Few Fundas in financial markets

These are fundas in general from my readings and experiences.Nevertheless, there is no fool-proof evidence that they are right all the time. So, you be leery of the rules -

"Sell in May and walk away"

This is an old Wall Street saying about the summer and early fall. As "sell in May and walk away" suggests, stock gains have been historically stronger in the November through April period than in the May through October period. The saying suggests that investors may want to move out of stocks into cash or fixed income in the tougher months and then back into stocks in November, at the start of the seasonally bullish period. But the main best performing sectors in the summer period are -

• Consumer and health care stocks (jus because investors focus on defensive plays at tougher times)
• Energy ( because lotsa driving - gas prices hike - bad for consumers - good for ppl who invest in natural gas stocks. I suggest investing in these stocks - get the short term gains and spend them on your gas expenses :-) )
• Financials ( Oh yeah, this is an evergreen sector - they make hell lot of money just for holding and moving other people's money)

"Buy the Rumor, Sell the News"
Oftentimes a rumor will circulate around a stock or a company. The rumor might be that the company is going to be acquired by a competitor, or that an exciting new cure for the common hangover is about to be released. When a company is rumored to be acquired, those who are acting on the rumor can mentally fill in more or less any acquisition price that they like -- until an announcement turns the rumor to fact. Should an actual acquisition ever be announced, the facts rarely end up being as attractive as the upper limits of the rumor. Because all the best possibilities have already been "priced into" the stock before the real news breaks, the actual announcement tends to reveal the limits to the good news, rather than just the positives that are at the center of any rumor.

I drafted this post 3 months ago and never found time to finish it....am publishing it right now so it motivates me to finish it(well, atleast lets me say what all I have to)

Happy Stampeding weekend calgarians!

Seven ways to tick off your boss and kiss your career bye-bye

The Back Stabber
Bad mouthing your boss to others is a tried and true way to spike your career. Some geniuses apparently think the nasty words will never get back to the boss, but foul comments always find their way home--and it demolishes your standing as a trustworthy employee.

Liars, Cheaters And Thieves
Lying to the boss to cover your ample butt shows you to be a weasel. If the boss can't trust you, don't expect a promotion. Claiming other's work or ideas as your own will kill your reputation. If your boss asks why you're stealing office supplies, say you're underpaid.

Negative Nelly
Always tell your boss why something can't be done or, better yet, consistently find reasons why your boss's ideas are poorly conceived, weak, irrelevant and generally stupid. This is a great tactic, especially if the smartest person in the world grins back at you each morning in the bathroom mirror.

Mr. Irresponsible
What do you think they're paying you for? Right--to be late for work each morning, to take an early and long lunch, to use sick leave as spot vacation days and, on the rare occasion when you're actually at your desk, to see deadlines as an annoyance to be blown off as easily as tossing the latest memo from the boss in the wastebasket.

The Bad News Revealer
Always be the first to tell your boss when things go wrong. This should be punctuated by a haughty "I told you so," complete with a fresh copy of your detailed and insightful memo from six months ago presenting your killer plan to avoid this very elephant trap.

The Needler
Find out what bugs your boss and do it every day. This will remind your boss that you're here, if not at your desk working. You don't need a career coach to answer this basic question: Why be tactful when you can be boorish?

The Attention Grabber
What's more important, getting the job done or you? Only a dolt would get this wrong. The doltish boss who frets about the job needs to be educated and brought into the wonderful world of you and your continued need for more money. A large daily dose of your wit and wisdom is recommended, preferably at top

Good gods! If you are practising any of the habits listed above...then just curb them, lest you will see the cookie crumble and the hay fall. Well then, what are the points to underscore to earn your boss's impression? Here you go..........

1.A good boss depends on you. The reward for good work is challenging assignments in the future. In return, make your boss look good to The Grand Pooh-Bahs who inhabit the executive suite and the corner offices. If nothing else, boosting your boss will advance your career.

2."The relationship with your boss is a partnership," "It takes effort to built the relationship and nurture it. You have to communicate well, avoid confrontations and resolve differences in a positive way."

3."The smart employee understands the boss's temperament and style," "You want to move to being a partner from being just another worker. You want to become part of a high-performance team, and you want your boss to depend on you to deliver consistently high effort and offer good ideas."

4.Bosses appreciate openness and honesty. They depend on you to tell them what they need to know, and the smart boss wants the details straight up. What your boss doesn't need is endless negativity. Remember that your boss is under constant pressure from above and doesn't need endless yammering from below.

5.you should offer suggestions on how to fix immediate problems and ideas on how to avoid pitfalls in the future. You turn the wheels and the smart boss will listen to your suggestions because you're closer to the daily push-and-shove of the job.

6.Learn your boss's concerns and goals. Understand the problems and pressures your boss confronts daily. Listen carefully to what your boss says--and doesn't say. Know when it's wise to shut up and leave your boss alone.

7.Understand how your boss likes to receive information--face-to-face, memo, e-mail or weekly staff meeting--and manage the flow of details accordingly. If something important breaks, take it directly to your boss, but don't always demand face time.

8.Make your career goals known, but never lose sight of the task at hand. Your boss wants you to turn handstands at work, but doesn't want a workaholic.

9."Stay focused on your job," . "The best way to advance is to do well in your current assignment. The worst thing you can do is ignore the details of your present job while looking forward to the next rung on the corporate ladder."

10.No one, especially your boss, is perfect. Learn to work around your boss's weak points or blind spots. Don't pick a fight with your boss because it's a match you can't win. Make your points clearly and emphatically and if your boss disagrees, listen carefully to what you boss wants and do what's suggested. In some instances, every employee realizes that you don't have to like it, you just have to do it.

11."Keep the boss informed about what's going on at work and never forget the pressure your boss is under. Honesty and reliability will win the hearts of most bosses."

A peek into Bill Gates' management of daily work

Not much of a paper chase for Microsoft's chairman, who uses a range of digital tools to do business. You can read it here.

But the article looks to me more of an advertising campaign of Microsoft's products. Make a note of the softwares, technologies he uses -

• Microsoft's outlook express. ( I have got my feet wet into it but this is during my undergrad days when I had least idea of why I was doing things the way I did. So no comments on this one's functionality.)
• Microsoft's Sharepoint ( I experienced it..It looks so naive and am a big opponent of it.
• Onenote ( I have a copy of this software and will roll my sleeves on it this weekend.)
• Tablet PC

It's good to see that Bill is eating his own cookies - the products they build. Nevertheless, sharepoint is such a pain and is not as sugar pill as bill talks about. But the cool thing I observed is his three monitors integrated as one desktop and the choice of dragging and dropping the icons between the desktops. It IS AMAZING...just awesome. I am jealous of him for that :-)

Snub the allure of overconfidence

Some leaders are overconfident in their own ideas and refuse to listen to others. It's a leadership trap many people fall into the higher they rise. Here are some effective ways to avoid it:

• Develop the habit of asking people "Am I missing something here?". Do it in meetings and whenever you need to check your own take on important issues. It's a question that keeps you grounded in reality.
• Throw your ideas out for discussion alongside everyone else's. A hallmark of leadership is to identify and implement the best ideas, not pull rank.
• Let other people try their hands at managing your preferred kind of projects in their own way. Then, learn lessons from what they can accomplish.