In October 1962, the late Mr. Edwin S.C. Coppock of Trendex Research Group in Texas (a company which provides services for brokers and investment bankers), wrote an article entitled "The Madness of Crowds".

"Crowds do too much too soon", he wrote. "They overdo. When they get an urge to speculate, their concerted demand forces prices up at a rate far greater than the growth of the company into which they are buying. Likewise, when they liquidate holdings or make short sales during a panicky decline, they ignore basic economic facts. They overdo because they are motivated by emotion rather than reason".

With this in mind Mr. Coppock and his staff set out to create a practical technique to aid long-term investors who wish to minimise risk. He consulted with members of the Episcopalian Church who told him that it takes between eleven and fourteen months for human beings to adjust to bereavement or recover from illness and operations. He then used this piece of information by including the time scale within his formula.

Mr. Coppock and his team evolved a five step procedure:

Step 1 - Calculate the percentage change of the index over the past fourteen months.

Step 2 - Do the same for the past eleven months.

Step 3 - Add the two percentage changes thus obtained.

Step 4 - Prepare a ten-month weighted moving total of the figures in step 3 and 'post' this figure to an arithmetic scale.

Step 5 - The final step is only taken when the resultant curve on the chart starts to rise after having been below the zero line.

The result of these workings is a single figure, either positive or negative. When shown alongside previous months' results, the Coppock indicator signals BUY or SELL signals for when the market is undervalued. In 1963 the Investors Chronicle decided to apply Coppock's principles to the Financial Times Industrial Index. They have been publishing their results every month since then online for free.

- You can view them in the Markets & Sectors > Markets section of the website.
- You can view June 09's IC/Coppock here

However, the IC/Coppock is slightly different in that one short-cut was made. Instead of averaging the percentage change over a fourteen and an eleven month period, they took the percentage change between the current monthly average of the Financial Times Index and the monthly average of that index twelve months ago. The calculation became easier to compute than the original and the world markets and sectors were added to teh Dow Jones and the Financial Times indicators.

How to interpret the indicators and spot BUY and SELL signals

At the bottom of every IC/Coppock puclication you'll see that the IC actually explains the indicator. To clarify it though, the first two columns in the table are self explanatory, showing the country index and its monthyl arithemtic mean. The following three need a little interpretation. The IC/Coppock Indicators are calculated each month and are included in the table along with the previous two months's figures. The indicators fall from positive to zero and then into the negative phase. When they turn upward whilst in the negative phase, you get a BUY signal. The indicators rise from the negative through zero and into the positives phase. When the indicators begin to fall whilst in the positive, you get a SELL signal.

The indicator is best applied to markets where 'wave motions' occur i.e. markets which rise and fall evenly over a regular period. Commodities and currencies are not ideal to apply Coppock as there are too many outside influences such as wars, frosts, Government intervention etc.

 

Some call the workers in London's financial sector the 'Masters of the Universe'. Quite a scary title if you're looking to ask for some work experience or an internship. Yet as this article explains, they aren't that scary and in fact are pretty much the same as everyone else in the country except for the larger income salaries.

For the first time of what will be many, I traveled to one of the hearts of finance in London: Canary Wharf. After a quick journey on the underground from Waterloo on the Jubilee line I arrived and the first thing that struck me was how many people were wearing suits. In fact, wearing a suit here is pretty much a uniform - one that very much reminded me of my school days. The majority of financial workers (which is nearly everyone in Canary Wharf) are white males under the age of 40. There are other ethnic minorities, but it is a surprising spectacle for a so called 'cosmopolitan' London.

What do they wear? The men all wear black or grey suits, black shoes and pastel coloured shirts: Pink, blue, cream or white. In fact, I went into T.M. Lewin and these were the only colours on offer. Ties do not seem to be a necessary, as many had their sleeves rolled up and top buttons undone in a typically summer dress fashion. Ladies on the other hand are quite a bit more fanciful adorning heels, jewelry and other accessories that I will not even attempt to name for risk of embarassment. It should be noted that the more attractive of ladies flaunted their looks more (or perhaps this is what made them more eye catching) with higher heels, shorter skirts and open blouses.

Where do they eat? The same places as everyone else in the country it seems (in no particular order): The Slug & Lettuce, Pizza Express, Sushi Bar, Starbucks, Pret a Manger, Marks & Spencer and Tesco. Prices are a little bit higher, but that's to be expected in an area with larger income salaries. I arrived at lunch time, and so many workers were relaxing in the park with takeaway sandwiches and smoothies - however I'm sure that when entertaining clients they would dine in different, far more extravagant venues.

