Pudding

=//Pudding//= =CSD_55_A17=

Alison S.
=__Initial Research:__=

=Dumb Luck = > > Initial Philosophy: > //I have never really understood the stock market, so I don't know what to look for. Also, since it is not my money, I can experiment// with it and if I loose, I loose, but if I gain, I gain. I don't know what companies to look for, so I think of random companies that I know, then I type in random letters and just look around. > > > **Initial Research:** > //Either fill in this chart, or make your own system for organizing this information on your wiki page.//
 * "I honestly have no clue, and hey, it's not my $100,000!"
 * Select letter combinations that make you happy
 * **Company Name** || **Stock Symbol (make it a hyperlink to research page)** || **Price per share when researched.** || **Briefly, why are you attracted to this stock?** || **Roughly, How many thousands of dollars to Invest? (Enter number)** ||
 * Wal Mart Stores Inc. || WMT || $47.23 || I shop at Wal Mart, and it looked like it was doing pretty well. || $5,000 ||
 * Costco Wholsale Corporation || COST || $38.55 || I like Costco, and it looked like it was doing well. || $4,000 ||
 * Google Inc. || GOOG || $317.05 || I thought I would be able to get a lot of money from this stock. || $3,000 ||
 * Sears Holdings Corporation || SHLD || $37.76 || I like shopping at Sears, and it looked like it was doing pretty well. || $1,000 ||
 * Dell Inc. || DELL || $9.99 || It looked like it would make more money than some other ones I was looking into. || $1,000 ||
 * Marathon Oil Corporation || MRO || $25.64 || My friend said that oil companies did really good for them, so I thought I would try one. || $5,000 ||
 * American Express Company || AXP || $20.69 || It looked like it was doing pretty good. || $8,000 ||
 * Apple Inc. || AAPL || $124.88 || It looked like it was doing well. || $20,000 ||

> When researching your stocks, look at the following: 5-year performance, stock performance against comparable companies, Dividend Information. > Identify which stocks you'd like to invest in. (You don't have to use all the stocks you researched!) For each stock, please give a 2-3 sentence justification, based on some sort of performance evidence, your own thoughts, or other information that could make this a good company.

=__Once Stocks Are Purchased:__=

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//2. Be sure to **physically print out** the confirmation page showing what stocks you purchased!

3. For each of the companies that you choose to invest in, please give me the following://
 * 1) Wal Mart Stores INC.
 * 2) WMT, NYSE
 * 3) Bentonville, AR
 * 4) sells electronics, toys, clothes, apparel and jewelry, books, baby supplies, home appliances, food, sports and fitness, outdoor living, and pet appliances
 * 5) I invested in this stock because it looked like it was doing well, and because I shop at Wal-Mart sometimes.
 * 6) [|green recovery]


 * 1) Google Inc.
 * 2) GGOG, NASDAQ
 * 3) Mountain View, CA
 * 4) provides advertising related to its internet search, e-mail, online mapping, office productivity, social networking, and video sharing services.
 * 5) I invested in this stock because it looked like it was doing really well, and I thought I would be able to earn a lot of money with it.


 * 1) Sears Holdings Corporations
 * 2) SHLD, NASDAQ
 * 3) Hoffman Estates, IL
 * 4) sells clothing, jewelry, appliances, hardware, laen and garden supplies, paint, sporting goods, automobile repair, office supplies, electonics, school supplies, toys, baby care, cleaning supplies, etc.
 * 5) I invested in this stock because I shop at Sears and I like the store. Also, it looked like it was doing pretty good.


 * 1) Costco Wholsale Corporation
 * 2) COST, NASDAQ
 * 3) Issaquah, WA
 * 4) sells fresh produce, meat, daury, seafood, fresh baked goods, flowers, clothing, books, computer software, vacuums, home appliances, home electronics, solar panels, jewelry, tires, art, wine, furniture, and offer services such as tire garages, phamacies, heaing aid centers, optometrists, photo processors, and gas stations, appealing mostly to companies and families.


 * 1) Dell Inc.
 * 2) DELL, NASDAQ
 * 3) Round Rock, TX
 * 4) developes, maufactures, sells, and supports personal computers and other computer-related products.


 * 1) Marathon Oil Corporation
 * 2) MRO, NYSE
 * 3) Houston, TX
 * 4) a worldwide oil and natural gas exploration and production company


 * 1) American Express Company
 * 2) AXP, NYSE
 * 3) New York, NY
 * 4) financial services company that produces and manages credit cards, charge cards and traveler's cheque businesses


 * 1) Apple Inc.
 * 2) AAPL, NASDAQ
 * 3) Cupertino, CA
 * 4) designs and manufactrues consumer electronics and software products, such as Macintosh computers, the iPod and iPhone, and the iTunes media browser
 * 5) [|creating chip design capability]

4. Revisit your investment strategy and portfolio - once early-March, and once early April. Report the following:
 * 1) My stocks have not been going too great. I am (or would be, if this were real) happy with the money I have made, but I am really close to being the last person in the game.
 * 2) Google has done the best for me, even thought it has the highest losses, too.
 * 3) How are bigger economic / current events issues impacting your stock?


 * 1) My stocks have gotten better, but I am still in the last 100.
 * 2) Google is still the best for me, but I am buying more stocks, and maybe they will do better.
 * 3) How are bigger economic / current events issues impacting your stock?

=__**End of Project:**__=
 * 1) Complete your spreadsheet. Calculate the "Final Overall Gain/Loss"
 * 2) Make a pie chart of your holdings, based on $ invested in each stock.
 * 3) Re-evaluate your initial investment philosophy. Now that the game is completed, how did it work for you? What would you have tried to do differently? How did stocks that you initially research, but did not purchase, fare? (Solid 1-paragraph assessing your strategy, 1 paragraph describing what you would try differently.)

When I started, I was looking for any random company that seemed to be doing well. I couldn't think of any specific companies, so I would just type in random letter combinations, and research different ones. This stratagy didn't turn out too bad. It probably would have gone better, though, if I would have known what to look for. Now that the game is over, I understand a little bit more just how the stock market works. Although I was not able to rank very high, I was able to earn some money. I was always nervous to buy a stock because I didn't know if it would do well or bad. Most of the ones I did end up buying I got profits on.

If I were to do this project again, I would have bought more stocks, and more than one hundred of each because I probably would have done a lot better in the stock market game if I had bought more. I would have tried selling/trading some of my stocks, just to experiment. I don't think I researched as much as I should have, so I could have looked into different ones more. Also, I could have paid more attention to stocks that I had looked at, but didn't end up buying, just to see how they were turning out, and if I should buy them. Through experimenting with this project, I was able to learn more about the stock market and what to look for. I was able to learn what some of the symbols and abbreviations stood for and why they were important. I had trouble finding good stocks to buy. With this economy going the way it is going, most of the stocks were heading downhill, and it made me feel like looking for other, better companies, which just led me in circles. Well, since I wasn't there when you explained to the class what everything stood for and what we should be looking for, I would say that you should talk more about that...but you did in class ("you miss school, you miss out.") Overall...it was a nice experience.
 * 1) Please print/link and thoroughly discuss current events article for two of your companies.
 * 2) Project Reflection: What did you learn? What did you have troubles with? Anything that I can do as a teacher to make this project more helpful for you? (1 paragraph)