Does anybody here invest in stocks?

[Farshad213]

I just begin investing and I think I need help.

I invested in a development stage medical company, Grant Life Sciences (Ticker Symbol: GLIF.OB), but it has only been decreasing seen I purchased it even after reports of increases in revenue. So far, I've lost $3,100.

Could someone knowledgable help me? I have no idea what to do.

Thanks in advance.

-Farshad

[MMS]

woah thas a pretty big loss

i dont invest myself since i dont have anything to invest :p
evaluate the company if it doesnt luk like they gonna turnaround anytime soon i think u shud sell

but best thing to do is get in touch with a broker

[locked]

Lesson to all the kiddies: don't gamble.

[witty]

Salaams, i don't know what the scholars say regarding stocks etc, but knowing what i know about companies, a lot of them are unethical and immoral in their dealings.

They exploit someone down the line, and all the profit goes to the big cats - shareholders - who are mostly situated in the west. So from this, it is fair to say, that because of the unfair trading practices of companies/TNC's/MNC's, it's best to stay clear of investing in them.

I don't know what you'd do, can you not just opt out? :p and just accept your losses.

[MMS]

here is what sunnipath say about stocks http://qa.sunnipath.com/issue_view.asp?HD=1&ID=375&CATE=43

[Farshad213]

This company does not appear to be unethical; they are working to save lives with their rapid tests of malaria, Dengue Fever, HIV-1 and HIV-2, and cervical cancer for women.

If these diseases are detected early the doctors should be able to help save many hundreds of thousands of lives. This the main reason I decided this would be a good company.

It just recently sent shipments of its malaria rapid tests to India. I still have no idea where this company might end up.

-Farshad

[lonely_me]

well...well...well... listen my friend, 90% of people actually lose in the stock market. only the big banks and investment houses make money. It's only when markets are new in the area that they make a lot of profits...some people see it as a source of wealth and keep buying and buying...well that mightbe true, cuz if you had your money in nasdaq in 1997, you would have been a millionare by 2000 but a begger by 2005, see the point? if you pulled your money out at 2000 you would be a millionare still but if you hadnt then you are done!!

The problem is that people just don't know why stocks go up or down, they simply have no clue. Personally I think one should just take out their profits before the markets drop to a valued level like all the markets around the world...those who don't sell or hold stocks will have their money decreased and lose everything...

there's no such thing as 'easy money' without KNOWLEDGE...true some people are lucky (although some don't believe in luck) yet you just shouldn't count on your luck when it comes to stocks... I did.

[Farshad213]

well...well...well... listen my friend, 90% of people actually lose in the stock market. only the big banks and investment houses make money. It's only when markets are new in the area that they make a lot of profits...some people see it as a source of wealth and keep buying and buying...well that mightbe true, cuz if you had your money in nasdaq in 1997, you would have been a millionare by 2000 but a begger by 2005, see the point? if you pulled your money out at 2000 you would be a millionare still but if you hadnt then you are done!!

The problem is that people just don't know why stocks go up or down, they simply have no clue. Personally I think one should just take out their profits before the markets drop to a valued level like all the markets around the world...those who don't sell or hold stocks will have their money decreased and lose everything...

there's no such thing as 'easy money' without KNOWLEDGE...true some people are lucky (although some don't believe in luck) yet you just shouldn't count on your luck when it comes to stocks... I did.

Very wise words you have provided me. Thank you.

I inferred that you have also suffered great losses in the stock market. Was that correct inference?

I don't really believe in luck, I believe there is a reason for everything. As for the increases and decreases in the market, they appear to be random for the Over the Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) stocks. When there is good news they double and even when there is good news they decrease. When they increase big time, next day they decrease 50% or more.

Again Thank You.

Large capital stocks like Ford are pretty stable it seems to me. I wanted to invest in Ford, but for some ignorant reason I chose to go with this medical research company. It's truly horrible. I think I'm going to sell all of my shares tommorow.

-Farshad

[janathi]

Very wise words you have provided me. Thank you.

I inferred that you have also suffered great losses in the stock market. Was that correct inference?

I don't really believe in luck, I believe there is a reason for everything. As for the increases and decreases in the market, they appear to be random for the Over the Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) stocks. When there is good news they double and even when there is good news they decrease. When they increase big time, next day they decrease 50% or more.