What do they read? I went into Waterstones to see what texts these Masters indulge in. As it turns out, only men were viewing Business & Computing and the Science Fiction sections. Only women were viewing the Biography shelves and both sexes of equal number were researching travel books. At a time of record high unemployment, this latter observation shows that the finance career is continuing to pay well and is secure enough for employees to take holidays. Although it could also be a sign of a stressful lifestyle that requires holidays to balance out from.

Indeed many workers looked physically tired - yawning, stretching and scratching eyes. This gives evidence for the long hours that are almost mandatory in the financial sector. To relax, many were drinking alcohol in bars (this was still at midday) and displaying just typical male banter - poking fun at a winning or losing football team.

Nah, this place isn't scary and I highly recommend going (wear a suit to blend in) if only to calm some future butterflies in your stomach at an oncoming meeting or interview. To be honest, it's pretty much just like school: Singles flirting behind trees, groups of friends and ethnic backgrounds, male heads turning at an attractive girl, ladies giggling at some insider joke (or tip - tut tut), eating, drinking and farting in the lift (if you are reading this Mister or Missus, then please, next time, can you wait until the lift doors open).

If for whatever reason you can't visit, then at least check it out on Google Street View as this is the next best thing. To be able to see the offices (Barclays, Reuters, HSBC, Morgan Stanley plus many more) and put a place to the name when reading financial texts gives an increased sense of recognition. It was fantastic to see the Reuters board displaying the FTSE 100 list and having learnt what each company does I could understand exactly what it was displaying and for whom. So I hope that by reading this and realising they are humans after all, you are a little bit less nervous and perhaps even relieved for that was my own intention for going, and for writing this.

 

To be a good investor you should have as much information as possible which is why it's my belief that to have a wide range of knowledge, across a broad range of angles will show interviewers, employers and colleagues that you have the skills needed to make a great investor.

The Stock Market really isn't just about numbers and following trends, rather you have to be able to predict them with accurate and well thought through reasoning. Simon Thompson explains one such example in Trading Secrets - 20 hard and fast rules to help you beat the stock market:

Every bull (rising) market that started in the second year of the decade has not been able to run past the seventh year of that decade. The reason lies with the US Presidential Cycle. The US bull markets that started in October 2002, August 1982, June 1962, April 1942 and July 1932 all have one thing in common: They commenced between three and eight months before the start of pre-election year. 

In order to increase their chances of getting re-elected, Presidents of the White House inevitably give a monetary and fiscal stimulus which investors react favourably to. As a result the five bull markets that began in the second year of the decade also got a helpful boost from the Government.

There are three cycles investors are normally aware of: Peak-to-trough stock market cycle, the economic cycle and the four-year US presidential cycle. When these converge, it means that the bull markets beginning in the second year of decade are likely to be very long runners. Indeed 1942, 1962 and 2002 were three of the four longest bull markets in history. Yet if they're still running after the seventh year of the decade, beware because the cycles will now be out of sync and odds are heavily stacked that it'll turn bearish (downwards). In other words, a market 'correction' will be needed.

It's these outside factors which determine market prices, and so become aware of them. Another example would be at the beginning of this year's summer (late June 2009) B&Q saw a sharp rise in share prices due to increased revenue from customers purchasing outdoor furniture thanks to the heatwave.

 

System Requirements:
In order to be considered a serious candidate for a role in finance there are a few things you must be able to tick off. 

- A-levels: Maths should definently be taken. Alongside Maths, good choices would be Economics, Accounting, Physics and perhaps and essay based subject. Most importantly you must achieve AAB. Don't give up if you fail these requirements though submit your CV anyway, the people at Human Resources have a lot to get through and they might put you through for a laugh.

- University:
Most successful graduates attended either Oxbridge, LSE, UCL or Imperial. It was worth noting that some of the most prestigious universities in the country appear lower down the list. This is due to their poor track record of getting people into investment banking jobs. The reasons may include less comprehensive careers advice groups and less recruiting events run by investment banks. Many northern universities appear further down the list. Candidates who fail to make it into the top 5 universities are normally recommended to take an industry focused investment banking degree such as the BSc Investment and Financial Risk Management from Cass Business School or those of the ICMA centre in Reading.

Now What Opportunites are there? After all wasn't there some kind of banking crisis?

