Symbol-Specific Pages: Support and Documentation

The Quote Overview page gives you a snapshot view for the selected symbol, including a summary quoteboard, chart snapshot, Today's Opinion, Support & Resistance, and recent news and commentary. Links are provided in each section to get more detail for the symbol.

Summary Quoteboard

The Summary Quoteboard displays snapshot quote data, delayed per exchange rules (Stocks: 15 minute delay, EST. Futures and Forex: 10 minute delay, CST.) Information is updated every 10 seconds on the quoteboard. The Last Price, Change, and Change Percent is listed at the top, with other quote data listed in the quoteboard below. Data appearing in the quoteboard will differ based on the symbol type (Stock, ETF, Index, Futures, Forex or Fund). A sample of an Equities symbol is shown here:

Quoteboard data fields include:

High / Low	The highest and lowest trade price for the current trading session.
52 Week High / Low	The highest and lowest trade price over the last 52 weeks.
Open	The opening price for the current trading session.
Previous Close	The closing price from the previous trading session.
Volume (4)	The total number of shares or contracts traded in the current trading session.
Open Interest (5)	The total number of outstanding contracts that have not been liquidated by an offsetting transaction or fulfilled by delivery.
Average Volume (3)	The 20-Day Average Volume, which is the average number of shares traded over the last 20 days.
EPS - Earnings Per Share (1)	Net income, divided by the total number of common shares outstanding. For example, if a company has $10 million in net income and 10 million in outstanding shares, then its EPS is $1.
Managed Assets (6)	Assets attributable to the purchase of stock by both common and preferred shareholders.
Dividend & Yield (2)	A Dividend is a portion of a company's profit paid to shareholders, quoted as the dollar amount each share receives (dividends per share). Yield is the amount of dividends paid per share, divided by the closing price.
P/E Ratio (1)	Latest closing price divided by the earnings-per-share (EPS) based on the latest 12-Month EPS Change (LTM) of earnings. Companies with negative earnings receive an "NE."
Market Capitalization (1)	The market "cap," capitalization, or market value of a stock is simply the market value of all outstanding shares. It is computed by multiplying the price by the number of outstanding shares. For example, a company with 10 million shares outstanding that trade at $10 each would have a market capitalization of $100 million.
Weighted Alpha	Weighted Alpha is a measure of how much a stock or commodity has risen or fallen over a one-year period. Barchart takes this Alpha and weights this, assigning more weight to recent activity, and less (0.5 factor) to activity at the beginning of the period. Thus, Weighted Alpha is a measure of one-year growth with an emphasis on the most recent price activity.
Standard Deviation	Standard Deviation measures the average variability of return over a time period. The movement of a stock or commodity in terms of its standard deviation is useful to traders because it can be translated into probability terms. According to the normal distribution bell curve, a stock will show a move of less than one standard deviation (plus or minus) about two-thirds of the time, a move of less than two standard deviations 95% of the time, and a move of less than three standard deviations 99% of the time. Thus, if a trader sees a stock that has moved 3 standard deviations, the odds of that event are only 1% (or 1 in 100), meaning that stock is showing a major move from a statistical standpoint that is outside the realm of normal statistical expectations.
Sectors (2)	Links to the Industry Groups and/or SIC codes in which the stock is found.

(1) = Only valid for U.S. Stocks
(2) = Only valid for U.S. Stocks and ETFs
(3) = Valid for all Stocks and ETFs
(4) = Not displayed on Mutual Funds, Forex, or Indices
(5) = Only valid for Futures
(6) = Only valid for ETFs

Chart Snapshot

A thumbnail of a daily bar chart is provided, with a link to open an customize a full-sized chart. You may also click on the chart image to go directly to the full-sized chart.

Today's Opinion

The Opinion section gives the general rating of today's Barchart Opinion. This rating directly corresponds to the signal and percent shown on the Snapshot Opinion page, where a more precise opinion percentage will be shown. A symbol will be given one of five ratings:

Strong Buy: Opinion is greater than 50% Buy Buy: Opinion is less than a 50% Buy Hold: Opinion is a Hold Sell: Opinion is less than a 50% Sell Strong Sell: Opinion is greater than 50% Sell

Support & Resistance

This section shows a snapshot view of the Trader's Cheat Sheet with the Last Price, and four separate pivot points (2 Support Levels, and 2 Resistance Points). The Last Price shown is the last trade price at the time the quote page was displayed, and will not update every 10 seconds (as the Last Price at the top of the Quote page does). The Last Price will update only when the page is refreshed.

Pivot points are used to identify intraday support, resistance and target levels. The pivot point and its support and resistance pairs are defined as follows:

Pivot point	(P) = (H + L + C) / 3
First resistance level	(R1) = (2 * P) - L
First support level	(S1) = (2 * P) - H
Second resistance level	(R2) = P + (R1 - S1)
Second support level	(S2) = P - (R1 - S1)

where H, L, C are the current day's high, low and close, respectively. Read more about interpreting Pivot Points in this "Tips on Technicals" article.

Latest Headlines

• For Stocks, Associated Press and PR Newswire headlines that pertain to the specific symbol and/or sector are listed at the bottom of the quote page.
• For Commodities, InsideFutures.com headlines will appear. Brugler AG commentary will also appear for selected commodities.

A Detailed Quote includes today's activity plus the previous four days of trading prices. Included are the Open, High, Low, Last, Change, % Change and Volume figures.

You may also change the view from Daily Quotes (the past 5 Days) to show Weekly Quotes (the past 5 weeks) or Monthly Quotes (past 5 months) using the links at the top right of the page:

The Detailed Quote page is divided into five sections:

1	Detailed Quote - Past 5 (period): For the period selected at the top right of the page, you will see the Date, Open, High, Low, Last, Change, Change Percent, and Volume for the current trading session plus the previous 4 sessions. With Daily Quotes selected, the dates displayed are the current date plus the previous 4 days. For Commodities and Forex contracts that trade overnight sessions with settlements the next day (such as ^EURUSD (Euro FX), trading 5:00 p.m. - 4:59 p.m. EST Sunday - Friday or GC (Gold), trading 6:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. EST) today's session appears with the current day's date, and the overnight session will appear with tomorrow's date. For example, on July 20, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. EST, the first session will be recorded under the current date, 07/20/2010, and the overnight session's prices will appear under 07/21/2010. The date is the settlement or closing date of the trading session. With Weekly Quotes or Monthly Quotes selected, you will see dates that correspond to the past 5 weeks or past 5 months along with the Open, High, Low, Last, Change, Change Percent, and Volume of each period.
2	Earnings: Earnings information is displayed, when available, for Stock symbols. This information only displays on the Daily Quotes view.
3	Historical Highs and Lows: Shows historical Highs and Lows for a number of periods, based on your selected view. High and Low prices and the date of their trades are shown, along with the Percent Change from the start of the current period's High and Low price. Daily Quotes: the periods shown are 5-Day (weekly), 1-Month, 3-Month (quarterly), 6-Month, 12-Month (one-year), and Year-to-Date. Weekly Quotes: the periods shown are 6-Week, 6-Month, 1-Year, 3-Year, and 5-Year. Monthly Quotes: the periods shown are 6-Month, 2-Year, 5-Year, 10-Year and 20-Year.
4	New Highs and Lows: This is a table containing the number of times the stock has hit a new High and a new Low price for a period of time, based on your selected view, along with percentage change from the current period's high or low price. The number of new highs and new lows is based only on that specific period, so it is possible for the 3-month new highs number to be less than the 1-month new highs number. For example, if the market made a new high at the start of the 3-month period and then decreased in price, it would only make 1 new high for the 3-month period. If, however, prices started to rise again within the 1-month period, it would result in multiple new highs for the 1-month period. Daily Quotes: the periods shown are 5-Day (weekly), 1-Month, 3-Month (quarterly), 6-Month, 12-Month (one-year), and Year-to-Date. Weekly Quotes: the periods shown are 6-Week, 6-Month, 1-Year, 3-Year, and 5-Year. Monthly Quotes: the periods shown are 6-Month, 2-Year, 5-Year, 10-Year and 20-Year.

