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Blog: stock research and investing, explained

Plain-English guides with worked examples: how to read financial statements, value a business, use technical indicators and manage risk. See the complete Financial knowledge series →

All 154Market basics 15Trading and market structure 16Reading financial statements 15Ratios and business quality 15Valuation 15Advanced valuation and methods 15Technical analysis 15Portfolio, risk and behaviour 15Economy, sectors and the calendar 22Commodities 2Forex 5Hedge funds 3Rates and macro 1
Hedge funds33 min read 15 Biggest Hedge Funds in the USA (2026): AUM, Strategies, Track Records Who runs the biggest hedge funds in America, how big they really are, how they make money, and what ordinary investors can learn from them.... Read the article → Forex22 min read Why Currencies Move: Balance of Payments, Interest Rates and Reserves What moves exchange rates over days, years and decades: the balance of payments, rate gaps, inflation, trade, capital flows, central banks,... Read the article → Forex23 min read What Is Forex? How the Currency Market Works: A Beginner's Guide Forex is the global market where currencies are exchanged. See how big it is, who trades, how a quote and a conversion work, what a retail f... Read the article → Forex24 min read Carry Trade Explained: How It Works, Payoff and Unwind Risks How a currency carry trade earns the gap between two interest rates, the payoff and break-even math, why parity theory says the carry is not... Read the article → Rates and macro23 min read Quantitative Easing and Tightening Explained: How QE and QT Work How central-bank bond buying (QE) and runoff (QT) work, what the Fed did from 2008 to October 2026, and what Fed research shows about yields... Read the article → Commodities22 min read Commodity Prices Explained: Types, Spot vs Futures and How They Work What commodities are, the main types, how spot and futures prices differ, why contango makes commodity funds drift from spot, and what moves... Read the article → Hedge funds24 min read Form 13F Explained: What It Shows, What It Hides and How to Read It How 13F filings work: who files, what counts, the 45-day deadline, how to read a real information table, what Form 13F hides, and how it dif... Read the article → Commodities22 min read OPEC Explained: Members, Quotas and How OPEC+ Moves Oil Prices What OPEC and OPEC+ are, who is in each group in October 2026 after the UAE's exit, how quotas and spare capacity work, and what the record... Read the article →
Hedge funds23 min read What Is a Hedge Fund? How They Work, Fees, Strategies, Who Can Invest A hedge fund is a private investment fund open only to qualified investors. This guide explains how hedge funds work, what they charge, how... Read the article → Forex22 min read What Is a Pip? Pip Value, Lot Sizes, Spreads and Leverage Explained A pip is the standard unit of price in forex: 0.0001 for most pairs, 0.01 for yen pairs. See pip value, lot sizes, spreads, swaps and levera... Read the article → Trading and market structure21 min read How to Read the COT Report: Commercials, Speculators and Net Positions What the CFTC's weekly Commitments of Traders report shows, who the commercial, non-commercial and managed money groups are, how to calculat... Read the article → Forex22 min read Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and the Big Mac Index Explained What purchasing power parity means, why exchange rates stray from it, how the World Bank measures it and how The Economist's Big Mac index w... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar6 min read 401(k), IRA and Roth basics for investors (US) A plain-English overview of US retirement accounts: how 401(k)s, traditional and Roth IRAs differ, when the tax comes, and how withdrawals a... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Capital gains and dividend tax basics for investors (US) A plain-English guide to how US taxes treat stock gains and dividends, including holding periods, qualified dividends, losses, wash sales an... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar6 min read Insider buying and selling: what it can signal Learn who counts as an insider, how Form 4 filings work, and why open-market insider purchases usually say more than sales, plus the limits... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Analyst ratings and price targets: how to read them Understand what Buy, Hold and Sell ratings and 12-month price targets mean, how analysts build them, and why they are inputs to weigh rather... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Earnings season, guidance and why stocks jump on results Learn how quarterly earnings seasons work, what consensus estimates and guidance are, and why a stock can fall after a good report or rise a... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Communication services sector: how it makes money and what to watch See how phone carriers, internet platforms, streaming and media companies earn money, and which metrics fit each business model within this... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Real estate sector and REITs: how they work and what to watch Learn how REITs earn rent, why the law requires large dividends, and why FFO and AFFO replace earnings per share when judging real estate st... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Utilities sector: how it makes money and what to watch Learn how regulated utilities earn a return on their assets, why they carry heavy debt and pay big dividends, and what to check before judgi... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Materials sector: how it makes money and what to watch Understand how chemicals, metals, mining, packaging and construction materials companies earn money, why prices drive results, and which met... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Industrials sector: how it makes money and what to watch See how industrial companies earn money from machines, contracts and transport, and learn to read backlog, book-to-bill, margins and cycle s... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Energy sector: how it makes money and what to watch Learn how energy companies earn money from oil, gas and fuels, why their profits swing with commodity prices, and which metrics matter in a... Read the article → Economy, sectors and the calendar5 min read Consumer staples sector: how it makes money and what to watch Learn how food, beverage, household product and grocery companies earn money, why consumer staples is called defensive, and which metrics an... Read the article →

Educational only, not financial advice.