Blog Update

Hello all - you may have noticed I haven't posted for a while. However, the information in the various entries is still up-to-date.

The librarian blogs have been moved from the main page of the library due to a web design. I'll probably be posting intermittently on this format as a result.

I'll still be sharing what I know on this blog and also on various LibGuides.

Trade Organizations and Statistics

Trade or professional organizations can be good sources for otherwise hard to find statistics on sales, volume, value, industry trends or other news. Many times these figures are cited as definitive as possible sources.

There are organizations for toys, chocolate, automobile sales, and so on.

They have stats like this:



You can do a google search for their websites or.....

you can search our database Ward's Directory and be sure to select advanced search and search the Encyclopedia of Associations by keywords. More clicks but better results.
 

Book Review: Reminiscences of A Stock Operator

This may be the best book ever written about trading stocks. Sure, it was written a hundred years or so ago, but the market behaves very similarly today. 

Jesse Livermore made millions in the glory years of early 20th century stock trading. He DID NOT use inside information either - just tape reading (the record of price movement).

Here's some major takeaways from the book:

1. Learn to read a chart (book doesn't discuss chart reading, just advises you to learn it)
2. Learn to trust your instincts, read the chart and ignore hot tips.
3. Learn that the market forms ideas that it is slow to abandon.
4. Learn to trade current events
5. Learn to recognize deceptive tricks (And this book has a lot of classic examples that still get used today!)

Wonderful writing really gives you a sense of early 20th century stock plungers: the bucket shops, the trips to Florida for fishing, catching the train, going broke in Boston and starting over in Cleveland, the crusty characters at the local stock brokerages and more. 

What Investors Can Learn From Accounting Standards

Here's a way to get a little more insight when looking at a company's financials.

One size of analysis does not fit all - and contracts, depreciation, costs, inventory and other financials may be handled very differently owing to the reality of the industry.

Retail, housing, airplane manufacturing, cosmetics and more all experience these metrics differently.

1. Go to Checkpoint.

2. Make sure the drop down box is tuned to accounting, audit and corporation finance.

3. Set Tab to Search

4. Look to the right - you'll see AICPA Audit and Accounting Guides



It's a great way to see what analysts are seeing when they upgrade or downgrade a company!

UTEP Border Economics

Found this site the other day: UTEP Border Economics. 

Lots of unique statistics and papers dealing with cross-border trade between the US and Mexico.

10% Rule of The Spread of Ideas

From a few years ago, but still interesting.

Sociological theory: Ideas don't go anywhere until they are adopted by approximately 10% of the population. After that, there's a good chance they continue to spread and  become the majority idea.

This is important to understand as a marketer.

What are Trade Journals?

What are trade journals? These periodicals feature real-life nonacademic experiences of people on the ground in a particular trade.

They contain management advice and hard numbers, among other things.

I've used trade journals to track down profit margins for Alamo Draft House locations, measuring sales from adding healthy items to restaurant menu and the process of opening an indoor ski run.

Use the following databases (be sure to limit your results to magazines in the tab):
ABI inform,

Business Source  (Open the source types on the left)

 

InfoTrac Small-Business Collection  (see below for limiting to trade publications)