 

Charts are available on every contract within the Barchart.com database. There are three types of charts available: Classic Charts, Technical Charts and Interactive Charts.

Classic Charts are instantly recognizable as they have a green grid background, as shown to the right. When first displayed, a Classic Chart contains six months' worth of Daily price activity with the open, high, low, close, and change for each bar presented in a display box above the chart. Each data point can be viewed by moving your mouse through the chart. This is also true for all information displayed on the chart, including the results of studies, stock splits, earnings and dividends data.

Technical Charts are recognizable by their white background. When first displayed, a Technical Chart contains six months' worth of Daily price activity with the open, high, low, and close for each bar presented in a display box above the chart. Each data point can be viewed by moving your mouse through the chart.

Interactive Charts use the Java platform to allow you to add trend lines, text and personal annotations directly on the chart. These charts include numerous features that allow you to scroll through the time-series, and add multiple panes with different technical indicators. When first displayed, you will see the Toolbox opened on the left side of the chart, with a modified chart form below the chart.

The vertical bars below the chart represent Volume and are color-coded to indicate market activity for the day:

• An up day (where the price is greater than the previous price) will show a green bar.
• A down day (where the price is less than the previous price) will show a red bar.
• When the price is unchanged compared to the previous price, Volume will show as a blue bar.

On futures charts, the horizontal purple line above the Volume bars represents Open Interest.

Technical Charts have the option to create Spread Charts , with the ability to choose from a number of common spreads (such as Corn 1-2, Soybeans Crush, and Wheat Butterfly), or allowing you to enter your own custom spread calculation (supporting all futures, equities, index and forex symbols).

Interactive Charts allow you to add trend lines and personal annotations, then save all your changes in your My Charts page for the next time you view the chart. You can also pop the chart out to a separate window in your browser.

Every Chart page contains key elements that allow you to easily modify the chart.

ABOVE THE CHART

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1. Quote Data:The Description, Symbol, and the current price, change and change%. The time stamp indicates the last update for the quote data. Stocks are on a 15-minute delay, E.S.T. while Futures and Forex are on a 10-minute delay, C.S.T.
   
   
2. Quick Links - quickly change the time period for the chart, or quickly switch between Technical and Classic Chart style.
   
   
3. + My Charts - click this button to add the chart to your My Charts page. This requires a free My Barchart account.

BELOW THE CHART

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A chart form resides below the chart. This is where you can change the symbol, style, time frame, and other chart settings. If you are logged in to your My Barchart account and viewing a Classic or Technical chart, you will also see a drop-down list for any Chart Templates you've previously saved. Simply select one from the list and the settings on the template will be applied to the current chart.

The chart form is slightly different for a Technical, Interactive, and Classic Chart. The Technical Chart form also has fields available to create Spread Charts. A sample is shown here:

• Style - choose from Technical, Classic, or Interactive Chart
• Time Frame - determines the period (Frequency) and amount of data that will be displayed on the chart (Time Period and Start/End Dates).
  • For Frequency, choose from a number of Intraday settings, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.
    • for Commodity Contracts: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly charts for the Contract, Nearest Futures Contract, or Continuation chart
      
  • A default Time Period is set based on your Frequency setting. For example, a 15-Minute Intraday chart will use a Time Period of 4 Days, while a Daily chart uses a Time Period of 6 Months. You may change the Time Period to increase or decrease the density of the bars displayed on the chart. The longer the time frame, the closed together the individual bars. The shorter the time frame, the more distance between the bars.
  • You may override or further define the Time Period, or generate a historical chart, by entering a Start and End Date for the data. (Note: Classic Charts only allow an End Date). For example, you can get a Daily chart with 6 months of data from one year ago by entering an End Date from one year back.
• Display - defines what the chart will look like.
  • Size - choose from a small, medium or large chart. The Interactive Chart has an additional option that allows you to pop the chart out of your browser and into its own window.
  • Scale (Interactive and Classic Charts only) - Linear scaling will calculate the most intelligent scale using the high, the low and a series of acceptable divisors for possible scales. The Logarithmic Scale uses logarithmic scaling instead of the linear scaling. Fit Available Space (Classic Charts only) removes the logical divisors and takes the highest point on the chart, the lowest point on the chart, and the number of divisors to create the y-axis.
  • Volume On (Interactive and Classic Charts only) - displays or hides the volume for the symbol.
  • Grids On (Interactive and Classic Charts only) -displays or hides the background grids on the chart.
  • Prices On - (Technical Charts only) displays a "Data View" window as you mouse-over the chart, showing OHLC for the bar, and all indicator values for the given bar.
    
    
    
    
  • Compare To (Interactive and Classic Charts only) - select up to three symbols to compare against.
    • Classic Charts: This will generate a percent change chart for the symbols, overlayed. The left-most date will be a relative zero for each, and then a percent change will be calculated. The left-most date can be adjusted by both the density and frequency. Note: When doing a comparison, all other studies are disregarded, since they are meaningless with respect to the comparison plot. Even volume is not plotted.
    • Technical Charts: This will generate a chart with the price data of the symbols overlayed. To produce a chart of percent changes between symbols, check the Percent Change box. The colors of the boxes (green, purple, red) indicate the color of the line that will be drawn on the chart for the symbol. You may also indicate whether to display that symbol's price scale on the left side of the chart (by default, prices will all display on the right side).
  • Additional Classic Chart Settings:
    • Latest Date - if checked, the chart uses today's date as the latest date to appear on the chart. This overrides any Start/End date you may have selected.
    • Dividend Adjust / Events On - shows stock splits, dividends, dividend adjustments and earnings as a "carat" at the bottom of the chart.
    • Fine Lines - determines the width of the bar.
      
  • Additional Technical Chart Settings:
    • Percent Change - Price scale and "Data View" window will reflect the Percent Change instead of the Price.
• Studies / Parameters - select the indicators you wish to add to the chart. See the individual chart style for more information on how to add/remove/adjust indicators.

Classic Charts are instantly recognizable as they have a green grid background, as shown to the right.

When first displayed, a Classic Chart contains six months' worth of price activity with the open, high, low, close, change, and volume for each bar presented in a display box above the chart. Each data point can be viewed by moving your mouse through the chart. This is also true for all information displayed on the chart, including the results of studies, stock splits, earnings and dividends data.

Features of Classic Charts include:

• Bar charts (OHLC), Close only plot, Candlesticks, Printable Candlesticks, Commitment of Traders, and Point and Figure charts
• Intraday, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Frequency
• for Commodity Contracts: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly charts for the Contract, Nearest Futures Contract, or Continuation chart
• selection of a Primary Study (usually the "Barchart OHLC") with one Overlay, plus a Secondary Study and one Overlay
• numerous studies available with changeable parameters, including Moving Averages, Stochastics, CCI, ADX, Pro-Go, MACD
• ability to add an "End Date" to further set the date range of the chart
• show or hide of Volume, grids, or fine lines
• display Dividend Adjustments and Events for Equities
• comparison of up to three other symbols

Splits are represented by the blue triangles on the bottom of the chart. Earnings are represented by the green triangles on the bottom of the chart. Dividends are represented by the purple triangles on the bottom of the chart.

When you create a bar chart with an overlay, the first three numbers are the high, low and closing prices for the day, followed by "res = " which is short for results, then the results of the study selected as the overlay.

Volume is represented by horizontal lines beneath the open, high, low, close barchart. A green volume bar represents the last price increased compared to the previous trading session and a red volume bar represents the last price decreased compared to the previous trading session.

Studies
A Classic Chart can have one Primary Overlay study (the study is plotted on top of the price bars) plus one Secondary Study and one Secondary Overlay. When study results plot multiple lines, the study argument coloring is always red, green then blue. For example, a moving average chart using the parameters of [9, 18, 40] will show the 9 day as a red line, the 18 day as a green line, and the 40 day as a blue line. The argument order is displayed on the chart next to the study name. For secondary studies on the same chart, the colors are in order: dark green, purple and black.

