Long Tail

A ‘long tail’ means the low for the day was well below the close. In other words, the market opened, sellers took over and pushed the index down, but then buyers came back in and ran the index back up to where it opened. The buyers had the last say on the day and showed a lot of strength moving up. That tends to show a reversal in the buying patterns and foretells a further rise from here for the short term.

Investment Capital

Initial investment capital necessary for starting a business. Investment capital usually consists of inventory, equipment, pre-opening expenses and leaseholds.

Material Change

A change in an issuer’s affairs that could have a significant effect on the market value of its securities, such as a change in the nature of the business or control of the issuer. Under the principle of continuous disclosure, a listed issuer must issue a news release and report to the applicable self-regulatory organization as soon as a material change occurs.

Inventory

Raw materials, work in process, and finished goods that haven’t been shipped to customers.

Moving Average (MA)

The average closing price of a stock over a specified period. For instance, the 10-day MA is the average closing price for the past 10 days. Stocks are said to be in an uptrend when above their MA and in a downtrend when below. The most widely followed MAs are 50 days and 200 days. Long-term investors tend to look at the 200-day MA while active traders are more likely to pay attention to the 50-day MA. Many investors look at both. As a general rule, it’s best to avoid stocks trading below both their 50- and 200-day MAs.

Margin

Margin allows investors to buy securities using borrowed money from a broker. The investor is charged interest for the loan. Margin requirements differ depending upon the type of transaction being made or the type of stock being purchased, e.g., selling puts, buying stock, credit spreads. Options are not generally marginable.