The day after Thanksgiving has traditionally been a slow day on the market. People scramble at 12 Midnight to get the door-buster deals, then scheme over their morning shopping routes based on the time retailers open their doors. Well this year we want to make it interesting.
The first 200 accounts opened on the day after Thanksgiving will be eligible to win an iPod nano 8GB. For more details, please visit http://www.firstrade.com/promos/earlybird
November 25th, 2008
I was so very inspired by the speeches of Senator McCain and President-Elect Barack Obama Tuesday night. After months of vicious attacks, SNL ridicule, debates, rallies, it was a refreshing feeling to see these two extraordinary gentlemen put down the gauntlets and express their feelings on the country, the people, and each other.
The current economic climate posses many challenges for the 44th president, and we’re hoping that he steps and delivers the change that his campaign has promised. If the televised acceptance speech and rousing music made us feel like we were in the high point of a movie, the way the stock market fell in the past two days has been like the credits scrolling by and lights being turned on. When reality sets in, the problems are still there, and we eagerly await the new administration to take on the challenge.
November 6th, 2008
Just a quick reminder that next Tuesday is election day for the 44th President of the United States. Markets are open on that day, but don’t forget to go out and vote! The Editor of the Firstrade blog is maintaining his journalistic integrity and not endorsing anyone this year.
October 30th, 2008
The past few weeks has been nothing short of stunning. History in the making. The title sums it up, 15 days ago we witnessed the single biggest point decline in the Dow when the House failed to pass the “Bailout Bill”. 4 days ago the market sank to the depths before staging a rally, making the first 1000 point intra-day swing. Yesterday we had the incredible 936 point rally.
The Y-axis of our stock and index charts on our websites were stretched to previously unseen limits. Luckily all of our charts scaled properly, and nothing went “off the charts”
Economists and so called experts said a few weeks ago the marketed will decline the high 7000s before a rebound, and it only took a few mind boggling crashes to hit the 7800 mark. Then came word that we’ll see a near 1000 point upswing in the DJIA before the end of November, we had that just a few trading days into October. Everything is happening so quickly. Does that mean we have rushed to the end of the crisis? Only time will tell.
October 14th, 2008
Most people watching TV Wednesday night were interrupted by a special address by President Bush at 9:00PM (I was fairly impressed how the major stations scrambled to get their schedules adjusted). During the 13 minute address to the nation, President Bush described the situation down to the very tiny bit of detail. Perhaps one of his last televised address to the nation as President of the United States, it was short, concise, and quite informative to the average American. Most of all, it did not include all the finger pointing we’ve heard in the last few months from both parties.
It’s been almost two days since the address, and still there is no bailout package. Do you think it will happen sooner rather than later? A lot can happen over the course of a few days, lets wait and see.
September 26th, 2008
Dear Firstrade Customer,
The serious issues taking place within the financial services industry continue to evolve as we learn more details and come to terms with their impact on the nation’s financial markets. We remind our clients that Firstrade continues to have no direct exposure to the U.S. real estate market and the associated complex financial securities that are at the root of this liquidity crisis. In fact, Firstrade does not take proprietary risk on its balance sheet.
This widespread turbulence in the financial markets has prompted a number of questions about the impact on the money market funds offered by Firstrade. These money market funds are managed by DB Advisors, a part of the Deutsche Bank Group.
As of today, the money market funds offered by Firstrade do not have any direct or indirect exposure to Lehman Brothers, American International Group (AIG) and Merrill Lynch. While these events may present challenges, they underscore the importance of a strong investment process that emphasizes credit and risk management. More recently, the funds have been using a core position in U.S. Treasury securities to gain added liquidity and flexibility.
The portfolio holdings have been updated as of 9/12/08, and you can find this information on the Deutsche Bank website. For funds participating in money market transparency, detailed risk analytics are now available as of 8/29/08.
September 18th, 2008
Over the past 2 weeks we have started to roll out new Quotes, Charts and other Tools from our new content provider Interactive Data. And we have only just begun.
In the next few weeks, we plan to deploy SEC Filings, Insiders, and many other exciting tools and features. It’s an ongoing project from now until the end of Q1′09. Something new every week. If you look close enough, something new almost every other day.
Like I said two posts ago, it’s time for an upgrade. More to come…
September 18th, 2008
For the past few years, many Chinese portals included a special field for the Chinese stocks: “Olympics Concept”. The objective was to inform the reader whether this company stands to benefit, directly or indirectly from the Olympics in Beijing. Airlines, Travel Agencies, Mobile Phones, and possibly even the manufacturer of those shiny suits adorned with LEDs worn by the performers.
Now that the games are over, the craze is also expected to slow. For those investors holding Chinese stocks, what are your plans? Do you think stocks are over-valued or will continue to ride the momentum? Chime in.
Now I wonder if Denver-based companies get a boost from the Democratic National Convention….
August 25th, 2008
The current Firstrade.com website, love it or hate it, has been delivering quality execution, an abundance of tools, and exciting promotions for the past few years. Well, I think it’s time for an upgrade.
I’ve just been given permission to “leak” a bit of information here on the blog that something(s) new and exciting is(are) coming between now and the end of this year. The team is hard at work and we’re sure everyone will be happy with the results. Stay tuned.
August 19th, 2008
Hi the past few weeks, we’ve announced many exciting promotions, including:
- Refer-a-Friend - Our enhanced referral promotion rewards you with cash when your friends open and fund their Firstrade account.
- Wire Transfer Fee Rebate - Get a rebate of up to $25 for the fees charged by banks when you wire funds into your Firstrade account.
- Authentium SafeCentral - All Firstrade account users get a 1 year subscription to SafeCentral, a revolutionary secure trading browser that keeps intruders away from your secure session.
More are coming soon! We want to make sure that there’s always something fun and exciting going on at Firstrade.
August 8th, 2008
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