Views Classic Chart Study Help

To change the value of a study, first select it from the list. The parameter values used in the study display next to the study name. Enter the NEW parameters you wish to use for the study in the boxes to the right:

Nearest Futures and Continuation Charts
Commodity charts have three additional frequencies for Daily, Weekly and Monthly data: Contract, Nearest, and Continuation. Here are illustration to show the difference between these types of charts, using March 2010 Natural Gas (NGH10):

• Daily/Weekly/Monthly Contract will plot prices for that specific contract - NGH10
  
  
  • Daily/Weekly/Monthly Nearest Futures will use whatever contract was the Nearest Futures contract on the date of the given bar. The Price Box at the top shows the contract that was used to build the corresponding bar (in this case, NHZ09)
    
    
    
    
  • Daily/Weekly/Monthly Continuation Chart will always use the same MONTH specified in the chart form to build the given bar. The Price Box at the top shows the contract that was used (in this case, March, or H)
    
    
    

The information is back-dated to the start of the period, so on a 5-minute chart information in the period dated 12:45 includes all trades between 12:45 and 12:49 inclusive. A trade at 13:00 would be included within the next bar dated 13:00.

Technical Charts are recognizable by their white background. When first displayed, a Technical Chart contains six months' worth of Daily price activity with the open, high, low, and close for each bar presented in a display box above the chart. Each data point can be viewed by moving your mouse through the chart.

Features of Technical Charts include:

• Bar charts (OHLC), Candlesticks, Printable (Hollow) Candlesticks, Line, and Area charts
• Intraday, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Frequency
• for Commodity Contracts: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly charts for the Contract, Nearest Futures Contract, or Continuation chart
• UNLIMITED Indicators available to be added to new panes with changeable parameters, including Stochastics, CCI, ADX, ATR, MACD, Standard Deviation
• Overlay studies with changeable parameters include Bollinger Bands, Donchian Channel, Simple, Weighted, Triple and Exponential Moving Averages, Keltner Channel, Envelopes, Price Range
• ability to add a "Start" and "End Date" to further set the date range of the chart
• show or hide Volume, which is color-coded to indicate an up, down, or no change day.
• Show or hide grids, or Percent Change
• comparison of up to three other symbols
• Spread Charts

Volume

When Volume is selected (either on the chart form or as a stand-alone study), the bars are color-coded to indicate market activity for the day:

• An up day (where the price is greater than the previous price) will show a green bar.
• A down day (where the price is less than the previous price) will show a red bar.
• When the price is unchanged compared to the previous price, Volume will show as a blue bar.

On futures charts, the horizontal purple line above the Volume bars represents Open Interest.

Indicators / Technical Studies

Studies are found at the bottom of the chart form. You may add an unlimited number of studies to a Technical Chart. Studies are added to a new pane underneath the chart, except for those that are classified as "overlay" studies (Bollinger Bands, Simple, Weighted, Triple and Exponential Moving Averages, etc.). The Study drop-down list groups Overlays at the top of the list, and all other "stand-alone" studies at the bottom.

View Technical Chart Study Help

You can change technical indicator parameters directly from the charting application. First, select the study from the list. Then click on the indicator name to expand the selection. Click the to remove the indicator from the chart:

Nearest Futures and Continuation Charts
Commodity charts have three additional frequencies for Daily, Weekly and Monthly data: Contract, Nearest, and Continuation. Here are illustration to show the difference between these types of charts, using December 2010 Natural Gas (NGZ10):

• Daily/Weekly/Monthly Contract will plot prices for that specific contract - NGZ10
  
  
  • Daily/Weekly/Monthly Nearest Futures will use whatever contract was the Nearest Futures contract on the date of the given bar. The Price Box at the top shows the contract that was used to build the corresponding bar (in this case, NGV10)
    
    
    
    
  • Daily/Weekly/Monthly Continuation Chart will always use the same MONTH specified in the chart form to build the given bar. The Price Box at the top shows the contract that was used (in this case, December, or Z)
    
    
    

The information is back-dated to the start of the period, so on a 5-minute chart information in the period dated 12:45 includes all trades between 12:45 and 12:49 inclusive. A trade at 13:00 would be included within the next bar dated 13:00.

Spread Charts

Technical Charts allow you to choose from a number of common commodity spread chart calculations. You may also create your own custom spread chart by selecting up to three commodity contracts and multipliers, or by entering your own custom spread expression. The calculated results are displayed as a line chart:

To access spread chart settings, simply click the text highlighted in yellow at the top right of the chart form. Click the text again to toggle back to the standard chart form:

When opened, the chart form displays additional fields for spread charts:

• Expression: shows the calculation used to create the chart. When you select a Common Spread from the drop-down list, or when you create a Futures Spread using the fields on the form, the Expression is built automatically for you.
  
  If you want to create your own custom Expression, you can enter the calculation directly into the Expression field. Valid syntax for an Expression calculation includes the use of addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*) and division (/) between each leg. Calculations are performed from left to right, unless you change the order of the calculation using parentheses. Examples:
  
  IBM-DELL subtracts the last price of DELL from IBM.
  2*IBM+DELL multiplies IBM by two, then adds the price of DELL.
  2*DELL/3+IBM multiplies DELL by two, then divides by three, then adds IBM.
  (2*DELL)/(3+IBM) multiplies DELL by two, then divides the result by the sum of three plus IBM.
  $DXY-$SPX subtracts the S&P 500 Index from the Dollar Index.
  ^USDCAD+^CADAUD adds the Canadian Dollar/Australian Dollar to the US Dollar/Canadian Dollar.
  
  Note for Futures Contracts: Barchart's charting application commonly uses the * symbol on futures contracts as a shortcut to specify the month. For example, ZC*1 will return the front month, ZC*2 returns the second month out, ZC*3 returns the third month out, etc. When creating a custom expression using futures contracts, you must use parentheses to group the order of the calculation in the expression:
  
  (ZC*1+ZC*2+ZC*3)/3 will add the front, second and third months for Corn, then divide the result by three.
  (ZCZ0+ZCH11+ZCK11)/3 will add December 2010 Corn, March 2011 Corn and May 2011 Corn together, then divide the results by three.
  (ZC*1)*2+(ZC*3)*2 will multiply the front month for Corn by 2, then add the result to the (third month out for Corn multiplied by two).
  ZC*2*4 will take the second month out for Corn and multiply the price by 4.
  
  
  
• Common Spreads: choose from a number of common commodity spreads. (the expression will be displayed once you've made a selection from the list.)
  
  
• Create a Futures Spread: select up to three different commodities, including the month, year, multiplier and function (+ - / *) between the second and third leg. The expression will be built and displayed in the Expression field as you enter the different legs of the spread.

My Barchart subscribers can generate a historical quote, chart, technical report, opinion, advanced opinion, snapshot opinion or price projection on any active stock symbol or commodity contract within our database. For more information, see the help pages for My Barchart.

Historical data for stock symbols goes back to the start of our database - circa 1990. However, in order to generate a Trader's Cheat Sheet or any of the Opinions, a symbol needs a minimum of six month's data for the calculations.

The Technical Analysis Summary contain the results of 12 common technical analytics over different periods of time.

The analytics used are:

• Moving Average, Price Change, Percent Change and Average Volume
  
  
  • The Moving Average is the average price of the security or contact for the Period shown.
    
    
  • The Price Change and associated Percent Change is the difference between the current Last Price, and the Last Price from the Period shown.
    
    
  • For Commodities, the Average Volume figure is the average for the individual contract over the specified period of time.

• Raw Stochastics, Stochastic %K, Stochastics %D and Average True Range
  
  
• Relative Strength, Percent R, Historic Volatility and MACD Oscillator (MACD Oscillator is calculated against the 3-Day Moving Average)
  
  

Time Frames
When you first access the page, Daily Quotes information is shown (the information is updated every minute throughout the trading day). You may change the view to Weekly Quotes or Monthly Quotes using the links at the top of the page to view analytics calculated with a longer time-frame.

The Trader's Cheat Sheet is a list of 44 commonly used technical indicators with the price projection for the next trading day that will cause each of the signals to be triggered.