Well most banks are still running their Easter Insight schemes, which are 1-2 week courses that will give students an introduction to a life in finance. These Easter schemes are only open to students in their first year of study. These schemes are especially useful because they usually allow you to fast-track your way into a paid second year Internship.

Don't worry though, if you missed out on the Easter week in your first year you can still apply for a Summer Internship in your second year. er internships are the most popular and most competitive pre-graduate programmes. They let you gain ‘hands-on’ experience in the industry and allow you to find out if banking is for you or not. Internships can be done in most divisions of an investment bank, and applying for several different internships may give you a broader understanding of the industry and the opportunities available. These internships are everywhere, nearly every bank and consultants runs one, so get applying.

I am afraid that if you miss out on your second year Internship at the moment, then you are unlikely to gain a graduate position and thus never have a career in banking. It's a tough life I am afraid.

The Job Itself:
If you manage to land yourself that coveted position then you are in luck, you will be able to expect a killer salary! But I am afraid you will pay for it with your life because you can also expect to work all hours of the day including your weekends. Some positions may be better than others, for example, if you become a trader you would expect your hours are dependant upon the opening and closing times of your market, so stay away from currency trading! Sales get off a bit lighter too!

The Key:
INITIATIVE INITIATIVE INITIATIVE. If you fulfil the requirements then you are halfway there, all you need now is to show some initiative in order  to get yourself the job. Be prepared to grab the phone and just start calling, if you can gain any temporary work or any opportunity at all that is relevant, then you will stand out from the crowd significantly. So start working those contacts!

 

This list provides descriptions of all major financial companies in which you can apply for internships within the UK during University.

Barclays -
Headquartered in Canary Wharf, London Dockland's the company's history goes back to 1680 with John Freame and Thomas Gould who started trading as Goldsmith bankers. It wasn't until James Barclay (son-in-law to Freame) joined the team before the name spread. Based on asset size, Barclays is the second largest bank in the UK. The British bank in 2008 was ironically helped out by the American tax payers, after the US bailed out AIG: Barclay's insurance company. The bank received $8.5bn.

Citigroup -
This New York based American Financial Services company was created on October 8, 1998 from the merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group. It is the biggest financial services company spanning over 140 countries with more than 200 million customer accounts. It primarily deals with US Treasury Securities. The United States Government was announced to take a 36% equity stake after $25 billion emergency aid was converted into emergency aid. It's history dates back to 1812 where it started off as the City Bank of New York.

Credit Suisse - Founded in 1856 by Alfred Escher and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.  The Credit Suisse Group focuses on Asset Management, Private Banking and Investment Banking. In the first quarter of 2009, they reported £2,006 million 'net income attributal to shareholders' compared with a net loss of £2,148 million this time last year.

Deloitte - A 'professional services' organisation, Deloitte offers auditing, tax consulting, and financial advisory to over 140 countries with 165,000 employees. European headquarters are in London, founded by William Welsh Deloitte - the first person to be appointed an independent auditor for a public company.

Deutsche Bank - This time the scene is set in 1870, Berlin. The bank began as a specialist in foreign trading then spread to London in 1873. It's reputation was tarnished in the 1990's as it revealed openly involvement in the aryanization of Jewish businesses, and the loaning of funds to the Auschwitz camp. Consequently it contributed to a $5.2 billion compensation fund following lawsuits brought by Holocaust survivors. After the war the bank was divided into ten smaller regional offices, who then in 1957 merged once more to form Deutsche Bank AG with headquaters in Frankfurt. The bank has a strategy of bolt-on acquisitions in preference to so-called “transformational” mergers. These form part of an overall growth strategy that also targeted a sustainable 25% return on equity, something the bank achieved in 2005. 2008 however showed -29%.

Goldman Sachs - With £2.1bn net profit between April and June 2009, Goldman Sachs has proven itself once again to be a super bank. It specialises in investment banking, securities and investment management services. A younger bank, founded in 1879 with headquarters in Lower Manhatten, New York it has come under scrutiny (alongside with other major banks) for the 'bonus culture' which is currently undergoing review by regulatory offices in an attempt to prevent a similar stock market crash.

HSBC - Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation was established in England and Wales with headquarters in The City of London in 1990. Regretably Europe's biggest bank, HSBC expanded in the United States, spending £9bn (US$15.5bn) to acquire Household Finance Corporation (HFC), a US credit card issuer and subprime lender. In March 2009 it reported losses of $62bn and had to cut 6000 jobs within this sector. Across the board however it reported record first quarter profits for 2009 on the back of strong trading in foreign exchange and interest rates.

