Solved: Stock Journal 1

  • DB1:  Go to http://sffed-education.org/chairman. Use the Learn More button and review the tight  (contractionary) and easy (expansionary) tools of the Fed as well as the use of each. Briefly examine the Economic Dictionary and the Policy in Depth features.
  • Now play the game! You are the Fed Chairperson! You begin with 16 quarters, 4 years, then your job is up for review. You begin with rates at 4.5, inflation at  2.14% and unemployment at 4.75%.
  • Make decisions on interest rates for the 16 quarters. Summarize the changes you chose and explain your results. Do you still have a job? Why or why not? Do you still have a job? Why or why not?
  • DB2: Most of us intuitively understand that a dollar required today does not have the same value as a dollar needed (or utilized) in the future. This is due to several factors including interest rates, compounding factors, discounting factors and financial risk. Compare the total payback for a $100,000, 5%, 15 year mortgage and a $100,000, 5%, 30 year mortgage. Suggest a reason for the difference.
  • Give an example of how your newly acquired knowledge of Time Value of Money (TVM) calculations could better prepare you for the next negotiation or big-ticket purchase in your life.

Homework1:  Complete the following homework scenario: Using only.gov Websites report the current GDP, the current Federal deficit, the current Federal debt, and the bottom line of the current (last) budget approved by Congress (surplus or shortage). Note that the fiscal year for the federal government is October 1 – September 31.

  • What inference can you draw from the numbers collected?

STOCK JOURNAL 1

  1. Indicate the companies you are investing in: Select three (3) US companies that are publicly traded. Please use your knowledge and experience and pick, as many stocks as you’d like. Lastly, make sure you are practicing good diversification. Jim Cramer, Money Manger, on CNBC, plays a game at the end of his show called “Am I Diversified.” Check out a short clip to get a sense of industry diversification at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3lDxexupcE.
  2. Sources of Information: There are many ways to find such companies and the stock prices, including the New York Stock Exchange athttp://www.nyse.com, Google Finance at http://google.com, NASDAQ at http://www.nasdaq.com, and http://finance.yahoo.com.
  3. Indicate the amount you are investing in each company: Decide how you will divide $25,000 across the three (3) companies; e.g. $10,000 in Company 1, $10,000 in Company 2, and $5,000 in Company 3. You decide the amount you are investing in each company. You do not have to provide any analysis to justify your decisions. You must only provide some reason for picking that company. For example, you might invest in Ford because that company gets a lot of your money and you hear that Ford is doing well, and will continue to do well.
  4. Indicate the number of shares you are buying, and the price of the shares you are buying for each company: Once you decide the companies and the amount for each company, determine how many shares you can buy. If Company 1 is selling for $42.16, then you may buy $10,000/ $42.16, or 237.19 shares. But you cannot buy a part of a share, so you decide to buy either 237 or 238. In this example you buy 237 shares, at $42.16 per share, investing $9,991.92. You won’t be able to buy exactly $10,000, or $5,000, or $25,000, but it will be relatively close.