The projected trigger prices of the signals are listed from highest price at the top of the page to lowest price at the bottom. These are shaded in green if the common interpretation of the signal is bullish, and shaded in red if the common interpretation of the signal is bearish.

Each projection on the trading calendar can be examined to determine if the price change to each trigger level will tend to confirm or reverse the price move.

Green areas above the current price will tend to provide support to confirm the upward move.

Red areas below the current price will tend to provide resistance to confirm the downward move.

Green areas below the current price will tend to provide support to limit the downward move.

Red areas above the current price will tend to provide resistance to limit the upward move.

The complete Cheat Sheet can be used to give an indication of market timing: green below the current price and red above will tend to keep trading in a narrow band, whereas green above the current price, or red below can produce a breakout where each new price level is confirmed by a new signal.

Some of these signals such as Fibonacci Retracements have a fixed bullish or bearish interpretation. Others such as crossovers of a short-term and a long-term moving average are interpreted as a reversal of the current signal. Some of these projections will produce trigger prices so far removed from the price action that they can be ignored. The closer the trigger price to the current price, the more quickly it will come into play. A price projection of 0.00 is valid for a technical indicator if the calculation determines it will be impossible to trigger the signal.

Barchart defines the 14-Day %K Stochastic Stalls as follows:

1. Value1 = (3 times %K Stochastic - 2 times Raw Stochastic)
2. Value2 = (14-Day Highest high minus the 14-Day Lowest low) / 100.0
3. Stall = (Value1 * Value2) + 14-Day Lowest Low

Barchart defines the 14-Day %D Stochastic Stalls as follows:

1. Value1 = (3 times %D Stochastic - 2 times %K Stochastic)
2. Value2 = (14-Day Highest high minus the 14-Day Lowest low) / 100.0
3. Stall = (Value1 * Value2) + 14-Day Lowest Low

My Barchart members have the option to export the data to an Excel spreadsheet or as a .csv file.

Note: A security needs to have at least 5 days of trading activity in order to generate a Trader's Cheat Sheet.

Unique to Barchart.com, Opinions analyzes a stock or commodity using 13 popular analytics in short-, medium- and long-term periods. Results are interpreted as buy, sell or hold signals, each with numeric ratings and summarized with an overall percentage buy or sell rating.

Each Opinion requires six months' worth of trading activity and run the prices through 13 different technical indicators. A link is provided at the top right of the page to Show or Hide Signal Strength and Direction. (View help for Signal Strength and Direction.)

After each calculation the program assigns a Buy, Sell or Hold value with the study, depending on where the price lies in reference to the common interpretation of the study. For example, a price above its moving average is generally considered an upward trend or a buy.

Each study links to a chart to give you a graphical interpretation of the result of the study.

When on the Barchart Opinion page, a link is provided at the top right of the page to Show or Hide Signal Strength and Direction.

Calculations
The Short, Medium and Long term indicators are grouped together and calculated separately for their groups. The overall indicator is a composite of all 13 studies listed on the page.

A Buy is assigned 1 point
A Sell is assigned -1 point
A Hold is assigned 0 points

Add up the totals for the different groups and divide this number by the amount of studies in the group, and take this number as a percentage. If the total is greater than zero, then this signals a Buy. If the total is zero, then this signals a Hold and if the total is less than zero, then this signals a Sell.

To keep the results in a more logical format, we factor the overall opinion by 1.04 to keep the end result in eighths, with the exception of a 100% buy or sells. This is why the opinions will be displayed {8%, 16%, ... 88%, 96% and 100%} rather the true calculated value over the number thirteen.

At the bottom of the Opinion page is the price the Opinion studies are based on, along with the Support, Pivot Point, and Resistance numbers.

Opinions are updated every ten minutes throughout the day, using delayed data from the exchanges.

Barchart Opinions show traders what a variety of popular trading systems are suggesting in terms of going long or short the market.

The Opinions takes up to 2 years worth of historical data and runs these prices through thirteen different technical indicators.

After each calculation the program assigns a buy, sell or hold value for each study, depending on where the price lies in reference to the common interpretation of the study.

For example if the price is above the moving average of the stock then this is generally considered an upward trend or a buy.

Each study links to a chart to give you a graphical interpretation of the result of the study.

Note: A security needs to have at least 101 active trading days in order to generate an Opinion reading.

Calculations
The Short, Medium and Long term indicators are grouped together and calculated separately for their groups. The overall indicator is a composite of all 13 studies listed on the page.

A Buy is assigned 1 point
A Sell is assigned -1 point
A Hold is assigned 0 points

The indicator value is determined by adding up the totals for the different groups and dividing this sum by the number of studies in the group, The indicator is expressed in terms of a percentage. If the total is greater than zero, then this is a Buy. If the total is zero, then this is a Hold. If the total is less than zero, then this is a Sell.

To keep the results in a more logical format, we factor the overall opinion by 1.04 to keep the end result in multiples of 8 percentage points, with the exception of a 100% buy or sell. This is why the opinion indicators will be displayed as 8%, 16%, ... 88%, 96% and 100%, for example, rather the exact percentage value.

Signal Strength
The signal strength is a measurement of the strength of the signal compared to its historical performance.

The strength can be one of the following five readings:

• Maximum
• Strong
• Average
• Weak
• Minimum

Maximum is the strongest this signal has been in the historical period and Minimum is the weakest the signal has been in the historical period. Stronger signal strengths are less likely to change directions over the short-term than a weak signal. For example, a Maximum buy signal is less likely to change to a hold or a sell signal than a Weak buy signal. A hold signal does not have a signal strength.

Signal Direction

Buy/Sell Signal Direction

The Signal Direction indicates whether the Buy or Sell signal is strengthening or weakening.

The buy/sell direction can be one of the following five readings:

• Strongest
• Strengthening
• Rising
• Weakening
• Weakest

A buy signal with a "Strongest" direction is a buy signal that is becoming a stronger buy signal. Similarly a sell signal with a "Strongest" direction is a sell signal that is becoming a stronger sell signal.

Hold Signal Direction
The Signal Direction for a hold signal indicates whether a signal is heading towards a new buy signal or a sell signal.

The Signal Direction for a hold signal can be one of the following five readings:

• Bullish
• Rising
• Steady
• Falling
• Bearish

A bullish hold signal indicates that the signal is heading towards a buy configuration. Likewise, and a bearish hold signal indicates that the signal is heading towards a sell configuration.

Barchart Opinions add market-timing information by calculating and interpreting signal strength and direction.

The page is divided into multiple sections:

• Composite Indicators: Shows the signal for TrendSpotter
  
  
• Short Term Indicators: Shows signals for the 5 short-term indicators, with a overall short-term average signal. Also includes a 20-day Average Volume.
  
  
• Medium Term Indicators: Shows signals for the 4 medium-term indicators, with a overall medium-term average signal. Also includes a 50-day Average Volume.
  
  
• Long-Term Indicators: Shows signals for the 3 long-term indicators, with a overall long-term average signal. Also includes a 100-day Average Volume.
  
  
• Overall Average: Shows the overall average signal for all indicators, with Support, Resistance and Pivot Point.

A link is provided at the top right of the page to Show or Hide Signal Strength and Direction.

Without Signal Strength and Direction:

Show Signal Strength and Direction:

Chart and Indicator Performance Analysis

Each indicator has a link to view a chart with the indicator applied. Clicking on the $ icon will show the performance summary of this trading strategy over the past 5-years:

Signal Strength
The signal strength is a long-term measurement of the strength of the signal compared to the strength of the signal historically. The strength can be one of the following five readings:

• Maximum
• Strong
• Average
• Weak
• Minimum
  

Maximum is the strongest this signal has been in the historical period, and minimum is the weakest the signal has been in the historical period. The stronger a signal strength, the less volatile the signal. For example, a maximum buy signal is less likely to change to a hold or a sell signal than a weak buy signal.

A hold signal does not have any strength.

