Listing Requirements Of the 12,052 stocks currently available for purchase on the TD Ameritrade Institutional platform, 6,173 are listed on one of the national exchanges. This includes the 3,297 names listed on the NASDAQ, the 2,654 stocks that populate the NYSE (big board), and the 222 are out in left field on the AMEX. The remaining 5,879 are traded using local exchanges in what are called the over the counter (OTC) market or the bulletin boards (Pink Sheets). These "unlisted" stocks are usually very small companies with very low trading volume and shares prices that are usually measured in the pennies rather than dollar amounts. For this reason, they are sometimes also referred to as "penny" stocks. It is somewhat akin to school kids playing baseball outside of a professional stadium. Sometimes it is great. Other times, not so great. The listing requirements of each of the three national exchanges varies, but has a few common themes. There is a listing fee that...

  Location? Location?? Location??? There is the age old saying in the real estate world that the three most important factors to consider before making a purchase decision are location, location, and location. Here is my ameture attempt at an enticing listing for a house. Own a piece of history! This 4 bedroom, 2 bath castle built in the Second Empire architectural style is a commuters dream. Enjoy 360 degree water views while skipping ALL the traffic on your way into the big city. From Broadway shows to Wall Street deals - the world is your oyster from this one-of-a-kind perch. Fish in the morning mist and bask in the afternoon sun on your own private beach. Enjoy country living with downtown access. Bid early and bid often! If you had read just the text and viewed just the photos, you might think that this was the find of a lifetime. Glancing at the map might add some cause for concern and make you think that this listing is not for everyone. Diving past the headlines and looking...

  What Is The CPI? The consumer price index (CPI) is a price metric for a market basket of goods and services purchased by US households at a specific point in time. Changes to the CPI are widely used in the US and other countries as measures of price inflation. Along with population growth over time, the trends in CPI are closely watched by national governments throughout the world as critical inputs for economic policy. Positive price inflation decreases our purchasing power for a market basket of goods and services over time while negative price inflation increases that purchasing power. One of the primary charges for the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) is to promote price stability. Although a constant measure of CPI ensures price stability, that is rarely optimal for a properly functioning economy and financial marketplace. When prices are dropping (or expected to drop) for goods and services, consumers have an incentive to wait for a lower price in the future. On the fli...

  Boats Before Airplanes It may not come as any great surprise that humans have been getting around on the water using boats for thousands of years. Airplanes are a relatively new innovation that was inspired by watching birds cover great distances in very little time. Thanks to Archimedes principle (circa 246 BC), boats displace a volume of water equal in weight to the weight of the boat. This allows watercraft constructed of various materials (including wood, aluminum, steel, cement, and lead) to float and maintain their stability. Many wonder how airplanes stay aloft just as birds soar above a ridge full of updrafts. Airplanes are designed with a fuselage that carries passengers (or cargo), wings that generate lift, and appendages that provide control. The lift force must be at least as large as the weight force in order to maintain or increase the altitude. This is possible because of a principle called the Kutta condition. The formal definition is that the velocities leav...

  A History lesson It is common practice to make new year's resolutions to turn over a new leaf and make a fresh start for the indefinite future. On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln penned the Emancipation Proclamation declaring all person held as slaves within the rebellious states be freed to live life on their own terms. This document solidified the notion that the already war for the Union was becoming more a war for freedom. One aspect of this dynamic was any Confederate region overcome by the Union Army was immediately subject to this proclamation. Liberated slaves often joined the Union Army and Navy to become the new liberators. My own great, great grandfather (Major James Quackenbush Rice) died in the Third Battle Of Winchester on September 19, 1864 fighting for this cause as part of the Union Army. A Slave Ship La Amistad was a 120 foot two masted brigantine schooner owned by a Spaniard and based out of Cuba. Strangely enough, her name means "friendship...

I realize that this title may ruffle more than a few feathers. It is intentionally dramatic and thought provoking. Bitcoin has been all over the news lately after reaching new highs and taking dome deep dives. The Earth keeps turning. And turning. And turning. But that beautifully symmetric pattern is starting to wobble - and we humans may have something to do with this anomaly. Mother Earth First You do not have to be Captain Obvious to realize that Mother Earth came first in the grand chronological pecking order. We have (or perhaps had) everything we need to sustain life on this planet in the form of clean air, fresh water, and radiant sunshine. The fruits of our labor will soon sprout from the ground and we will be rewarded with beauty to the eye, fragrance for the nose, and taste in our hungry palette. We have everything we need for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As long as we do not destroy it. Bitcoin Distant Second In the event named the 100 Guineas Cup, several s...