Investments For Beginners

eToro: All you need to know

eToro is a well-known online social investing platform that allows users to trade stocks, shares, and funds commission-free.

Plus500: All you need to know

PLUS500 is an online financial services company that offers online trading in contracts for difference (CFDs) and foreign exchange.

ISA vs savings account: Understanding the differences

Maximising your savings potential with ISAs or savings accounts? Discover the key differences.

CMC Markets: All you need to know

CMC Markets is a UK-based financial services company that offers online trading in shares, spread betting, contracts for difference (CFDs) and foreign exchange.

Warren Buffett’s investment portfolio

Warren Buffett’s portfolio is dominated by Apple, Bank of America and Chevron. Risky to follow, but provides insight into hot sectors for investment.

The collapse of Credit Suisse and its merger with UBS

Explore the scandal-ridden downfall of Credit Suisse, its merger with UBS, and the implications for banking regulation worldwide.

The rise and fall of Blackberry smartphones

From soaring stock prices to a dramatic downfall, discover the cautionary tale of BlackBerry’s rise and fall in the smartphone industry.

What is Investing?

Investing is the strategic process of acquiring assets with the aim of achieving growth and generating financial returns. It involves purchasing various financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, or forex (foreign exchange) to leverage potential value appreciation over time. These assets provide opportunities for income through dividends, interest payments, or capital gains upon selling at a higher price than the initial investment. By making informed investment choices, individuals and institutions can effectively grow their wealth and attain their long-term financial goals.

Investing Versus Trading: What’s The Difference?

Trading and investing are distinct approaches to managing financial assets. While investing typically focuses on the long-term, spanning years or even decades, trading tends to be more short-term and involves frequent buying and selling of assets.

Investors seek to build wealth and achieve financial security over time by carefully selecting assets that have the potential to grow in value. They often adopt a buy-and-hold strategy, allowing their investments to appreciate over the long run.

In contrast, traders aim to capitalise on short-term price fluctuations in various markets, executing trades with the intention of profiting from these price movements. Traders often employ strategies that involve more active monitoring and decision-making, such as day trading or swing trading. Learn More.

What is an investor?

Investors are individuals or entities who allocate capital with the intention of generating a return or profit. Investors can range from individuals making personal investments to institutional investors such as mutual funds, pension funds, hedge funds, and private equity firms. Their motivations for investing can vary, including seeking capital appreciation, income generation, diversification, or wealth preservation.

What is a trader?

A trader is an individual or entity who engages in the buying and selling of financial instruments, such as stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, cryptocurrencies or derivatives, with the goal of making short-term profits from price fluctuations. Traders can operate in various financial markets, including stock markets, foreign exchange (Forex) markets, futures markets, and options markets. They actively execute trades based on their analysis of market trends, technical indicators, economic factors, and other relevant information. Traders can be individuals trading for themselves or professionals working for financial institutions such as banks, investment firms, or hedge funds. They may employ different trading strategies, including day trading, swing trading, scalping, or algorithmic trading, depending on their preferred time horizon and risk tolerance.