Signal Direction:
Buy/Sell Signal Direction

The signal direction is a short-term (3-day) measurement of the current movement of the signal. Regardless if signal is a buy or sell, the direction is an indication of whether the most recent price movement is going along with the signal. The buy/sell direction can be one of the following five readings:

• Strongest
• Strengthening
• Average
• Weakening
• Weakest

A buy signal with a "strongest" direction means a buy signal which is becoming stronger. Similarly, a sell signal with a "strongest" direction is becoming stronger. The direction goes with the signal.

Hold Signal Direction

The signal direction of a hold signal is a short-term (3-day) measurement of where the signal is heading, be it toward a buy signal or a sell signal. The hold direction can be one of the following five readings:

• Bullish
• Rising
• Steady
• Falling
• Bearish

A bullish hold signal indicates that the signal is heading toward a buy configuration, and a bearish hold signal indicates that the signal is heading toward a sell configuration.

The Snapshot Opinion graphically lists overall opinion of today, yesterday, last week, and last month.

The Snapshot Opinion page also contains the Current and Previous Ratings box, which shows the overall strength and direction of the opinion taken from the Barchart Opinions page.

Strength is calculated by adding the different "buy" signal strengths and subtracting the "sell" signal strengths, then factoring each number by the strength rating of the opinion. The direction rating is calculated by adding the different buy signal directions and subtracting the different sell signal directions, then factoring each number by the direction rating of the opinion. Signal strength and signal direction are independent of buy or sell ratings.

The totals are then compared to the average overall totals for all stocks and given a percentage figure of where they lie in relation to the strengths and directions of all other stocks, 0-10 being the lowest and 90-100 being the greatest. The top 1% of all stocks are also highlighted yellow. The higher the rating, the stronger the overall signal strength or direction.

Snapshot Opinions are updated every 10 minutes throughout the trading day.

The Trading Strategies / Performance Analysis page shows hypothetical trading results from each of the 13 technical indicators analyzed through the Barchart Opinions. Using this page, you can see hypothetical profit or loss that would have resulted following the Buy/Sell signals given by the Opinions.

Each of the 13 indicators are back-tested for a period of five years, and the results are summarized for each indicator showing the total number of hypothetical trades, average days per trade and total profit or loss from the trades.

The performance results of ALL the indicators are then summarized at the bottom of the page, to give you an Average Performance Summary of how the Opinions would have done over the past five years.

In the example below, each indicator's hypothetical performance would have resulted in a profit except for the 20 Day Bollinger Bands:

Each of the indicators link to a page that shows the breakdown of hypothetical trades that the indicator suggested based on the Barchart Opinion. To view this information, click on any of the indicator names.

To illustrate, let's look at the 50 - 100 Day MACD Oscillator from the example above. There were 9 hypothetical trades with a total profit of $16,558.00.

 

Indicator Performance Page

The Indicator Performance page contains the Entry Date, Action and Price of each hypothetical trade, and the corresponding Exit Date, Action and Price. It shows the number of days you would have been in the trade, and the resulting profit or loss.

My Barchart members have the option to export the data to an Excel spreadsheet or as a .csv file by clicking on the "Export Data" icon at the top right of the page.

Actions include Bought, Sold, and O.T.E (Open Trade Equity). Positions listed as O.T.E have yet to be closed out, waiting for the proper Buy or Sell signal from the Opinions.

Using the example above, the 50-100 Day MACD Oscillator shows that a Buy of AAPL on 03/26/09 at $109.87 (following the Buy signal given by the indicator on that date) and a Sell on 8/31/10 at $243.10 (following the Sell signal given by the indicator on that date), resulted in a profit of $13,323.00 over 523 days.

To view how the signal from this indicator looked on each of the Action dates, click on either the "Bought" or "Sold" link to view the chart with the 50-100 Day MACD indicator from those specific Entry/Exit dates:

Bought 3/26/09	Sold 8/31/10

 

Show Max Profit and Drawdown

The link at the top of the Indicator Performance page allows you to show the Max Profit and Drawdown for each hypothetical trade. Max Profit and Drawdown are calculated as the greatest positive and negative difference between the opening price of the trade and the daily closing price for each day when the trade was in effect.

• Max Profit is the maximum amount of money your account would have theoretically been up, had you followed this trade.
• Drawdown is the maximum amount of money your account would have theoretically been down, had you followed this trade.
  
  

As on the previous Indicator Performance page, you may also view a chart of the trade with the indicator overlaid by clicking on the action of the trade (B = Buy, S = Sold, O = O.T.E).

Note: Performance analysis is based on closing prices, and today's brand new Buy and Sell Opinions will not be reflected until the next trading day.

Barchart allows you to view options by Expiration Date (select the expiration month/year using the drop-down menu at the top of the page). You may also choose from multiple views by clicking the appropriate link at the top of the page:

The Stacked View

The Stacked View will group all Calls together, and then group all Puts together, ordered from the lowest Strike Price to the highest strike price. Calls are "stacked" on top of the Put. "In-the-money" Calls are Puts are highlighted.

In-the-Money - Puts: Strike Price is greater than the Last Price
In-the-Money - Calls: Strike Price is less than the Last Price

Fields displayed on the Stacked View include:

• Strike - The price at which the contract can be exercised. Strike prices are fixed in the contract. For call options, the strike price is where the security can be bought (up to the expiration date), while for put options the strike price is the price at which shares can be sold. The difference between the underlying security's current market price and the option's strike price represents the amount of profit per share gained upon the exercise or the sale of the option. This is true for options that are in the money; the maximum amount that can be lost is the premium paid. (1)
  
• Symbol - the option ticker symbol, which can be broken down into five parts.
  
  • the first part is typically the same as the stock symbol
    
    
  • the second part is a single letter that identifies the expiration date, and whether this is a put or call option.
    
    

    JAN

    FEB

    MAR

    APR

    MAY

    JUN

    JUL

    AUG

    SEP

    OCT

    NOV

    DEC

    Calls

    A

    B

    C

    D

    E

    F

    G

    H

    I

    J

    K

    L

    Puts

    M

    N

    O

    P

    Q

    R

    S

    T

    U

    V

    W

    X

    
    
  • the third part, which consists of 4 digits, is the day and the month in which the option expires.
  • the fourth part is a one-digit number that identifies a scale for the strike price.
    • if the strike price is less than $10.00, the digit will be 5
    • if the strike price is between $10.00 and $100.00, the digit will be 4
    • if the strike price is between $100.00 and $1000.00, the digit will be 3
  • the fifth part is the strike price
    
    Example: IBMJ22113160
    
    IBM is the stock symbol
    J indicates this is a Call, expiring in October
    2211 indicates the option expires on the 22nd day of the 11th month
    3 indicates the strike price is between $100.00 and $1000.00
    160 indicates a strike price of $160.00
    
    
• Type - Put or Call. A Call option gives you the right to buy a stock and a Put option gives you the right to sell a stock.
• Last - the last traded price for the options contract.
• Chg - today's change in price
• Volume - the total number of option contracts bought and sold for the day, for that particular strike price.
• Open Int. - Open Interest is the total number of open option contracts that have been traded but not yet liquidated via offsetting trades for that date.

All option quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes, per exchange regulations.

(1) Source: Investopedia

Barchart allows you to view options by Expiration Date (select the expiration month/year using the drop-down menu at the top of the page). You may also choose from multiple views by clicking the appropriate link at the top of the page:

The Side-by-Side View

The Side-by-Side View will group the Call and Put for the same Strike price together on the same line. Calls are always on the left, with Puts on the right. The Puts and Calls are ordered from the lowest Strike Price to the highest strike price. The Last Price paid for the stock symbol is listed sequentially in the table and highlighted.

Fields displayed on the Side-by-Side View include:

• Symbol - the Call option ticker symbol, which can be broken down into five parts.
  
  • the first part is typically the same as the stock symbol
    
    
  • the second part is a single letter that identifies the expiration date, and whether this is a put or call option.
    
