Simply Wall Street - detailed trading info service/app

[GreenEggs]

Here's the link : https://simplywall.st/about


Have any of you seen or tried Simply Wall Street? It's an investment info site that utilizes a lot of graphics to help convey the complex information used to help evaluate stocks.

I admit that I'm a stock market newbie, but I've been scouring the web recently trying to find useful info to help me gain an understanding & hopefully an edge.

I've read blogs, articles, charts, etc. looking for anything that seems useful. I just stumbled upon Simply Wall St which is very different from anything I'd seen. It's highly visual with lots of easy to understand graphical depictions along with the supporting numbers. You don't have to "hunt" for the details to understand. There seems to be much more relevant info, gathered & compiled on a single page than I've seen elsewhere. They say it's "same high-quality financial data the Institutions use" which normally costs $8000 per year. "72,000 companies, 41 exchanges across 27 markets."

The info is categorized in a number of useful ways, to filter what you are interested in & group it together. It allows you to zero in on what you're interested in depending on your trading style.

It's the first stock info app that I'd consider paying for. They offer a 2 week free learning period. If you like it enough to subscribe it's $115 per year.



Give me your opinion if you like it or not. I'll be checking it out for the next couple of weeks before deciding to subscribe.

[OldShooter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs ...I admit that I'm a stock market newbie ...

Read either "A Random Walk Down Wall Street" by Burton Malkiel (get the latest edition) or "Winning the Loser's Game" by Charles Ellis. They will make you money.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs ... I've been scouring the web recently trying to find useful info to help me gain an understanding & hopefully an edge ...

We've all been there. But consider this: There are about 3600 investable stocks in the US market and about 10,000 mutual funds. Each of the funds has multiple analysts with unlimited computer power and huge databases working full time to find an "edge." So every stock has many eyes looking at it on a constant basis, hair triggered to correct any mispricing. All of these analysts and all of these funds routinely fail to beat passive strategies. Search for and read S&P SPIVA and S&P Manager Persistence reports.

Also consider this: if the guy hawking the web site actually knew how to win, do you think he would be out hustling for the few bucks he can make that way? Of course not, and neither would you or I.

Sorry, ... there is no "edge."

[GreenEggs]

"Sorry,...there is no "edge." "

Next, you're probably going to claim that there is no Big Foot.

Just because you never found an edge doesn't mean there isn't one.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs "Sorry,...there is no "edge." " Next, you're probably going to claim that there is no Big Foot. Just because you never found an edge doesn't mean there isn't one.

Computer trading has the edge these days. Even hedge funds get creamed and they have a lot of smart people trying to manipulate stocks.

The retail investor/trader is last to know any news that would move a stock.

[njhowie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 Computer trading has the edge these days. Even hedge funds get creamed and they have a lot of smart people trying to manipulate stocks. The retail investor/trader is last to know any news that would move a stock.

That all may be true. However it does not mean that the retail investor/trader cannot gain an edge or that he/she cannot outperform the computers, hedge funds and their army of smart people, or even the market.

[njhowie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs Here's the link : https://simplywall.st/about Have any of you seen or tried Simply Wall Street? It's an investment info site that utilizes a lot of graphics to help convey the complex information used to help evaluate stocks.

I have briefly looked at Simply Wall Street a couple of times. For the novice investor it's a very good tool and in comparison to others out there, it presents information in an easy to digest format. Pictures being worth a thousand words, it utilizes them to its benefit. As you imply, the price is also very competitive compared to other services out there.

Now, understand that it's only as good as the information it sources and the logic behind it. The information sources may be providing factual financial information, but that does not mean that information allows their system to interpret situations correctly or make valid predictions. These days there's more to corporate financials than can be gleaned simply by looking at the numbers. Most companies stretch the limits of accounting in their reporting - reporting two sets of numbers, GAAP and non-GAAP. Some are going so far that they practically hide the GAAP financials. They can literally turn a loss into a profit. When reporting their non-GAAP financials, they can essentially make up whatever they like.

There's lots more that can be discussed. However, back to the original question you're asking - as a tool for doing research, Simply Wall Street provides a unique view and can be another instrument in your investment toolkit. It doesn't mean you should take its buy/sell recommendations blindly, but they can be another point of reference.

[njhowie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreenEggs "Sorry,...there is no "edge." " Next, you're probably going to claim that there is no Big Foot. Just because you never found an edge doesn't mean there isn't one.

Agreed.

As an individual investor, you do have the potential to gain an edge. However, that is not going to come as a result of what can be gleaned from studying the same financial information as everyone else out there. It may point you to investments which have greater potential to do well in the future, but again, you're not gaining any edge by reviewing the same financial info, or having a system that is making predictions based on the same financial info which everyone has at their finger tips.

