Mina Mar Group

Deposit Trust Company (DTC) is the largest securities depository in the world, created by securities industry to imporove efficiences and reduce risk in the clearence and settlement of securities transactions. It was founded in 1973 and based in New York, DTC is organized as limited purpose trust company meaning it is charted by state to perform specific trust functions, acting as a depositor or safekeeper for securities and mortgages. Basically DTC holds securities for banks and investment firms. DTC alos acts as clearing agency, registered with SEC for securities transactions in the U.S. market, invloving equities, corporate and municipal debt, money market instruments, American depositary receipts and exchange traded funds. All movements of securities are made electronically with book-enry adjustments. Most large U.S broker-dealers and banks are DTC participants, menaing they deposit and hold securities at DTC. Individual investors cannot be participants.  DTC appears i...

Futures contract or just futures is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell assets at a predetermined price at a specified date in the future. Underlying asset can be stock market index, currencies or most common commodities - oil. gasoline and gold. Buyer of the future has the obligation to buy the underlying asset when the future contract expires just like the seller has the obligation to provide the asset at the expiration date. Futures that are traded on commodity future exchanges are more standardized and regulated like Chicago Mercantile Exchange or  New York Mercantile Exchange. Standardized contract means that for instance, one future oil contract is for 1,000 of oil and one gold contract is for 100 troy ounces of gold. The Commodities Futures Trading Commission regulates the exchanges and require buyers and sellers to be registered. Futures are used by two types of market participants - hedgers and speculators. Guarantees to buy or sell at a cert...

Companies raise capital by issuing shares on the primary market which is regulated by Securities Exchange Act of 1933. The following year Securities exchange Act of 1934 was enacted by Roosevelt administration which regulates securities on the secondary market, where they are traded after original issuance. This Act created Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and gave it broad power to register, regulate and oversee securities, markets and financial professionals. SEC has disciplinary power over regulated entities and person associated with them if they engage in prohibited conducts in the market. Requirements outlined in securities Act of 1934 must be followed by all companies that are listed on stock exchange. Primary requirements include corporate reporting, proxy solicitation, tender offers, insider trading and registration of exchanges and associations. Companies that have more than $10 million is assets and more than 500 shareholders must do annual and periodic ...

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is independent U.S federal agency that regulates the stock market. It was created in 1934 by Congress to help restore investor confidence after the 1929 stock market crash. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 was created by Securities and Exchange Commission. It govern securities transaction on the secondary market relying on Securities Act of 1933 which increased transparency in financial  statements and  established  laws against fraudulent activities. In essence SEC provides transparency by ensuring accurate and consistent information about companies that allows investors to make informed and sound decisions. Without transparency stock market would be vulnerable to market speculation and creation of asset bubbles.  Securities and Exchange Commission has five  commissioners and five different divisions: Division of corporate finance - review corporate filing requirements ensuring that investors have c...

Bear market is defined as a market trend in which price of securities fall 20% or more from previous market peak and last two months or longer. Usually bear market is caused bu declining economic activity caused by a change in monetary policy. Recession is accompanied by low employment. Stock market crash, drop in stock price of 10% or more in just a day or two can cause bear market and negative investor sentiment. It can occur in any asset class, stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities or section of industry. In stocks bear market is measured by indexes like Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq, if they are continuing to lower over period of time. Bear market can be recognized through observation of business cycles. It is the opposite of bull market or expansion phase when asset price continue to grow over time. sometimes corrections, less severe decline in price that lasts less than two months. Investors use different steps to protect themselves like increasing amount of cash...

The term penny stock refers to securities that usually trade at over the counter market at less than $5 per share. Such stocks are mostly issued by smaller companies whose shares trade on OTC Markets or less frequently on OTC Bulletin Boar. Penny stock are also considered highly speculative, with small market capitalization, lacking liquidity and disclosures urging Congress to prohibit broker-dealers from effecting transactions in penny stocks unless they comply with the requirements of Section 15(h) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 also known as Penny Stock Rule. To comply with the requirements of Section 15(h) of Securities and Exchange Act broker-dealer must: approve the customer for the specific penny stock transaction and receive a written agreement to the transaction furnish the customer a disclosure document describing the risks of investing in penny stocks disclose to the customer the current market quotation, if any, for the penny stock disclose to the ...

An exchange traded fund is an investment fund that comprises different securities and is traded on exchange much like a stock. This type of fund track stock or bond index like Standard&Poor's. Similarly like mutual funds ETFs have mixed portfolio consisting of various types of securities like stocks, bonds and commodities. Funds hold different underlying assets that are divided in shares with attached price which makes them marketable security that trades on exchange so its price can change during the trading day. Exchange  traded funds differ depending on their focus on different aspects of the market. Some funds have stock from hundreds and even thousands different industries while some other may focus on one particular industry  sector. In the same manner some are interested in exclusively on U.S. securities while others have more global approach. Some examples of ETFs are bond ETFs that include different types of bonds (government, corporate and...