    

    JAN

    FEB

    MAR

    APR

    MAY

    JUN

    JUL

    AUG

    SEP

    OCT

    NOV

    DEC

    Calls

    A

    B

    C

    D

    E

    F

    G

    H

    I

    J

    K

    L

    Puts

    M

    N

    O

    P

    Q

    R

    S

    T

    U

    V

    W

    X

    
    
  • the third part, which consists of 4 digits, is the day and the month in which the option expires.
  • the fourth part is a one-digit number that identifies a scale for the strike price.
    • if the strike price is less than $10.00, the digit will be 5
    • if the strike price is between $10.00 and $100.00, the digit will be 4
    • if the strike price is between $100.00 and $1000.00, the digit will be 3
  • the fifth part is the strike price
    
    Example: IBMJ22113160
    
    IBM is the stock symbol
    J indicates this is a Call, expiring in October
    2211 indicates the option expires on the 22nd day of the 11th month
    3 indicates the strike price is between $100.00 and $1000.00
    160 indicates a strike price of $160.00
    
    
• Last - the last traded price for the Call.
• Chg - today's change in price for the Call.
• Bid - The latest price offered to buy this option.
• Ask - The latest price offered to sell a this option.
• Volume - the total number of option contracts bought and sold for the day, for that particular strike price.
• Open Int. - Open Interest is the total number of open option contracts that have been traded but not yet liquidated via offsetting trades for that date.
• Strike - The price at which the contract can be exercised. Strike prices are fixed in the contract. For call options, the strike price is where the security can be bought (up to the expiration date), while for put options the strike price is the price at which shares can be sold. The difference between the underlying security's current market price and the option's strike price represents the amount of profit per share gained upon the exercise or the sale of the option. This is true for options that are in the money; the maximum amount that can be lost is the premium paid. (1)
  
• Symbol - the Put option ticker symbol.
• Last - the last traded price for the Call.
• Chg - today's change in price for the Call.
• Bid - The latest price offered to buy this option.
• Ask - The latest price offered to sell a this option.
• Volume - the total number of option contracts bought and sold for the day, for that particular strike price.
• Open Int. - Open Interest is the total number of open option contracts that have been traded but not yet liquidated via offsetting trades for that date.

All option quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes, per exchange regulations.

(1) Source: Investopedia

Barchart allows you to view options by Expiration Date (select the expiration month/year using the drop-down menu at the top of the page). You may also choose from multiple views by clicking the appropriate link at the top of the page:

The Volatility & Greeks View

The Volatility & Greeks View presents theoretical information based on and calculated using the Black-Scholes Option Pricing model. This view is similar to the Stacked view, where Calls are listed first, and Puts are "stacked" underneath, but the table displays a different set of information for the options trader to help monitor and analyze your risk. "In-the-money" Calls are Puts are highlighted.

In-the-Money - Puts: Strike Price is greater than the Last Price
In-the-Money - Calls: Strike Price is less than the Last Price

Fields displayed on the Volatility & Greeks View include:

• Strike - The price at which the contract can be exercised. Strike prices are fixed in the contract. For call options, the strike price is where the security can be bought (up to the expiration date), while for put options the strike price is the price at which shares can be sold. The difference between the underlying security's current market price and the option's strike price represents the amount of profit per share gained upon the exercise or the sale of the option. This is true for options that are in the money; the maximum amount that can be lost is the premium paid. (1)
  
• Last - the last traded price for the Put or Call.
• Chg. - today's change in price for the Put or Call.
• Bid - The latest price offered to buy this option.
• Ask - The latest price offered to sell a this option.
• Implied Vol. - Implied Volatility can help traders determine if options are fairly valued, undervalued, or overvalued. It can therefore help traders make decisions about option pricing, and whether it is a good time to buy or sell options. Implied volatility is determined mathematically by using current option prices in a formula that also includes Standard Volatility (which is based on historical data). The resulting number helps traders determine whether the premium of an option is "fair" or not. It is also a measure of investors' predictions about future volatility of the underlying stock.
• Theo. Value - Theoretical Value is the hypothetical value of the option, calculated by the Black-Scholes Option Pricing Model.
• Open Int. - Open Interest is the total number of open option contracts that have been traded but not yet liquidated via offsetting trades for that date.
• Delta - Delta measures the sensitivity of an option's theoretical value to a change in the price of the underlying asset. It is normally represented as a number between minus one and one, and it indicates how much the value of an option should change when the price of the underlying stock rises by one dollar. (1)
• Gamma - Gamma measures the rate of change in the delta for each one-point increase in the underlying asset. It is a valuable tool in helping you forecast changes in the delta of an option or an overall position. Gamma will be larger for the at-the-money options, and gets progressively lower for both the in- and out-of-the-money options. Unlike delta, gamma is always positive for both calls and puts. (1)
• Rho - The rate at which the price of a derivative changes relative to a change in the risk-free rate of interest. Rho measures the sensitivity of an option or options portfolio to a change in interest rate. For example, if an option or options portfolio has a rho of 12.124, then for every percentage-point increase in interest rates, the value of the option increases 12.124%. (1)
• Theta - Theta is a measure of the time decay of an option, the dollar amount that an option will lose each day due to the passage of time. For at-the-money options, theta increases as an option approaches the expiration date. For in- and out-of-the-money options, theta decreases as an option approaches expiration. (1)
• Vega - Vega measures the sensitivity of the price of an option to changes in volatility. A change in volatility will affect both calls and puts the same way. An increase in volatility will increase the prices of all the options on an asset, and a decrease in volatility causes all the options to decrease in value. (1)

All option quotes are delayed at least 15 minutes, per exchange regulations.

(1) Source: Investopedia

Barchart allows you to view options by Expiration Date (select the expiration month/year using the drop-down menu at the top of the page). You may also choose from multiple views by clicking the appropriate link at the top of the page:

The Spread View

The Spread View presents three different spread groupings for your review: Bear Call Spreads, Bull Call Spreads, and Bull Put Spreads. Barchart calculates and displays 3 spreads in each of the breakouts which have a positive potential return

Bear Call Spreads

A type of options strategy used when a decline in the price of the underlying asset is expected. It is achieved by selling call options at a specific strike price while also buying the same number of calls, but at a higher strike price. The maximum profit to be gained using this strategy is equal to the difference between the price paid for the long option and the amount collected on the short option.

For example, let's assume that a stock is trading at $30. An option investor has purchased one call option with a strike price of $35 for a premium of $0.50 and sold one call option with a strike price of $30 for a premium of $2.50. If the price of the underlying asset closes below $30 upon expiration, then the investor collects $200 (($2.50 - $0.50) * 100 shares/contract). (1)

Data fields displayed include:

• Credit/Debit: The Ask price of the short call - the Ask price of the long call.
• Potential Return:
  1. Calculate the Loss: Loss = (Strike price of long call - Strike price of short call - Credit/Debit)
  2. Calculate the Potential Return: (<Credit or Debit> / Loss) * 100
• Break Even: The Strike price of the short call + the Credit/Debit
  
  

Bull Call Spreads

An options strategy that involves purchasing call options at a specific strike price while also selling the same number of calls of the same asset and expiration date but at a higher strike. A bull call spread is used when a moderate rise in the price of the underlying asset is expected. The maximum profit in this strategy is the difference between the strike prices of the long and short options, less the net cost of options. Most often, bull call spreads are vertical spreads.

Let's assume that a stock is trading at $18 and an investor has purchased one call option with a strike price of $20 and sold one call option with a strike price of $25. If the price of the stock jumps up to $35, the investor must provide 100 shares to the buyer of the short call at $25. This is where the purchased call option allows the trader to buy the shares at $20 and sell them for $25, rather than buying the shares at the market price of $35 and selling them for a loss. (1)



Data fields displayed include:

• Credit/Debit: The Ask price of the short call - the Ask price of the long call.
• Potential Return:
  1. Calculate the Profit: Profit = (Strike price of the short call - Strike price of long call - Credit/Debit)
  2. Calculate the Potential Return: (Profit / <Credit or Debit>) * 100
• Break Even: The Strike price of the long call + the Credit/Debit
  

Bull Put Spreads

A type of options strategy that is used when the investor expects a moderate rise in the price of the underlying asset. This strategy is constructed by purchasing one put option while simultaneously selling another put option with a higher strike price. The goal of this strategy is realized when the price of the underlying stays above the higher strike price, which causes the short option to expire worthless, resulting in the trader keeping the premium.

