Table of Contents

Introduction vii Part I The basics of the sharemarket 1 1 Getting ready to invest 3 2 What is a share and what is the sharemarket? 9 3 The main investment areas: cash, fixed interest, property, shares 13 4 The benefits and risks of shares 33 5 How to buy and sell shares 41 6 Your first share trade 55 7 Buying shares in a float 63 8 The nuts and bolts of the sharemarket 69 9 Following the S&P/ASX indices 83 10 Managed funds 95 11 Gearing and margin lending 109 Part II Making informed decisions -- strategies and approaches to investing 117 12 Why you need a strategy 119 13 Fundamental analysis 129 14 Technical analysis 145 15 Examples of investment strategies 167 Glossary 179 Index 187

About the Author

The Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is one of the world's leading securities exchanges, offering a full suite of services from listings, trading, clearing and settlement across a comprehensive range of asset classes.