Again Thank You.

Large capital stocks like Ford are pretty stable it seems to me. I wanted to invest in Ford, but for some ignorant reason I chose to go with this medical research company. It's truly horrible. I think I'm going to sell all of my shares tommorow.

-Farshad

Assalamualaykum wrwb

May Allah (swt) help all Muslims Striving on the path of Allah!

Insha'allah

Ameen

Wa'salaam

[Arsalan]

Apart from the excellent advice above.

We had a small discussion on this somewhere else.

Basically one point for me is there arent many purely ethical investments in the world . Companies may have ethical product lines or an ethical objective. But the manner in which the company finance their debt, assets, and other balance sheet constituents, often entails high interest payments. I.e the company is dealing in interest directly to finace its operations, or its growth. it may also be maken a profit from interest from significant depost accounts ( long term) and the like ... . So given the harsh nature of the Quranic ayah and Hadith regarding Interest, can one invest in such companies and not feel guilty to some extent?

I.e the question has to be asked, do you wont to involve urself directly ( i.e. financial support via buying equity or bonds) in such comapnies?

Most God fearing muslims would feel awkaward, regardless of the religious verdict on this issue.

I don tknow the specific religous ruling on this issue. Try and find that out inshAllah.

[Mace]

Farshad, I don't think there is an easy answer to your question. Looking at the company, the company has no revenue for 2003, 2004, and 2005. That's not entirely unusual for a life sciences firm early on. But it does make this a risky and volatile investment, especially with such a tiny market cap ($2m)

I assume you have done your due diligence in terms of the viability of thier products. I hope this investment is just a tiny part of your portfolio. And if you are interested in investing in these early stage life sciences companies, you may want to spread your risk around on several of them. Because the truth is your investment in this particular company may be worth nothing or a small fortune. It's not going to be anywhere in between. If you invest in 10 similar companies, 9 maybe will be worth nothing and the 10th will hopefully make up for it. So that's an option worth looking at if you happen to like this sector.

[Mace]

Actually, looking a little deeper, it looks like they expect to post revenue for 4Q05. But they had no revenue as of their last filing.

[Farshad213]

Farshad, I don't think there is an easy answer to your question. Looking at the company, the company has no revenue for 2003, 2004, and 2005. That's not entirely unusual for a life sciences firm early on. But it does make this a risky and volatile investment, especially with such a tiny market cap ($2m)

I assume you have done your due diligence in terms of the viability of thier products. I hope this investment is just a tiny part of your portfolio. And if you are interested in investing in these early stage life sciences companies, you may want to spread your risk around on several of them. Because the truth is your investment in this particular company may be worth nothing or a small fortune. It's not going to be anywhere in between. If you invest in 10 similar companies, 9 maybe will be worth nothing and the 10th will hopefully make up for it. So that's an option worth looking at if you happen to like this sector.

Thank you very much for the hope you have provided Brother Masood and EveryBody Else!

Yes, I have looked their products up.

I began my investment a week after they reported they expected revenue in the next 30 days, but even after posting a $75,000 revenue, the price just fell and continued to fall today.

That was my savings, I have no more money to invest nor do I want to invest anymore.

Thank you again.

-Farshad

[Mace]

Thank you very much for the hope you have provided Brother Masood and EveryBody Else!

Yes, I have looked their products up.

I began my investment a week after they reported they expected revenue in the next 30 days, but even after posting a $75,000 revenue, the price just fell and continued to fall today.

That was my savings, I have no more money to invest nor do I want to invest anymore.

Thank you again.

-Farshad

Farshad, you certainly need to take any investment advice you get on an internet forum with a grain of salt.

But having said that, I would be very concerned if this is all your savings. You never, ever want to put all your savings in one investment. And certainly this is a very volatile investment. If you're just starting out, you might want to look at mutual funds or something less volatile. And even then, I think anyone with experience would recommend that you NOT put all of your savings into one fund.

I didn't mean to give you any false hope. I did say I hope this investment is only a small fraction of your portfolio. If, on the other hand, this is all of your savings, then that is NOT a good situation to be in. You need to spread your risk around. The value of this company went down another 13% today.

