Based on a study of successful stocks from 1953 to 1990, this book aims to help the reader to understand the way the stock market works and gives hints on how to speculate shrewdly. The book includes a list of the 18 most commonly made investment mistakes.
From the school of unemotional investing comes the classic
How to Make Money in Stocks, by Wall Street analyst and publisher William O'Neil. Readers new to securities will find it an excellent primer, one that relies on time-honoured indicators such as quarterly earnings, market capitalization and daily indexes. O'Neil's study of winning stocks stretches back to the 1960s and he shares his insights here, describing what characterizes a growth stock, when to cut your losses (at seven or eight percent, no more) and how to spot a market top.
The techniques in How to Make Money in Stocks are hardly revolutionary but therein lies their strength, as O'Neil claims his is "a winning system in good times or bad." Investors interested in Net stocks might be disappointed--the author's first rule is that a company must show a pattern of growing profits, which disqualifies many dot coms. O'Neil's approach to stocks is, above all, rational and he pays little heed to market hype.
Those new to investing would do well to read this book before embarking, and even more seasoned traders may find How to Make Money in Stocks a refreshing return to basics. Markets may swing bull and bear but O'Neil promises to stand firm. --Demian McLean, Amazon.com