JP Morgan - The second quater of 2009 revealed net profits of £1.6bn, an increase of 36% on 2008. Created by John Pierpont Morgan, American Financier and art collector, JP Morgan Chase & Co have assets of $2.3 trillion and America's second largest hedge fund (as of 2007 data). Business Week awarded the company one of the 'Top 10 Places To Launch A Career' - see article

KBC Bank - Belgian based, it focuses on retail banking, insurance and asset management services. 57,000 staff serve 11 million customers worldwide. Founded in 1889, KBC was the only Belgian bank to surive the great depression of the 1930s. It wasn't until 1966 did the bank implement a foreign growth strategy leading to new branches in London and New York.

Lloyds Banking Group - Formed by the acquisition of HBOS in 2009. View their Headquarters in London here with Google Street view. HM Treasury has a 43% shareholding in the company, whose four business divisions operate Retail Banking (incl. Mortgages), Wholesale, Insurance, and Wealth & International. One of it's subsidiary companies is Scottish Widows (life assurance).

Morgan Stanley - New York headquarters, it's a financial services company that operates in 33 countries with over 600 offices. Estabilished in 1925 between Henry S. Morgan and Harold Stanley. Mitchibushi UFJ Financial Group has a $9bn stake in Morgan Stanley equity (21% company holding). Here's a bit of fun, Morgan Stanley sought to produce a report on teenagers' media habits, so they turned to their 15 year old summer intern student for assistance. The teenager claimed game consoles like Wii, which are now able to connect to the internet and offer free voice chat between users, have emerged as a more popular choice for chatting with friends than the phone..."Hey mate, I'll give you a call on Wii in ten." Mmm, I'm skeptical.

RBS - Royal Bank of Scotland reported the biggest ever corporate loss in 2008 of £24.1bn. It also said it would put £325bn of toxic assets into a scheme that offers insurance for any further losses, and said the Treasury was also injecting a further £13bn into the bank. Ouch. RBS set up Direct Line as an 'innovative car insurance' firm in 1985. It was founded in Edinburgh, by royal charter in 1727 and opened it's first London branch in 1874.

Rothschild - The Rothschild family established the global banking and finance operations that we now see today. It began in Frankfurt (similar to Deutsche bank) in 1774 as a money changing operation. Then, spread using only close relatives the company spread to Austria and the UK and profited hugely from the Napoleonic wars. Nathan Mayer Rothschild gained a high powered role in the British Government, selling bonds to raise capital. He succeed so well that it resulted in a liquity crisis - too many coins. Rothschild does most of it's business acting as an advisory to mergers and acquisitions. In 2006, it ranked second in UK M&A with deals totalling $104.9 bn. The banks history is fascinating and highly recommended to explore further.

UBS - "You and us: UBS." It is the world's largest private wealth manager with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland (similar to Credit Suisse) hence the acronym meaning Union Bank of Switzerland - it's predessor's name. UBS is undergoing trial in the US for allegedly helping 17,000 Americans from paying tax. In 2009 the bank surprising revealed details of 200 clients and paid $780 million in fines.

 

It's always been my belief that the key to outstanding success is a strong foundation. So here's a list of the basic questions and answers I made a while ago when first investigating the world of finance.

What is The Stock Market & The Stock Exchange?


A stock exchange is a market on which shares are bought and sold (or "traded"). For a company's shares to be traded on a stock exchange, they must generally be listed on that stock exchange.

What is a Share?

A share is a unit of ownership in a company. When you buy a share you become a part-owner, a shareholder, in the company. Shares are also known as equities or securities. A company whose shares may be bought by the public and traded on the open market is called a quoted Public Limited Company (PLC).

A Share has a "nominal" price - at which it was originally authorised for issue - and a market price - at which it is currently trading. You'll find prices quoted in most newspapers and in specialist magazines. You can also find prices quoted on other places, like on Teletext and on the internet for instance.

Why do companies List on the Stock Market?


Companies generally list on the stock market in order to raise capital for their company and create a market in the companies shares, the owners give up a share in the company in return for money to help expand the company.

How do Companies List on the Stock Exchange?

Companies will launch a new issue of shares into the market, this is known as the primary market and it is when the company first offers it shares on the market.