If you're talking about "trading", without question, the computer systems will have access to and be able to act on information more quickly than the individual.

However, are you "trading" or "investing"? If the answer is that you're investing, then over the longer term, the computer systems do not have any advantage at all. The computer systems look to exploit the current/immediate situation to jump in/out scalping for pennies. As an investor, you're looking for performance over the next one, two, five, ten years or more. As a result of how the markets operate today, many folks have come to believe that investing is about how quickly you can make a profit, where what they are talking about is "trading".

Similar for most hedge funds. Since they are being paid for performance, they have to show returns year in and year out or they lose their customers. This means they generally have much shorter investment horizons. When an investment underperforms, they are less likely to stick with it longer term and instead cut and run.

Becoming a good investor (or trader), like anything else, only comes about through experience, and that takes time. Go slowly, and be cautious about putting your money in to any individual company/stock. Before you hit the Buy button, be sure you have it in your head that you may very well lose money on it, or potentially lose it all. If this does not sit well with you, then by all means, just put your money in to a good index fund, set it, and forget it.

Lastly, if you are going to invest in individual stocks/companies...because we now have commission free trading, there is absolutely no reason to make a big investment at one time. Do you believe that buying at the current price is the bottom, that you're buying at the annual (or near-term/long-term) low, that the shares only go higher moving forward? Very likely not. There's absolutely no reason to buy more at one time. You found a company/stock you like/love - instead of buying 100 shares, buy 5 shares. If they go lower, buy 5 more. There is no financial incentive for buying more in a single transaction these days.

[Red Badger]

Why do all that when you can just bet it all on black and spin the wheel? Or red....

[Fermion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Badger Why do all that when you can just bet it all on black and spin the wheel? Or red....

Because you can deduct losses in the stock market much easier than casino losses...and you can carry them forward :-)

[ncbill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by njhowie That all may be true. However it does not mean that the retail investor/trader cannot gain an edge or that he/she cannot outperform the computers, hedge funds and their army of smart people, or even the market.

From what ai've read here and on other forums most retail investors don't seem to account for risk.

There are people here posting about their portfolios beating the market, but they clearly don't understand the reason for that is that their particular portfolio is riskier than the market portfolio.

The risk-adjusted return is what matters.

[Fermion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncbill From what ai've read here and on other forums most retail investors don't seem to account for risk. There are people here posting about their portfolios beating the market, but they clearly don't understand the reason for that is that their particular portfolio is riskier than the market portfolio. The risk-adjusted return is what matters.

This is why some market timers don't beat the index...because their risk is lower.

[njhowie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ncbill From what ai've read here and on other forums most retail investors don't seem to account for risk. There are people here posting about their portfolios beating the market, but they clearly don't understand the reason for that is that their particular portfolio is riskier than the market portfolio. The risk-adjusted return is what matters.

Indeed.

However, I see just as many cult-like preachers, advocating that it is impossible for anyone to outperform the market, under any circumstances - with or without consideration for risk. That is simply untrue.

[OldShooter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by njhowie That all may be true. However it does not mean that the retail investor/trader cannot gain an edge or that he/she cannot outperform the computers, hedge funds and their army of smart people, or even the market.

True, of course. It is a matter of luck, odds, and possibly skill. But the odds are seriously against the retail investor.

@GreenEggs, let me add one more book recommendation: "Fooled by Randomness" by Nassim Taleb. Learning by reading is much cheaper than learning by trading. There is a poster here who has this Will Rogers quotation in their sig line: "There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves."

And a data point: TDAmeritrade has historically specialized in serving retail traders. While researching for an investment class I teach, I visited their local office and spent some time talking to the branch manager. At one point I asked her: "How did your retail traders do last year [2017]?" She hesitated a bit, looked a little embarrassed, and finally said "About 1 1/2%." Considering that this number must have had survivorship bias, the real result would have been lower and maybe even negative. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias)

And here's how 2017 turned out for real investors: https://www.thestreet.com/story/1443...ance-2017.html

Be careful out there!

[GreenEggs]

I think fishing is a good comparison to the stock market.

There are fishing ships dragging huge nets through the ocean. They haul in tons of fish every day. They have expert captains & crew and millions invested in their equipment to maximize their profits.

I have a $20 pole, a 6 pack of beer, and a can of bait. I can still catch some fish & have a good time doing it. Some days I have luck and other days not so much.

What's the difference?

[OldShooter]

@GreenEggs, you clearly want to do this. We've all had that urge. So go do it. No point in reading any books. I hope you don't lose too much money.

& no point arguing about your fishing simile, but hard to see how you could know "a good comparison to the stock market" when you "admit that I'm a stock market newbie"