Investment Activity

Investments Activity

For this week’s activity, go to the Strayer library search page and use your textbook to answer the following questions using the Week 7 Investments Template [DOCX].

1. Describe the differences among the following three types of orders: market, limit, and stop loss. Provide examples of each in your own words.
2. What is a short sale of stock? Provide an example in your own words.

• Use your textbook to define the term short sale as it pertains to stock.

1. Describe buying on margin. Provide an example in your own words.
2. Why is it illegal to trade on insider information? Provide an example in your own words.

Note: Write responses and definitions in your own words—do not copy and paste from the Internet. Refer to the Strayer library Q: How Do I Paraphrase? video as needed to help you complete this assignment.

Note: This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

Week 8 

• Stock Journal Assignment

This is the second of three stock journal assignments that you will complete during this course. For this assignment, add your work for Week 8 to your previous work from Week 3, following the instructions and using the provided templates below. 

• In the Weeks 3, 8, and 10 Stock Journal Project Excel Template 1 [XLSX] template you began in Week 3, enter your chosen companies, the share prices, and the number of shares you will be purchasing given your budget of $25K.

• Note: The above Excel template has been provided for your use for the stock journal assignment. You will notice that there are directions for your work in Weeks 3, 8, and 10. When submitting your assignment for each week, you may use the provided Excel template above, your own Excel template that you create, or a Word document that you create as long as it communicates the requested information. 
• Note: There are locked cells in the Excel template. The cells have been locked to prevent the formulas from being disturbed. The cells that you will need to use to complete this assignment are not locked. You may create your own templates, however, it is recommended that you use the templates provided. 

• In the Weeks 3, 8, and 10 Stock Journal Writing Assignment Template [DOC] template you began in Week 3, write your rationale/summary.

Download both templates. Then, complete, save and submit both templates at the same time to Blackboard.

Note: Watch the Excel tutorial videos to learn how to use Excel before attempting the assignment. You can use the template provided, or you may create your own template based on the one provided.

Instructions

For this week’s portion of the assignment, complete the following:

1. Record the current price of the stock for each company you selected in Week 3’s Stock Journal.

• You may use any price during this week (for example, day one price, the opening, the low, the high, the close, or any price you find when you check it during the day).
• Use the MS Excel spreadsheet or MS Word document to put your Week 3 and Week 8 stock prices side-by-side, to show your comparison.

1. Determine the current value of your total investment.

• Do not make any changes to your investment at this time.
• Calculate your new total (earnings or losses) based on the number of shares and the new price per share, for each company.

1. Provide your assessment of your investments after evaluating the results of your current investments. This is the information you will include in your word document template. 

• Consider the following  as you provide your assessment:

• How would you evaluate the results of your current investment?
• Why do you believe the stock increased, decreased, or remained static?
• Are you upset because your investment is worth less than $25,000?
• Are you happy with the result and the trend?

1. Go to Strayer library’s search page to locate and incorporate at least two quality sources into this assignment.
2. Submit two documents for your journal assignment submission by uploading both documents at the same time to the assignment submission area. Note that you will update your template in Weeks 3, 8, and 10. Save the template after you have entered your figures so that your selected stocks’ growth or decline can be tracked.

• Completed Excel template with Week 3 and Week 8 complete.
• Completed Word document template with your rationale with Week 3 and Week 8 complete.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

• Analyze the performance of an investment portfolio over time.

Multimedia

• View How the Stock Market Works [Video]
• View How the Stock Exchange Works (For Dummies) [Video]

For help with this homework assignment, please view the video and images below:

2nd half of week 8

Finance in Business Activity

Instructions

Note: Watch the Excel tutorial videos linked in this week to learn how to use Excel before attempting the activity. You can use the template provided or you may create your own template based on the one provided.

Complete the following scenario using the templates provided:

1. Select one U.S. publicly traded company and review its most recent annual report. (You may use one of the three companies you selected for your Stock Journal assignment.)

• Use the Week 8 Finance in Business Excel Template [XLSX] provided to report assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, and net income for your selected company.

• Note: There are locked cells in the Excel template. The cells have been locked to prevent the formulas from being disturbed. The cells that you will need to use to complete this assignment are not locked. You may create your own templates, however it is recommended that you use the templates provided.

1. Determine changes in assets, liabilities, and equity.
2. Determine changes in total revenue and net income.
3. Describe the changes from the current and prior years in each of these key areas and whether the changes would be positive or negative from an investor/stockholder’s view.
4. Go to the Strayer library search page to locate and incorporate at least two quality sources into this assignment.

• For stock price information, you may use the New York Stock Exchange, NASDAQ, Yahoo! Finance, or The Wall Street Journal Online.

1. Submit two documents for your Annual Report activity submission by uploading both documents at the same time in the submission area:

• Completed Week 8 Finance in Business Excel Template [XLSX].
• Completed Week 8 Finance in Business Template [DOC].