Finding #1 Stocks: Screening, Backtesting and Time-Proven Strategies - Hardcover

Matras, Kevin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470903406 ISBN 13: 9780470903407

Publisher: Wiley, 2011

Synopsis

Practical trading tools and techniques developed by Zacks Investment Research

While there are many stock trading systems on the market today, that use a variety of different approaches and indicators, the approach used by Zacks Investment Research is built around the number one driver of stock prices: company earnings.

Based on Zacks Research Wizard product, this book provides you with market beating stock selection techniques and advice on how to build your own stock selection system. This practical guide discloses several trading methods that have outperformed the market for a long period of time and shows you how to screen stocks and develop selection criteria to build various types of stock portfolios, such as aggressive growth; growth and income; momentum; and value.

• Highlights several of Zacks trading methods that have outperformed the market for extended periods of time
• Discusses how to create customized systems incorporating elements of the Zacks approach with other types of fundamental and technical data
• Includes a 30-day free subscription to Zacks Research Wizard software

Written with the serious investor in mind, Finding #1 Stocks will put you in a better position to excel in today's dynamic markets.

About this title

About the Author

Kevin Matras is a vice president at Zacks Investment Research, where he is the fundamental stock screening and technical chart patterns expert. He heads the Research Wizard Division at Zacks, which focuses on stock screening and backtesting. Matras also runs the Chart Patterns Trader service, dedicated to chart pattern analysis, and the Options Trader service, which applies his stock-picking techniques through the use of options. He has been on television and quoted in magazines, and his stock-picking articles can be found on various financial sites. Matras can also be seen weekly on Zacks Roundtable Review videos along with his popular weekly video segments Screen of the Week and Know Your Options.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Finding #1 STOCKS

"You are only as good as the stocks you trade. You can be the best professional trader in the world, but if you are in the wrong stocks, you will not make money. Here, Kevin Matras helps you find a system for finding the best stocks for you to improve your trading game."―MIKE BELLAFIORE Cofounder of SMB Capital and author of One Good Trade

"After thirty-seven years in the technical analysis world, I have read almost every book on the subject of investing. Many are great, some are horrible, and most fall in the category of 'it had some good points, but probably not a full book's worth.' I found Matras' book to be exceptional in its thoroughness of process while offering all investors a methodology based upon sound principles and reason. This is a book every investor should read. The chapter devoted to classical chart patterns was worth the cost of the book alone."―GREGORY L. MORRIS Chairman, Investment Committee, and Chief Technical Analyst, Stadion Money Management, and author of Candlestick Charting Explained and The Complete Guide to Market Breadth Indicators

"As a devoted chartist, I confess I wasn't sure what I would think of a book dedicated to fundamental analysis. Having read Finding #1 Stocks, though, I'm convinced of its value. This volume takes topics that have every right to be complex and makes them easy to use and understand. The Zacks name has been one of the consistent brands in this industry for many years, and once you've finished reading Finding #1 Stocks, you'll understand what makes the Zacks Ranking system tick and how it can make a big difference in your trading."―TIM KNIGHTauthor of Chart Your Way to Profits and founder of Prophet Financial Systems

"I've successfully used Zacks for years as a stock screening tool. Finding #1 Stocks is a terrific explanation of how the Zacks Ranking system works and how it can be used by everyday investors to outperform the market. Even if you don't use Zacks, the book provides an easy-to-understand, step-by-step method for identifying and investing in high-potential stocks. This is a great, commonsense guide for everyday investors."―JEFF HIRSCHEditor and President, Stock Trader's Almanac

From the Inside Flap

Learning new and better ways to pick more profitable stocks is one of the quickest ways to improve your trading, no matter what level of success you've already achieved. Nobody understands this better than author Kevin Matras, a vice president at Zacks Investment Research, who is the fundamental stock screening and technical chart patterns expert there.

For the past two decades, Zacks has been helping traders and investors beat the market with independent analysis and innovative products such as the Research Wizard, their stock-picking and backtesting program, and the Zacks Rank, a stock rating system whose Strong Buy recommendations have generated an average annual return of over 27% since 1988.

Now, in Finding #1 Stocks, Matras shows you how to implement the proven trading techniques used by Zacks―as well as some of his personal favorites―in your own trading. Focusing on earnings estimates and stock analysis, this reliable resource skillfully details how to create your own stock-picking screens and trading strategies and how to test them to ensure they work. Throughout the book, you'll be introduced to practical and actionable strategies that can help you identify stocks with the highest probability of success, to maximize your returns and minimize your overall risk.

Along the way, you'll gain important insights on what you really need to succeed, including:

• Identifying what kind of trader you are or want to be

• Understanding the basic trading styles―momentum, aggressive growth, value, and growth and income―and figuring out which is the best fit for you

• Creating customized strategies that combine elements of the Zacks approach with other types of fundamental and technical data

• Managing your risk and paying attention to your portfolio

• And much more

Written with savvy traders and investors in mind, Finding #1 Stocks will put you in a better position to excel in today's dynamic markets.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0470903406
• ISBN 13: 9780470903407
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320