You should find a qualified financial advisor and have him put together a good plan for you based on your net worth, age, income, future plans, etc. Your advisor can work out a general, high level, asset allocation strategy and then within those parameters you can still choose whatever instruments if you want. But at least you'll have the general parameters so that you manage your risk properly.

[nonmuslim]

Some good advice here. The addition I would say is to choose your financial advisor carefuly, beware of fees/commissions they charge. They have to charge you something but make sure it's for sound advice rather than "turning your investment" and making a commission every time they do it.

check these sites out:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0517/p14s02-wmgn.html 9 sorry there may be haram photos, I will try and post this article later.

http://www.paxworld.com/?rt=REF_gaw2
http://www.socialfunds.com/

[nonmuslim]

The do-it-yourself ethical investor
Investors who feel socially responsible mutual funds don't fully reflect their values can build a portfolio of their own.

By G. Jeffrey MacDonald | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

When T. Rowe Price portfolio manager Pam Kossian asks new clients what ethical investing means to them, she can never be sure what they'll say.

Example: One client refuses to own stock in any company that makes condoms because the Roman Catholic Church regards contraception as immoral interference with the procreative act. But another client actually insists on owning such shares in order to help control population growth and stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Denise Mallett, director of client services at IdealsWork Financial in Portland, Maine, knows the feeling. In working with clients who use IW software to pick suitable stocks, she has several who won't touch tobacco. But she also has others from North Carolina who seek out tobacco holdings precisely because the golden leaf pays for schools and other good things in their state.

"The problem is, what's socially responsible to one person is not socially responsible to someone else," Ms. Mallett says. "Portfolios need to be customized to reflect the values of an individual investor."

In an age when consumers can get everything personalized from a Volvo to an Internet browser, ethically minded investors are finding their portfolios, too, can reflect a unique, even eccentric, set of values. Rather than settle for the priorities of one mutual fund or another, enterprising investors are buying shares only in the companies they respect and are building their own dream teams as a result.

Building such a custom portfolio brings additional challenge to the already tricky task of selecting winning stocks, since these winners must now come solely from a select pool of honorable companies. And to avoid those firms whose slick public relations hide a less-than-pretty reality, these investors could find themselves with a considerable research project on their hands.

But to get the job done quickly and efficiently, there are certain steps an investor can take.
Step one: Setting a policy

When customizing an ethical portfolio, investors should begin with a personal policy statement that spells out goals, screening criteria, and an allocation plan, says financial adviser Bernie Kent of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Detroit. A sample policy might aim for a 3 percent return over inflation, for instance, and avoid vice products - tobacco, alcohol, gambling. And if this investor strongly supports the war in Iraq and wants to invest in defense contractors, he or she could insist on that criterion as well.

No matter how much a person loves one company or industry, however, Mr. Kent says a policy needs to dictate diversity to ensure against a preference-driven imbalance. His bread-and-butter formula is to spread investments across large-cap, small-cap, and international stocks; to include as many industries as the screening criteria will allow; to own stock in at least 25 companies; and to put no more than 5 percent of assets in any one company.

"If there's a certain major industry that you leave out, you can skew results," Kent says. "To avoid casinos or tobacco only wouldn't be a problem. But to avoid pharmaceuticals or healthcare altogether can create greater risk for your portfolio" by limiting its diversification.

Clients don't need to compromise their unique social standards, however, to invest profitably, says Ms. Kossian at T. Rowe Price in Baltimore. Never has she had to tell her clients that their screening standards were too onerous. Even the retired psychologist who refused to invest in notoriously stingy health-maintenance organizations, and the mother who avoided vaccinemakers because she felt they had caused autism in her son, were able to craft moneymaking portfolios that upheld their personal values.
Step two: Identifying possibilities

Once a personal policy is set, the challenge becomes finding companies poised not only to prosper but also to put the stamp of your values on the world.

At this stage, Robert Berridge, a vice president at Green Century Capital Management Inc. in Boston, would apply his own thorough formula. But for those with less time, he offers a tip: Limit your range of options to companies with ethical products.

"There are no real rules of thumb for ferreting out what a company is doing from what it says it's doing," says Mr. Berridge. "They may say they donate to this or that cause, but maybe the core of what they're doing is not so good."