Due diligence is defined as investigation or audit that reasonable business and person undertakes before potential investment or before entering an agreement to confirm all facts. Most investor are doing research before buying a security but due diligence can be done by a seller who investigates buyer's capability to complete the purchase. After the Securities Act of 1933 due diligence become common practice in United States when brokers and dealers became responsible for disclosing all relevant information about securities they were selling or they will otherwise be accountable and liable for prosecution. This put brokers into sensitive position where they could be unfairly prosecuted. In response creators of the Act set rule that says if broker performed due diligence when investigating companies whose securities they are going to sell and disclose that information to the public they are not held accountable. Not only prospective investors perform due diligence but also ...

Selling restricted or control shares is not an easy task. Securities and Exchange Commission has enforced Rule 144 that set conditions under which restricted, unregistered and control shares can be sold or resold. This type of sale is very close to interest of the issuing company so SEC demands that those type of securities be registered. Under Securities Act of 1933 all securities must either be registered with SEC or be exempt from registration requirements. Rule 144 provides exemption that allows the resale of unregistered securities in public stock market if a number of conditions are met. Even if you meet requirements transfer agents needs to remove the restrictive  legend so the sale will be possible. Investor usually acquire those types of shares through private placement or stock benefit plans offered by their employee. Restricted stock are nontransferable shares of ownership in a corporation, usually issued as a compensation, stock benefits plan, in exchange for pr...

In short, option gives the buyer the right but not the obligation to buy or sell an underlying asset at a set price during the life of the contract. They are considered financial derivative namely derivative is a financial instrument with a price that is based on an underlying asset. In other words price of the option derives its value from the underlying assets that can be futures, commodities, currencies, securities or indexes. Usually they are purchased through online or retail broker. We will discuss stock options where underlying asset is stock. For example option on stock ABC gives option holder the right to buy or sell ABC stock at a strike price up until expiration date. In this case underlying asset is ABC stock because the price of the option is based on the stock price. Writing an option refers to investment contract in which fee is paid for the right to buy or sell shares at a predetermined future date. The fee paid depends on several factors like current price...

Simple definition of short selling  is the sale of an asset that the seller has borrowed in order to profit later from  fall in the price of the asset. In other words trader sells securities at one price and buys it back at a lower price making gain in the price difference. in this article we are referring to stock although you ca short any instrument or asset, bonds, commodities, currencies, etc. There is usually certain amount of speculation that causes traders to short sell or the need to protect oneself against loss on investment by balancing transaction. Basically there are two basic types of investors, buy-and-hold investors and  day traders. The first hold their portfolio stocks for the long term expecting to see significant rise in price over time which will result in gains. Other category of investors trade on the short term basis. Unlike investors that go long and wait for stock price to build up traders buy stock that will possibly fall in price....

Over-the-counter may refer to OTC market or process of trading securities that are not listed on some of major exchanges. On OTC market securities are traded via broker dealers who quote the stock unlike exchanges which function as auction market. Companies that can't meet listing requirements of major exchanges usually because they are too small and volatile or they don't want to be subjected to strict regulations and requirements of exchange trade on OTC market as so called unlisted securities. Over-the-counter market is decentralized market, without physical location. Broker dealers who are regulated by Financial Regulatory Agency (FINRA) act as market makers by quoting the prices but it is possible that transaction can happened between two parties without others knowing information about price. This makes market less transparent alongside fewer regulatory requirements. Stocks trading on OTC are considered to bear additional risk, especially default risk but it is ...

Not all stocks fulfill listing requirements for major stock exchanges like Nasdaq and NYSE but they trade on over the counter market (OTC). Even though many believe penny stock trade less than a $1 per share, Securities and Exchange Commission defines them as a securities issued by small-cap and micro-cap companies that trade under a $5 price. Because of their low price penny stocks are often logical beginning for new investors. What this means is that you can buy thousands of shares of various companies without investing significant financial means. You may even hear from some investors that they joined "one million club" owning million shares of the same company trading on OTC. With such big numbers of shares, price raise of even few cents can bring nice gains for investor. Some may be attracted to penny stock because they are dreaming of big profits, buying shares for couple of cents and selling them for millions. Even though penny stocks can be lucrative there ar...

Investing is a great way to grow wealth. The key is to minimize the cost and maximize the return but you will have to keep a few things in mind. Doesn't matter if you have a couple of thousands or a hundred dollars you can always find a way to invest your money, from big blue chip to companies to investing in retirement plan available at your work. First of all you need to determine what is your investment style and choose the right broker accordingly. If you are individual type and you want to explore the market and pick the stock that you like than online or discount broker might be the right for you. Once considered exception online brokers are now the norm. Considered as simple order takers they are the least expensive professionals licensed to buy stock on your behalf. You will be charged on per-transaction or per-share basis. Communication takes place over the phone or via internet. Broker tech support allows you buy and sell stock instantly through your account. The...