding photography that has made National Geographic famous.

THEStreet.com

This financial news site helps you keep up on stocks, funds, market trends and basic financial terminology. The news available ranges from the tactical (real-time stock reports) to the strategic (market analyses and company background reports).

Small Business Administration

This site provides information on starting, financing and building a successful business. The Online Library provides a quick small-business MBA with frequently asked questions (FAQs) covering things such as setting wages and whether you need a computer. This site also contains research reports on topics such as the myths and realities of working at home, and a section of forms and publications. Other resources point you to counseling about how to do things smarter, along with facts on trademarks, patents and more.

CCH Business Owner's Toolkit

This site highlights business news of the day on topics such as product liability law and Occupational Health and Safety Assurance rulings. The SOHO Guidebook contains extensive chapters about starting a business, marketing the product, and managing business finances. The Business Tools section is packed with checklists, sample documents, and sample agreements. The Ask Alice Advice archives feature Q&A discussions on key issues.

Expedia

This site lets you gather facts and make reservations for every facet of your own itineraries. When you sign up for a free membership, Expedia helps you research and book airfare, train tickets, cruise tickets, rental cars, lodging and more. You can easily create an itinerary and let the various wizards find the best setups for your needs. The program lets you choose a flight, rental car pick up and drop off times, which are automatically set up around your flight. This site also includes maps and a travel magazine.

Entrepreneurial Edge

The guides and structured exercises here help you plan and execute smart strategies. The articles from Entrepreneurial Edge magazine explain concepts and throw in checklists to help you find better ways to motivate workers, for example. Business Builders are "interactive modules" that help you step through a task such as analyzing a market. Many of the modules intersect.

Entrepreneurial Edge, a service of the Edward Lowe Foundation, provides information you can use to grow and improve your business. It offers entrepreneurs a full-text searchable library of over 3,000 articles and book chapters, reviews with links to other content-rich resources, practical "how-to" training modules, and peer-to-peer interaction.

HandiLinks Business Directory

This site contains an exhaustive guide and links to relevant business sites, topics and related newsgroups, FTP sites and online news.

Business Ethics Magazine

It's not all about the bottom line in business. There are plenty of questions about the right way to make a buck, and this magazine's site helps you think through some of the tough ones and get the facts that help you do things right. Articles use concrete examples, many pulled from real life. Writers try to show how working ethically also can improve that bottom line. The "What Would You Do?" feature in each issue is especially thought-provoking as it presents an ethical situation and asks readers to ponder their own responses.

Glossary of Financial Terms

When you're snowed under with financial talk from business types and legal talk from doctors and lawyers visit this glossary for help on getting up to speed.

Language, Culture and Country Information

The wide-ranging resources at this site bring you up to par on topics to cover at the next overseas meeting. It also has links providing crash courses in regional languages and history and keeps you posted on economic, political and legal developments. The research available should prove critical to businesses looking to expand their markets.

American Society for Quality

The information on this site helps with areas such as getting various certifications (such as IS0 9000), and vaguer scenarios such as improving team-work and making your processes more efficient.

Yahoo! Trade Magazines Directory

This virtual newsstand of the working world helps you find a publication that talks shop in your field, regardless of what your shop might be. Magazines listed here include those covering hospitality, food, health, home and garden, office supplies, and much more.

How To Choose A Lawyer

This site's article on choosing a lawyer, along with other pieces on relevant topics, help you make an informed choice. You'll learn, for example, the difference between choosing a lawyer to handle existing disputes and hiring one to prevent future ones. The information should prove helpful, but it comes from a law firm, so bring your grain of salt.

The Business Law Site

This site lets you track the laws pertinent to your situation, with a searchable format and a large collection of articles with explanations of various topics, including handling contracts over the Internet and managing meeting requirements to sell securities in a company.

SBFocus

This tool cracks down on inquiries on imprecise Web search engines by searching for keywords only at small-business sites. The results mean you'll spend less time digging through long lists of hits, so you won't stumble over the likes of sites for rock bands named Reckless Discrimination, for example. Turn to this search tool before you cast a broader net with something like the Yahoo! or Lycos search engines.

CNNfn-The Financial Network

As a worldwide leader in news, this site has an impressive array of financial news and advice on its Web site. CNNfn provides the latest happenings in the financial world that can help investors with their holdings. You'll also find calculators and planners at Quicken.com at fn, learn more about technology stocks at Digital Jam, and get tips for saving and investing money. If you want financial news delivered to you via push technology, check out Push This, which offers services such as Marketing Briefing, a service that delivers daily Wall Street news to your E-mail inbox.

Kiplinger Online

Publications from Kiplinger have provided investment strategies for nearly 80 years, and much of that same financial advice is offered on this Web site. This site includes stock quotes, retirement advice, statistics on mutual fund performance, and answers to financial frequently asked questions (FAQs). Especially useful are Kiplinger's calculators, which let you make decisions about loans and plan for the future. For a fee you can subscribe to online publications such as The Kiplinger Washington Letter.

Microsoft Investor

If you are serious about playing the stock market, turn to Microsoft Investor. This service's Market Report is updated three times a day to give you news summary and links to the performance of the day's most-active stocks. The service's Portfolio Manager lets you track your stocks' performance, and there are links to the nation's top online brokerage firms. You also can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Microsoft Investor's subscription features, which include E-mail notification of important changes in your investments, in-depth mutual fund reports, tips for long-term stock investments, and analysts' recommendations.

The Motley Fool

This site provides detailed advice on topics such as "The 13 Steps to Investing," forming an investment club, and how to determine the real value of stocks. You'll also find plenty of the latest financial news, stock tips, and other helpful advice, including how to select the stock broker that's right for you. Want to share tips with other investors? Trade them on the Community message boards.