stock experts, can you help me?

[Nocturnal]

hi, i am playing an online game through my college, well actually my girlfriend is and like she is having a hard time buying stocks... she has no clue what to buy.

anyways, a lot people in her class bought this stock, TVX (TVX Gold Inc) . it was 1.00 and below for quite some time. and just the day after they started the game the stock rose from 1.00 to 14.00.

the players who bought this stock are no longer playing the game. could it be that they cheated?

what could have happened?

 

[Woodie]

Unlikely that they cheated...unless the game allows you to pre-date stock purchases. They were probably just lucky.

If she truly doesn't know stocks, here's at least one strategy:
Have her identify the new brands/companies that sell things that she buys: clothing, food, fashion items, household items. Pick the brands/companies that provide products she likes, and then buy those companies.
Add sophistication #1: Research the company, find out what other lines/products it has, try those, and see how the rest of the company is doing.
Add sophistication #2: Research the companys competitors, find out if their products/services are better--if so, she might want to purchase them instead.
Add #3: Research the industry, see what the trends are and where the profit/revenue growth area is. Then, find a company that is doing stuff in that "hot" area, and return to #1.
BTW, you have to repeat steps 1-3 every week/month/quarter, depending on the industry.

Note: If this is a contest or a game, you'll probably lose to someone who guessed on a stock, and it happened to skyrocket during the period of the game--that's a matter of luck, not skill. In the real world, the object is to accumulate wealth in the 20-80 year time-frame, so the lucky guessers usually lose.

And the usual advice: Buy low, sell high.

 

[Mill]

Right now she should get Worldcom, AMD, AOL-TW, AT&T and Xerox. Those are my picks of the month.

 

[axelfox]

can you buy options? you can increase your gains (and losses too) if you trade options.

 

[Chipster]

TVX had a reverse split. It's not like they made money(well game money),they just have less shares of stock that are worth more money per share.

In my opinion,I would stay away from the tech stocks for a bit longer,I think they still have a ways to go...down that is.

 

[Miramonti]

Originally posted by: Chipster
TVX had a reverse split. It's not like they made money(well game money),they just have less shares of stock that are worth more money per share. In my opinion,I would stay away from the tech stocks for a bit longer,I think they still have a ways to go...down that is.

hahahaha I'll bet their trying to hide that to come away as winners.

 

[911paramedic]

Originally posted by: Millenium
Right now she should get Worldcom, AMD, AOL-TW, AT&T and Xerox. Those are my picks of the month.

I think you were joking about a few of those, but WCOM.E is up 140% today, to a whopping 24 cents a share.

 

[Shockwave]

My pick of the month...PCS.
Why?
All telecomm stocks got pummeled from Worldcoms financial deal. But, PCS rebounded nicely and has leveled off for the time being. But, PCS is getting ready to roll out 3G later on this year. They'll be the first in the USA with it, and PCS has excellent marketing, so they're gonna market the crap out of it.
Keep an eye on them, for sure. Its a long term buy, at least a year i say, but nonetheless, you dont invest for day to day.

 

[goog]

Originally posted by: Shockwave
My pick of the month...PCS.
Why?
All telecomm stocks got pummeled from Worldcoms financial deal. But, PCS rebounded nicely and has leveled off for the time being. But, PCS is getting ready to roll out 3G later on this year. They'll be the first in the USA with it, and PCS has excellent marketing, so they're gonna market the crap out of it.
Keep an eye on them, for sure. Its a long term buy, at least a year i say, but nonetheless, you dont invest for day to day.

Pretty much all stocks buys now are for the longterm (few moneymakers in this horrid market), unless you're shorting them. As for Worldcom and the like forget it for now, unless you're a day trader who likes to live dangerously. 120% ($.12-$.22) gain in one day, sweet. The market bottom is in sight, so the near future is a good time to buy, assuming of course the bull market arrives sooner rather than later.
Now is not the time to buy gold stocks, their run-up is over, at least temporarily. Profit-taking in this sector has been severe the past few weeks, wait a while longer and then buy if you want.

How long is this game going for? My pick of the day is Biomarin Pharmaceuticals. Beaten down with the rest of the biotech sector, yet has great upside potential. High risk.
Add Alloy, New Century, Pam Transport Service, and Select Medical.