We've all heard the old adage: knowledge is power.

It's a great saying because it's true.

And that saying couldn't be truer than when it comes to investing.

Take a look at your last big loser. After analyzing what went wrong, you probably discovered some piece of information that – 'had you known that, you never would have gotten into it in the first place'.

I'm not talking about things that are unknowable, like inside information or surprise announcements that can catch even the most professional of professionals off guard.

I'm talking about things that you could have known about or SHOULD have known about before you got in.

Did You Know?...

Did you know that roughly half of a stock's price movement can be attributed to the group that it's in? Did you also know that often times a mediocre stock in a top performing group will outperform ...

Want to be a better trader?

Of course you do.

Everyone, no matter how good or bad they are as a trader or investor right now, would like to be better.

The million dollar question of course is how – how do you become a better trader?

One thing is for sure, it will take some work.

But you can start making improvements right away.

3 Steps to Becoming a More Successful Trader

Let's go over the three key things that you can start doing today to become a more successful trader or investor.

1. Identify

The first step is to identify what kind of trader you are (or want to be).

So let's define what the four main fundamental trading styles are: Momentum, Aggressive Growth, Value, and Growth & Income: 

Momentum: Momentum traders look to take advantage of upward trends (or downward trends) in a stock's prices or earnings. They believe ...

If somebody were to ask you what your best stocks are, you would likely name the stocks moving up the most in your portfolio. Your worst stocks? The ones going lower of course. Simply put, the winners in your portfolio are the ones going up. Period. You'll rarely single out one of your best stocks just because it has a low P/E ratio or just because it has a great return on equity. Yes, those things do matter! But if the stock is underperforming the market, or worse, going down, you'll quickly identify it as one of your worst holdings - and you would be right to do so. Now take a look at your portfolio. You probably have some great winners in there. (You better after last month's run-up.) But, you probably have some laggards as well. Hopefully, the mix is ...

With growth rates nonexistent in the United States and expectations for future growth muted due to ongoing debt levels and credit problems, investors have turned to other regions of the world to boost their portfolios.

China and the Asian Tiger countries have long been popular destinations to diversify portfolios.

But countries south of the border have also seen an emerging middle class and sometimes are overlooked on the world stage.

Buy Individual Companies or Buy a Basket

There are two ways to invest in Latin America: through individual companies that trade on the American exchanges or through a basket of companies in an exchange traded fund (ETF).

If you want to take the no hassle approach there are several ETFs available to capture the Latin American market.

You can buy a basket of companies from many countries in the iShares Latin America 40 ETF (

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Industrial Production Falls in Europe and the U.S.On June 12, Eurostat reported European Industrial production fell 21.6% in April (y-o-y comparison). The weakness was broad-based across the EURO region, with all member states reporting a decline: Germany saw April output decline 23.2%, Spain -19.7, Italy -24.2 and Sweden -21.2%.The chart below (source: ECB statistical data warehouse) shows the industrial production decline for the Euro Area 16 takes it back to levels last seen in 1999. The domestic picture on industrial production appears no brighter. Just yesterday, the Federal Reserve released figures on Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization. Industrial Production fell 1.1% in May following a 0.7% decline in March. The April number was revised down from the initial reading of a 0.5% decline. On a year over year basis, total industrial output is down 13.4%.Looking at ...

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 15, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Government Properties Income Trust (GOV), Cypress Sharpridge Investments (CYS), Freddie Mac (FRE), Fannie Mae (FNM) and LoopNet (LOOP).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

2 New REIT IPOs

Two new recent REIT IPOs launched in June. Government Properties Income Trust (GOV) began trading earlier this month. The company priced 10 mm shares @ $20.00 per share. The company is a subsidiary of HRPT Properties Trust, an

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 15, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Johnson & Johnson, Inc. (JNJ), Family Dollar (FDO), Dollar Tree (DLTR), Wal-Mart (WMT) and Costco (COST).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

J&J Remains Undervalued

Johnson & Johnson, Inc. (JNJ) currently trades at 12.5x our 2009 EPS estimate of $4.51. We believe J&J's diverse and deep product mix, lack of cyclicality, strong financial position and consistent record of earnings growth will insulate it from a prolonged

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 15, 2009 - Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Exxon (XOM), TransCanada Corp. (TRP), ConocoPhillips (COP), BP (BP) and National Semiconductor (NSM).

Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=4579.

Here are highlights from Friday's Analyst Blog:

Exxon Throws Weight Behind Alaskan Pipeline

Exxon (XOM) has finally decided to throw its weight behind the TransCanada Corp. (TRP)-sponsored Alaska Pipeline project that will bring stranded Alaskan natural gas to consuming markets in the U.S. Lower 48. TransCanada's 1,700 mile, 48-inch diameter pipeline has

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 15, 2009 - Zacks.com releases the latest Industry Outlook. Today's interview is with senior analyst Neena Mishra, who talks about the U.S. Banks Industry, including Wilmington Trust Corporation (WL), KeyCorp (KEY), Zions Bancorp (ZION), Freddie Mac (FRE) and Sallie Mae (SLM).

A synopsis of today's Industry Outlook is presented below. The full article can be read at http://at.zacks.com/?id=2678.

As a result of a rise in charge-offs, the levels of reserve coverage have fallen over the past quarters and the banks will have to make higher provisions in the coming quarters, affecting the profitability. Also, the banks will also continue to take mark-downs in the investment portfolios, further hurting the bottom-line.

Banks with high exposure to housing and Commercial Real Estate loans, like Wilmington Trust Corporation (WL),

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL - June 15, 2009 - Zacks.com releases the list of companies likely to issue earnings surprises. This week's list includes Adobe Systems (ADBE), Best Buy (BBY), Carnival (CCL), FedEx (FDX) and J.M. Smucker (SJM). To see more earnings analysis, visit http://at.zacks.com/?id=3207.

Every day, Zacks.com makes 4 stock picks available, free of charge. To see them, go to http://at.zacks.com/?id=3567.

The Week's Events

We will see initial second-quarter numbers with Adobe Systems (ADBE), Best Buy (BBY), Carnival (CCL), FedEx (FDX) and J.M. Smucker (SJM) reporting this week. Notably missing from the group are the investment bankers, the surviving members of which have changed to traditional calendar quarters.

Though there are five S&P 500 companies reporting, the earnings calendar is

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