This type of strategy (buying one option and selling another with a higher strike price) is known as a credit spread because the amount received by selling the put option with a higher strike is more than enough to cover the cost of purchasing the put with the lower strike. The maximum possible profit using this strategy is equal to the difference between the amount received from the short put and the amount used to pay for the long put. The maximum loss a trader can incur when using this strategy is equal to the difference between the strike prices and the net credit received. Bull put spreads can be created with in-the-money or out-of-the-money put options, all with the same expiration date. (1)

Data fields displayed include:

• Credit/Debit: The Ask price of the short call - the Ask price of the long call.
• Potential Return:
  1. Calculate the Loss: Loss = (Strike price of short call - Strike price of long call - Credit/Debit)
  2. Calculate the Potential Return: (<Credit or Debit> / Loss) * 100
• Break Even: The Strike price of the short call - the Credit/Debit

(1) Source: Investopedia

A Profile gives you information about a stock ticker symbol. It contains general information about the stock, such as Ticker Symbol, Exchange traded on, Company Contact Address/Phone, CEO/President, and Company Description. It also includes links to the Industry, Sector, and Index in which the stock belongs: the SIC or the Standard Industrial Classification code, industry groups, and major-market indices including the three Dow Jones indices and their composite, the Nasdaq 100, and the S&P 500, 100 and 400.

For stocks, all fundamental information is provided by Zachs Investment Research.

The Profile for an ETF includes general information about the Exchange Traded Fund, including the Ticker Symbol, Exchange on which it's traded, a Description, links to its Sectors, and the Underlying Index.

Also included is Investment Information with links to the fund family's website, and the ETF's Top 10 Holdings.

Profile
Ticker Symbol	The symbol used to identify the ETF.
Name	The full name of the Exchange Traded Fund.
Exchange	The exchange on which the ETF trades.
Fund Family	The provider of the fund.
Sectors	The sectors in which a fund's equity holdings are distributed.
Underlying Index	The benchmark index for which the ETF aims to match the exact performance.
Asset Class	Refers to the categorization of an asset. Examples of key asset classes include stocks, bonds, commodities, currencies, real estate, and cash.
Inception Date	The date on which the ETF was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
First Trade Date	The date on which the ETF first traded.
Leverage	The main objective of leveraged ETFs is to deliver magnified performance of a particular stock, bond or commodity index. Most leveraged ETFs attempt to duplicate daily index returns by two or three times. Short leveraged ETFs aim for daily index returns that move in the opposite direction, but with magnified performance of two or three times.

Investment Information
Alpha	A statistical measure of performance adjusted for risk. Alpha reflects the amount by which an ETF outperforms or underperforms based upon its level of risk. Positive alpha means a fund performed greater than its risk would suggest, while negative Alpha means the fund under performed. An ETF of Alpha 1.5 outperformed its index by 1.5% as predicted by its Beta.
Beta	Coefficient that measures the volatility of an ETF's returns relative to the market (the S&P 500). A stock fund or ETF with a higher beta than the S&P 500 will rise or fall to a greater degree. In contrast, a stock fund or ETF with a low beta will rise or fall less.
Standard Deviation	Standard deviation measures the average variability of the fund's returns over a time period. Stable investments like money market funds have standard deviations near zero, while high-risk equity funds often have a much higher one. A standard deviation of 10 means approximately 68% of the time a fund will be within 10% of its mean (average) price.
Shares Outstanding, $K	Common shares outstanding as reported by the company on the 10-Q or 10-K.
Managed Assets, $K	Total managed assets include both the assets attributable to the purchase of stock by common shareholders and those attributable to the purchase of stock by preferred shareholders.
Net Asset Value	The per share price of an ETF. The true Net Asset Value (NAV) is not always reflected in the share price of the security because it may trade at a premium or discount to the NAV. The calculation of NAV is the fund's total net assets divided by the number of shares outstanding, minus fees and expenses.
First Traded Price	The price at which the ETF first traded.
P/E Ratio	The price of the stock divided by its earnings.
Management Fee	The charge (usually based on a percentage of assets under management) for managing the fund.
Options	Identifies whether or not options are available for the ETF.
Latest Dividend	Distribution of earnings paid out to shareholders. With mutual funds and ETFs, dividends can be a result of capital gains, interest income, or dividends paid to the fund itself by securities within the portfolio. Dividends are often paid quarterly, but the frequency can be less and is determined by fund management.
Dividend Date	The date when the last Dividend was paid.
Annual Dividend	Dividend, or portion of a company's profit paid to shareholders, divided by the number of common shares outstanding (usually a weighted average of the number of shares outstanding over the reporting period).
Annual Dividend Yield	The annual distribution rate of a fund calculated by dividing the amount of the dividends per share by the per share market price of the fund. For example, a fund price of $20 that pays a $2 dividend per year has a 10% dividend yield.
Latest Split	A split occurs when a company wants to change its stock price. If things are going well for the company, the stock price generally goes down by a ratio meant to keep the market cap constant. The number of outstanding shares would go up in this case. For example, a 2/1 split would double the number of outstanding shares and halve the stock price. A reverse split generally occurs when things are going poorly. In this case, the stock price goes up and the number of outstanding shares goes down, the market cap, again, remaining constant.
Split Date	Date of the most recent split.
YTD Return	The gain or loss for the year-to-date, beginning at the start of the calendar year.
1-3-5 Year Return	The gain or loss over a 1-3-5 year period, expressed as a percentage increase over the initial investment cost. Gains on investments are considered to be any income received from the security, plus realized capital gains.

A Profile for a commodities contract contains the Contract Specifications. Specifications include:

• Symbol - the root symbol for the commodity.
• Name - the commodity description
• Exchange - the exchange on which the commodity is traded.
• Trading Months - the months in which delivery may take place under the terms of a futures contract. Commodity exchanges typically refer to months using one letter:
  
  

  Month	Code
  January	F
  February	G
  March	H
  April	J
  May	K
  June	M
  July	N
  August	Q
  September	U
  October	V
  November	X
  December	Z

  
  
• Trading Unit - (sometimes referred to as Size) refers to the unit of measure in which the contract is traded. Common abbreviations you'll see include:
  
  

  Abbreviation	Description
  bu	bushel
  lbs	pounds
  cwt	hundred weight
  bbl	barrel
  gal	gallons
  mm btu	million British thermal units
  bd	board foot
  oz	ounce
  M	million
  ct	cents
  pt	point

  
  
• Tick Size - the smallest allowable increment of price movement for a contract.
• Daily Limit - the maximum gain or loss that the commodity is permitted to reach for a given trading session.
• Trading Hours - the days and hours in which the commodity is traded.
• Last Trading Day - the day in which trading terminates for this commodity for each Trading Month.
• Value of one futures unit - a measure of one basis point change in the futures price.
• Value of one options unit - a measure of one basis point change in the options price.
• CRB Yearbook Description - for commodities, the previous year's CRB Yearbook article will appear. Information includes a description/outlook for the commodity, prices, supply, demand, and trade statistics.

Key Statistics are only available for stock ticker symbols. Fundamental information provided by Zacks Investment Research, Inc.