So, rather than spend days combing through corporate histories, Berridge suggests finding the best companies involved in the most ethical enterprises. Look among organic grocers, for instance, and consider a solid company like Whole Foods Market, he says. Or consider makers of alternative-energy products, such as Vestis, a manufacturer of wind turbines.

This technique saves time, Berridge says, and virtually guarantees that every holding in the portfolio is an ethically minded company.

But there can be drawbacks. He cites the case of AstroPower, a solar-power company with the greenest of products but a revenue stream that could have used a lot more green - that is, cash. Like Enron, another favorite among ethical investors at one time, AstroPower seemed to have artificially inflated its revenues before a sobering quarterly statement sent its stock price tumbling 50 percent in one day.

The lesson: Even green sectors have bad apples.

What's more, according to Kossian, investors who want to see environment-friendly products roll off each of their assembly lines might be missing out on many good companies who bless the world in subtler ways.

"When you start the other way around, you may be holding a number of mediocre companies and be depriving yourself of the full universe of stocks to choose from," Kossian says. "It's possible to end up with tremendous underperformance over a long period of time."

Kossian recommends instead considering ownership in any company with consistent earnings growth, competent management, and a unique advantage in its industry. Digging for those companies and weeding out the troublemakers could take lots of time, but as in yard work, a few powerful tools can save a lot of time and heartache.
Step three: Research fast and simple

Fortunately for today's time-strapped investors, analysts have sorted through reams of corporate data and posted rankings in myriad categories on the Internet. (See box at right.) Find trustworthy rankings in areas relevant to your goals and values and you're close to knowing which stocks to pick.

Besides the Web, special-interest newsletters and magazines will sometimes publish lists of the best companies for their particular concern, such as human rights, disabled employees, or gay and lesbian issues. A more specific source, The Green Pages published by Co-op America, provides a directory of contact information for socially and environmentally minded financial advisers.
Step four: Invest with caution

Diligent research, experts say, can keep investors from getting "green-washed," or duped, by slick public relations that put a happy face on a sad situation. Yet even with all these tools at their disposal, experts themselves are sometimes misled.

Archer Daniels Midland Co., for instance, was long heralded as the benevolent "supermarket to the world" for its international food-bank donations and underwriting of public broadcasting. But not until international press reports came out did investors become widely aware that the company was being sued for antitrust practices and price fixing in Brazil and Europe, according to Nikki Daruwalla, senior social analyst at Calvert Social Funds.

Publicly filed "information in its raw form is not very indicative of what's happening at a company," Ms. Daruwalla says. Investors can reduce risk based on faulty analysis, she adds, when they employ the analytical expertise of a socially responsible mutual fund.

Or they can take the approach of Mike Wood, a retired Delta Airlines pilot who trades stocks daily on his home computer in Hamilton, Mass. To advance his agenda to protect wildlife and limit population growth, he invests in whichever stocks seem poised to make money over a few days or weeks, and then he donates a slice of the profit to his favorite groups.

"Why not make $3,000 by trading Philip Morris in three days and give it to Greenpeace or the African Wildlife Foundation?" Mr. Wood asks.

Yet for investors who want stocks that proclaim uniquely what they stand for, the information age has ushered in the best opportunity so far to make really good money - in the broadest sense of that term.
Researching ethics online

The Internet now makes available to diligent investors a wealth of resources for customizing a portfolio with dividends for wallet and conscience alike. Here are some of those helpful websites:

• The Investor Responsibility Research Center (www.irrc.org) enables individuals to screen companies according to various social and corporate-governance criteria.

• Innovest (www.innovestgroup.com) rates firms according to risk, profit opportunities, and environmental friendliness. It also provides detailed written analyses.

• SocialFunds.com (www.socialfunds.com) analyzes socially responsible mutual funds according to values and performance.

• Ceres (www.ceres.org) publishes reports on corporate progress in environmental areas.

• IdealsWork (www.IWfinancial.com) sells software that analyzes stocks according to an investor's unique criteria.

• The Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov) posts required filings such as annual reports. Provides updates on such issues as labor relations.

• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (www.osha.gov) posts violations and fines levied against companies with unsafe workplaces.

[afrasayab]

I just begin investing and I think I need help.

