The Journal
Blog
Market insights and trading education from the Alpha Sentinel team.
Activist Investors Explained: Why They Take Stakes
A five-stage framework for reading an activist investor campaign: the disclosures, the demands, the company response and your own time horizon.
Preferred Stock Explained: Where It Sits Between Bonds and Common Shares
Preferred stock pays a fixed dividend and ranks between bonds and common shares. Learn its features, risks and where it sits in the capital structure.
Proxy Voting: How Shareholders Influence Company Decisions
How proxy voting works for shareholders: what is on the ballot, whether your vote counts and what happens if you skip it or own funds.
Fundamental Versus Technical Analysis: Two Lenses on the Same Stock
Fundamental analysis studies the business, technical analysis studies price behavior. See what each shows and how to choose a fit.
Choosing a Benchmark: How to Fairly Compare Your Portfolio's Performance
Is your portfolio ahead or behind? Pick a fair benchmark in five steps by matching mix, dates and costs before you compare any returns.
ADRs Explained: Owning Foreign Companies Through U.S. Exchanges
How ADRs work: the receipt structure, sponsored versus unsponsored programs, currency effects, fees and the foreign risks that come with them.
Closed-End Funds: Premiums, Discounts and How They Differ From ETFs
Closed-end funds can trade above or below the value of their holdings. See why, how ETFs differ, and what leverage and distributions mean for you.
Dividend Stocks Versus Growth Stocks: How Total Return Compares
Yield alone and price alone both mislead. Compare dividend and growth stocks on total return, across several periods, with your own taxes in mind.
Framing Effects: How the Way Returns Are Presented Changes Your Choices
The same return can feel like a win or a loss depending on its frame. Learn to spot framing effects and restate numbers before you decide.
What Happens to Shareholders When a Company Goes Bankrupt
Shareholders in line behind lenders when a company files for bankruptcy; what Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 mean for common stock holders and their shares.
Reading the Order Book: What Market Depth Does and Does Not Show
The order book lists waiting buy and sell orders by price and size. Learn what depth says about liquidity and why it says little about direction.
Fractional Shares Explained: Pros, Cons and Practical Limits
Fractional shares let you invest by dollar amount, not share count. See the benefits and the limits on orders, transfers and voting before relying on them.