  • Offer For Sale

The most common form of this is “offer for sale” where a company will produce a prospectus on the company describing what it does, who the directors are and forecasting the profits that they believe they will make. This prospectus announces the new issue of share's, sets a price for them and invites people to subscribe to the new issue. This price is often set low so as to encourage investors to subscribe to the new issue.
  • Placing

A company can also arrange for there shares to be placed with an initial spread of share holders by arranging privately to sell the shares to a range of investors. These placings are usually arranged by the companies broker and they will usually place them with there own clients or to large institutions.
  • Tender Offer

A company doesn't always have to set a price for their shares, they can sometimes invite investors to apply for shares at a price that they are willing to pay. Once all applications are received for at least the total numbers of shares available, the company works out the Strike price which is the highest price at which the shares can be bought, all subscribers that applied for the shares at this price or higher will receive the shares. Anyone who applied at a lower price will get none.
  • Introduction

This is when a company has a large spread of share holders and simply wants permission for the shares to be dealt on the market. It involves no initial raising of capital but it could lead to a way of raising capital in the future.

What are the advantages of holding shares?

By holding shares, you have the potential to share in the success of the company through Dividends or Capital Growth, the better a company does the higher the investment returns.
  • Dividends

A dividend is a payment made to shareholders out of company profits. Not all profit is paid out in dividends. Some is reinvested in the company (sometimes all). But it is not necessarily a bad thing for the shareholder if dividends are not received. If profits are ploughed back into the company, the company may grow and in turn mean increased value of the shares. This is of course an advantage to the shareholder.
  • Capital Growth

Capital growth occurs when a rise in the share price gives you the opportunity to sell your shares at a profit. Capital growth is not certain as it depends on what happens to the share price, which can be affected by a number of factors. It is also possible to have a capital loss if the share price falls.

What are the different types of share?

  • Ordinary shares

There are a number of different types of shares, the most commonly bought is ordinary shares and these are the shares that people refer to when they talk about the share price of the company. Ordinary shares give the owner a share in the company's dividend the right to vote, attend the annual general meeting and to receive copies of the accounts. The holder may also benefit from company specific perks such as discounts on products.
  • Preference shares

In contrast to ordinary shares, preference shares have a fixed rate or amount of dividend, which must be paid before any dividend can be paid to ordinary shareholders.

Preference shares may be cumulative in which case any arrear dividend (for example, if profits are insufficient to meet a fixed dividend of 10%, then an arrear dividend results) has to be made up in future years before dividends on ordinary shares can be resumed.

Non-cumulative preference shares on the other hand do not pay arrears and any arrear dividend is lost for good.

Preference shares can also be participating which means that they participate in a given proportion of the dividends paid on ordinary shares over and above their fixed rate of dividend.

Redeemable preference shares may be redeemed for cash at either a fixed or determinable date or at the discretion of the issuing company.

Preference shares may also be convertible, i.e. capable of being converted into ordinary shares at a future date.

It is possible to have a preference share combining the above options, for example, a cumulative, redeemable participating preference share.
  • Deferred shares

These shares only receive a dividend once preference shares have received their fixed rate of dividend and ordinary shares have received a specified dividend.

What are Market Indices?

A Market indice is a benchmark of the value of a range or market of shares, an indice allows you to see what the overall performance of the market is and allows compare an individual shares performance against the general trend of the market.

When people refer to the current level of “the market” in the UK they are often referring to the FTSE 100
  • FTSE 100 (Footsie)

This is an index of the largest 100 UK Companies by market capitalisation. The price of the index is updated every minute so that you get a constantly updating level of the total market.

FTSE 250-This lists the 250 largest companies after the FTSE 100
FTSE 350-This is the list of the largest 350 companies and incorporates the FTSE 100 & the FTSE 250
FTSE Actuaries All Share-

This is the most comprehensive stockmarket index and covers a far wider range of companies it accounts for over 90% of the companies on the market. The index is an arithmetic mean of over 800 shares and fixed interest stocks. These are segregated into industrial sectors allowing you to track the performance of a particular sector and the companies that make it up.

Which factors affect the share price of a company?

The share price will be influenced by a large number of factors, many of which are outside the company's control.

The factors may include:

* The financial performance and prospects of the company;
* The performance and prospects for the industry in which the company operates;
* Political, general economic, financial and Stockmarket conditions, particularly where the company operates or is listed;
* The perceptions of investors about the above factors;

How do you trade shares on the Stockmarket?