I invested in a development stage medical company, Grant Life Sciences (Ticker Symbol: GLIF.OB), but it has only been decreasing seen I purchased it even after reports of increases in revenue. So far, I've lost $3,100.

Could someone knowledgable help me? I have no idea what to do.

Thanks in advance.

-Farshad

Boy oh boy!
I couldn't resist but to anwer your question.
First of all, quite frankly you need some serious help of stock broker or financial adviser, from your posts it seems like you do not have much knowldge of stock market. What you are doing is pure gambling my friend. You invested in a small company which you dont know much about. ON top of that you are thinking of investing in Ford??? This will be the last thing you want to do!!!! Do you even realize that Ford/GM are non-investment grade, and lossing market share, and are lossing sales every month?

Like it or not but if you want to invest then get some help.

I work as a credit risk manager for a bank and cover about 200 big corporations. I use tools which cost about half a million to the bank each year.

What advice i can give you is analyze annual reports, check for stock history, charts using yahoo finance or msn finance, keep upto date by subscribing to a financial newspaper, and keep an eye on the industry you are investing in. Diversify your portfolio, meaning dont just invest into one company or one industry. Smaller companies like the one you invested in are more riskier then the bigger ones ie walmart, blue chip companies or big banks.

goodluck and sorry for being blunt.

[jimm]

invested in a development stage medical company

and herin lies your problem. The company wasnt really established. Was a company that dealt with the possibility of comming up with something viable. Listen to what the others have said, talk to someone about diversifying your portfolio (or lack thereof).

[kranked_up11]

Errrrrr, excuse me? Are you referring to the OTCBB penny stocks or the real markets - DJI, NASDAQ S&P, FTSE, NIKKEI, DAX, etc.................

If you are talking the market in general, over 60% of stocks appreciate in value over time.


well...well...well... listen my friend, 90% of people actually lose in the stock market. only the big banks and investment houses make money. It's only when markets are new in the area that they make a lot of profits...some people see it as a source of wealth and keep buying and buying...well that mightbe true, cuz if you had your money in nasdaq in 1997, you would have been a millionare by 2000 but a begger by 2005, see the point? if you pulled your money out at 2000 you would be a millionare still but if you hadnt then you are done!!

The problem is that people just don't know why stocks go up or down, they simply have no clue. Personally I think one should just take out their profits before the markets drop to a valued level like all the markets around the world...those who don't sell or hold stocks will have their money decreased and lose everything...

there's no such thing as 'easy money' without KNOWLEDGE...true some people are lucky (although some don't believe in luck) yet you just shouldn't count on your luck when it comes to stocks... I did.

[kranked_up11]

Errrrrr, excuse me? Are you referring to the OTCBB penny stocks or the real markets - DJI, NASDAQ S&P, FTSE, NIKKEI, DAX, etc.................

If you are talking the market in general, over 60% of stocks appreciate in value over time.


well...well...well... listen my friend, 90% of people actually lose in the stock market. only the big banks and investment houses make money. It's only when markets are new in the area that they make a lot of profits...some people see it as a source of wealth and keep buying and buying...well that mightbe true, cuz if you had your money in nasdaq in 1997, you would have been a millionare by 2000 but a begger by 2005, see the point? if you pulled your money out at 2000 you would be a millionare still but if you hadnt then you are done!!

The problem is that people just don't know why stocks go up or down, they simply have no clue. Personally I think one should just take out their profits before the markets drop to a valued level like all the markets around the world...those who don't sell or hold stocks will have their money decreased and lose everything...

there's no such thing as 'easy money' without KNOWLEDGE...true some people are lucky (although some don't believe in luck) yet you just shouldn't count on your luck when it comes to stocks... I did.

[Farshad213]

What you are doing is pure gambling my friend. You invested in a small company which you dont know much about.

ON top of that you are thinking of investing in Ford??? This will be the last thing you want to do!!!! Do you even realize that Ford/GM are non-investment grade, and lossing market share, and are lossing sales every month?

What advice i can give you is analyze annual reports, check for stock history, charts using yahoo finance or msn finance, keep upto date by subscribing to a financial newspaper, and keep an eye on the industry you are investing in. Diversify your portfolio, meaning dont just invest into one company or one industry. Smaller companies like the one you invested in are more riskier then the bigger ones ie walmart, blue chip companies or big banks.