Overview
Market Capitalization, $K	The market "cap," capitalization or market value of a stock is simply the market value of all outstanding shares. It is computed by multiplying the market price by the number of outstanding shares. For example, a publicly held company with 10 million shares outstanding that trade at $10 each would have a market capitalization of $100 million.
% of Institutional Shareholders:	Percentage of common stock held by banks, insurance companies and mutual funds with equity assets over $100 million.
Last Quarter Sales, $M	Quarter revenues attributed to sales, data taken from the 10-K.
Shares Outstanding, K	Common shares outstanding as reported by the company on the 10-Q or 10-K.
% of Insider Shareholders:	Percentage of common stock held by all reporting institutions on the corresponding institutional holdings date.
Last Quarter Net Income, $M	Amount of a company's total sales (revenue) remaining after subtracting all of its costs in a given period of time.
Growth
1-3-5 Year Return %	The gain or loss over a 1-3-5 year period, expressed as a percentage increase over the initial investment cost. Gains on investments are considered to be any income received from the security, plus realized capital gains.
5 Year Revenue Growth	5 Year cumulative revenue growth.
5 Year Earnings Growth	5 Year cumulative earnings growth.
5 Year Dividend Growth	5 Year cumulative dividend growth.
Per-Share Information
Last Quarter EPS	The Earnings Per Share for the last fiscal quarter.
Annual EPS, $	The basic EPS from total operations is the bottom line income after all expenses, divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. For example, if a company has $10 million in net income and 10 million in outstanding shares, then its EPS is $1.
Annual Dividend Rate, $	Dividend, or portion of a company's profit paid to shareholders, divided by the number of common shares outstanding (usually a weighted average of the number of shares outstanding over the reporting period).
Annual Dividend Yield, %	Latest dividend rate divided by the closing price on that latest dividend date.
12 Month EPS Change	Change from total operations one year ago.
P/E Ratio	Latest closing price divided by the earnings-per-share based on the Latest 12-Month EPS Change (LTM) of earnings. Companies with negative earnings receive an "NE."
Most Recent Earnings, $	The amount of latest Earnings Per Share (EPS) paid out to shareholders.
Most Recent Dividend	The major exchanges require four business days prior to the Record Date for recording ownership changes. The day that begins this four-day period is the Ex-Date. Investors who purchase the stock prior to the Ex-Date are eligible for this dividend, and investors who purchase the stock on or after the Ex-Date are not entitled to this dividend. Empirical evidence has shown that this is also the date that the market reflects the dividend policy in the stock price, and the stock price generally goes up prior to this date.
Most Recent Split	A stock split occurs when a company wants to change its stock price. If things are going well for the company, the stock price generally goes down by a ratio meant to keep the market cap constant. The number of outstanding shares would go up in this case. For example, a 2/1 split would double the number of outstanding shares and halve the stock price. A reverse split generally occurs when things are going poorly. In this case, the stock price goes up and the number of outstanding shares goes down, the market cap, again, remaining constant.
36 Month Beta	Coefficient that measures the volatility of a stock's returns relative to the market (S&P 500). It is based on a 36-month historical regression of the return on the stock onto the return on the S&P 500.

Ratios are only available for stock ticker symbols.

All financial data are taken from actual company annual reports - 10-K reports, 10-Q reports, interim reports, EDGAR filings, and public relations wire releases.

Earnings/Share	The basic EPS from total operations is the bottom line income after all expenses, divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. For example, if a company has $10 million in net income and 10 million in outstanding shares, then its EPS is $1.
Profit Margin	Profit margin after cost of goods sold. Fiscal year revenues minus fiscal year cost of goods sold divided by the revenues.
Return on Equity	Last twelve months (LTM) earnings from total operations (not including extraordinary items) divided by the Most Recent Quarter Common Stock Equity.
Return on Assets	Fiscal year earnings from total operations (not including extraordinary items) divided by the total assets, expressed as a percentage. Data taken from the 10-K.
Price/Sales	Latest closing price of the stock divided by the last twelve months (LTM) revenue/sales per share.
Price/Earnings	Latest closing price divided by the earnings-per-share based on the last twelve months (LTM) of earnings. Companies with negative earnings receive an "NE."
Price/Book	Closing price of the stock on the last trading day of the fiscal year divided by the fiscal year book value per share. Book value is the same figure as common stock equity from the 10-Q or 10-K.
Debt/Equity	The debt to equity ratio measures what proportion of equity and debt a company is using to raise money, and is calculated as follows: Debt/Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities/Shareholder’s Equity Both total liabilities and shareholder’s equity can be taken directly from a company’s balance sheet—yep, it’s that simple. As you can probably deduce, a number greater than one indicates that more debt than equity is currently being used by the company. In a nutshell, the higher the number, the higher the level of debt. But at what level should a red flag should be raised? It is always a good idea, when using any ratio, to make comparisons to other firms in the same industry, or to the industry as a whole. Is it borrowing more than its peers? Or is it in line with the industry average? Good questions to ask yourself.
Interest Coverage	With debt come interest payments. With this being said, a ratio that helps an investor determine just how successful a company has been meeting its interest payments would come in handy. Introducing…the interest coverage ratio, which is calculated as follows: Interest Coverage Ratio = EBITA/Interest Expense EBITDA is short for earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (wow that’s a mouthful). The earnings, tax and interest figures are found on the income statement, while the depreciation and amortization figures can usually be located in the notes to operating profit or on the cash flow statement. It is typically recommended that companies maintain an interest coverage ratio of 1.5 or greater. This usually signifies that a company is producing enough cash to meet its interest obligations.
Book Value	Fiscal year common equity (book value) divided by the fiscal year common shares outstanding; data is taken from the 10-K.
Dividend Payout	Latest fiscal year payout per share divided by the fiscal EPS, expressed as a percentage. The percentage indicates the percent of EPS paid out as a dividend.

An Income Statement is only available for stock ticker symbols, either on a quarterly or annual basis.

All financial data are taken from actual company annual reports - 10-K reports, 10-Q reports, interim reports, EDGAR filings, and public relations wire releases.

Revenue	Income received from normal business activities.
Depreciation/Amortization	Reduction in the value of the asset. Depreciation and Amortization (the depreciation of intangible assets) are considered non-cash expenses.
Operating Income	Also called operating profit or EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes), this is a measure of a company's earning power from ongoing operations, equal to earnings before deduction of interest payments and income taxes.
Sales	Cumulative revenues, i.e. data taken from the 10-Qs.
Dividend	A portion of a company's profit paid to common and preferred shareholders.
Income (Net Income)	Amount of a company's total sales (revenue) remaining after subtracting all of its costs, in a given period of time.
Earnings/Share	The basic EPS from total operations is the bottom line income after all expenses, divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. For example, if a company has $10 million in net income and 10 million in outstanding shares, then its EPS is $1.
Shares Outstanding	Common shares outstanding as reported by the company on the 10-Q or 10-K.

A Balance Sheet is only available for stock ticker symbols, either on a quarterly or annual basis

All financial data are taken from actual company annual reports - 10-K reports, 10-Q reports, interim reports, EDGAR filings, and public relations wire releases.

Cash & Equivalents, $M	Consists of cash and cash-like items such as short-term investments that can be quickly converted to cash.
Net Fixed Assets, $M	Assets of a company of a relatively permanent nature and not intended for resale, such as property, plant and equipment (PP&E). Cost minus the accumulated depreciation and amortization.
Intangibles, $M	Assets neither physical nor financial in nature, but still having value to the company. Intangibles are a listed net of accumulated amortization.
Other Assets, $M	Includes any items that are not assigned to categories under total money market investments in the income statement.
Current Assets, $M	Cash and equivalents + receivables + inventories + other current assets. A total current asset is the total amount of assets considered to be convertible into cash within a relatively short period of time, usually a year.
Total Assets, $M	Total current assets + total non-current assets. equals the summation of all asset items on the balance sheet.
Short-Term Debt, $M	Represents the amount of borrowings (principal and interest) that must be paid in the near future (usually one year).
Long-Term Debt, $M	Debt having a maturity of more than one year from the date it was issued.
Other Liabilities, $M	Includes all other liabilities not assigned to non-interest-bearing deposits or interest-bearing deposits.
Current Liabilities, $M	The sum of all money owed and due within one year.
Total Liabilities, $M	Total current liabilities + total non-current liabilities. Sum of all liability items on the balance sheet.
Common Equity, $M	Amount of shareholder's equity attributable to common stock. This figure is taken from the annual or quarterly reports. Common stock equity generally consists of the following items: Common stock (all issues) at par value. Capital surplus or additional paid-in capital. Retained earnings or earned surplus (net of foreign exchange gains/losses). Common Stock Equity = common stock (all issues) at par + capital surplus (additional paid-in capital) + retained earnings (earned surplus).

News for individual stock symbols comes from The Associated Press (AP).

Commodities display news from a numnber of sources, including Brugler Ag News and InsideFutures Commentary.

Forex news is delivered from The Associated Press (AP) and InsideFutures Commentary.