As a private investor in order to buy and sell shares on the Stockmarket you need to use a Stockbroker. There are three types of service offered by stockbroker that you could use:
  • Discretionary services

This gives broker or investment manager complete authority to buy and sell shares for you without obtaining your prior approval. This will be in the context of a carefully-designed brief, a clear framework for your portfolio manager to use when making transactions on your behalf. The advantage is that your manager can therefore act instantly on changes in the market, rather than spending valuable time trying to contact you. You will receive a contract note every time a transaction is made and detailed reports will be sent to you regularly.
  • Advisory services
Begin with the creation of another carefully-designed brief setting out investment objectives, but this time it affords the investment manager an insight into the level of advice you will need. Instead of managing the portfolio without consulting you, your investment manager will suggest courses of action which you may or may not choose to take. As well as verbal or written advice, you may receive regular newsletters which review the market.

A second kind of advisory service gives you access to this advice, but still allows you to control your own portfolio and manage your own bargains. Essentially you simply call your professional and ask whether he or she shares your view on whether you should buy or sell a particular share.
  • Execution only

Execution only services are generally the cheapest as they do not require advice or management - you simply tell your stockbroker to buy and sell shares for you. Because of the increasing knowledge of investors and the wider access to these services the use of execution only stockbrokers has increased dramatically over recent years.

Most execution only brokers allow you to trade over the telephone or over the internet.

The internet has changed the face of share trading for the private investor as today's on-line trading platforms allow you instant access to the market at the touch of a button.

What are the costs of buying and selling shares?


The costs of buying and selling shares will depend on the type of service that you are using and the broker that you are using, for an execution only service you will have two costs to take into account.

* The broker commission on shares bought & sold
* SDRT (Stamp Duty Reserve Tax): This a government tax on all share purchases which is currently 0.05% of the transaction value
* TM Levy, this is only on trades over £10,000 and is collected by the Panel of Take-overs and mergers(POTAM), who oversea all take-over and mergers within the UK.

How are share prices displayed / quoted?

All share prices are quoted with a “two way price": a bid and offer spread which is the price that you can buy (the offer) and the price that you can sell (bid) the particular share. This price will update constantly throughout the market opening hours which for UK shares is 8.00 to 16:30.

The ‘width' of the spread will be different for particular shares depending on the ‘Liquidity of the Shares' i.e. how easy it is to buy and sell the shares and how much volume is being traded large stocks such as Vodafone will have thousands of trades going through and will therefore often have very tight spreads.

When can you buy and sell shares?


The opening hours of the London Stock Exchange are 8.00 – 16:30 Monday to Friday you can buy and sell shares throughout this period.

And there you have it, a list of all my first FAQ's. On that bull point we leave it until next time...

 

The financial world can be daunting. Towering buildings in the sky dwarf any passerby and corporate giants dominate news channels at all times. These 'masters of the universe' (although as of recent standards this is very much arguable) control the flow of money around the world, and although money itself may not completely make the world go round, it certainly does help. The reason I'm interested in gaining a Financial Career is twofold: Firstly I've always been interested in 'the bigger system'. Secondly, a probable unhealthy appetite for wealth.

In order to gain a Financial Career, from what I know already one must be able to check the majority of these factors off -

1. Consistent good grades
2. Attend a good University
3. Work experience/internship
4. Pass relevant interviews

Financial Career itself then aims to provide information to succeed in these factors. Combined with this, it also aims to motivate us (the authors) to conduct research in order for us to learn ourselves. Of these 4 attributes, I think the key still ( in contrast to modern opinions) lies in gaining work experience/internships. Our current goal is to prepare for 2009 internship applications which includes the following -

1. Investigate likely application questions
2. Prepare successful answers
3. Understand the application procedure fully
4. Apply very early

To give ourselves an edge over the high levels of competition we will need to have confidence in our financial knowledge:

1. How the finance system works
- Different components
- Key players
- Macro factors
- Risk
- Insurance
- Strategies

2. Technical vocabulary

3. Company information
- Names
- Services/Industry
- Location/People
- History
- Future trends

4. Financial history
- How the system came into existence
- Future trends

5. Other
- Attitudes
- Beliefs
- Lifestyle
- Individual motives
- Psychology

We will continue to expand on these factors throughout the coming months within this 'Training' blog. Recommended books, podcasts, websites, seminars and courses will we noted alongside anything else we deem to be of comparative advantage. If you have any suggestions, please use our contact form and we'll be happy to investigate further. So on that bull point, we leave it there.



    Financial Career Training is a blog that gives you quality information designed to help your employment success. In order to get the most out of these posts, we suggest that you learn the information given and join in discussions via the comments.

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