The above post was unneccary and rather ignorant, if you had read my previous posts you would have noted that I looked up the company before I purchased it.

Making an informed decision is not gambling at all. I was well informed of the companies current products, initiatives, and future goals. I just made a mistake in purchasing it at its high point.

Otherwise I see this as a good company. It had received a patent for its cervical cancer tests in late September, and I think by next year it might start distributing its cervical cancer rapid tests.

It has also acquired HIV 1 and HIV 2 rapid tests, as well as Malaria and Dengue Fever rapid tests.

I think it would have been better to wait and buy the company now, rather than have bought it for 0.055 cents. I'm confident it will increase in the near future. Overall, it is a good company to invest in now.

Just because Ford was downgraded doesn't really mean much. It went down below $7.60, but went back up to over $8.40 in less than week. That's about a 10% profit I would have made.

-Farshad

[afrasayab]

well i tried to help and gave you some good tips.

its upto you to listen, I took my time to reply to your questions, if u dont listen then screw you!

[hugofuchs]

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20051109\ACQBIZ200511091600BI ZWIRE_USPR_____BW5957.htm&symbol=OSUR&selected=OSUR&selecteddisplaysymbol=OSUR&coname=OraSure%20Technologies,%20Inc.&logopath=%2flogos%2fOSUR.GIF&market=NASDAQ-NM&pageName=Company%20News&page=news&rpage=news

OraSure Technology, of Bethlehem, PA makes a HIV antibody test kit (Oraquick Advance) that does not need to be sent in and results in 20 minutes. No CDC involvement. I think that it will continue doing well.

[JustBinPraised]

well i tried to help and gave you some good tips.

its upto you to listen, I took my time to reply to your questions, if u dont listen then screw you!

That was unnecessary, after all you made the initial insult. If you have something constructive to say then there is no need to bring down the individual. Put forward what advise you would like to give and that is it.

Tell me, at the bank you work for do you always behave like this to all your customers?

I thought not, just because this is the internet and you are anonymous it does not mean that you can talk dirty with people.

[Mace]

Farshad, it sounds to me like you've got your mind made up on this one. That's your choice, after all it's your money. I hope it works out well for you.

As you save more money and increase your portfolio, then I guess you can think about diversifying into less volatile instruments.

[locked]

This company does not appear to be unethical; they are working to save lives with their rapid tests of malaria, Dengue Fever, HIV-1 and HIV-2, and cervical cancer for women.

If these diseases are detected early the doctors should be able to help save many hundreds of thousands of lives. This the main reason I decided this would be a good company.

It just recently sent shipments of its malaria rapid tests to India. I still have no idea where this company might end up.

-Farshad
depends on what you mean by ethical, i was under the impression not many medical or pharmaceutical companies are in the business just for humanitarian reasons, it is primarily financial gains for themselves. (the saving lives bit is often just a thing on the side). reason i say this is cos there are many important areas of research (sorry cant think off the top of my head!) that are often neglected as it would be of little gain for them.

thats jmho ;)

[Farshad213]

Farshad, it sounds to me like you've got your mind made up on this one. That's your choice, after all it's your money. I hope it works out well for you.

As you save more money and increase your portfolio, then I guess you can think about diversifying into less volatile instruments.

Thank you for your kind wishes and advise Brother Masood.

[Farshad213]

depends on what you mean by ethical, i was under the impression not many medical or pharmaceutical companies are in the business just for humanitarian reasons, it is primarily financial gains for themselves. (the saving lives bit is often just a thing on the side). reason i say this is cos there are many important areas of research (sorry cant think off the top of my head!) that are often neglected as it would be of little gain for them.

thats jmho ;)

Well, I don't know the scientists directly, but I would assume they are doing for to help people and save lives.

[locked]

Well, I don't know the scientists directly, but I would assume they are doing for to help people and save lives.
not the scientists im talking about...the business people, marketing etc....a lot of it seems quite controversial at times...i.e. all the freebies aimed at medical students, junior docs, and others, and possibly a host of other issues.

this is just the impression i get, but if you have researched this company you know more than me...so just ignore me :embar: