Make Money in the US Stock Market

How would you like to invest in the next Facebook? Or the next Apple? Maybe the next Google or Starbucks? Investing in the U.S. stock market, particularly the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, offers a whole new world of investment opportunities. No other international financial market comes close to the size, accessibility, transparency, and liquidity of the U.S. stock markets.

As brokerage Charles Schwab points out, there are three great reasons why you should invest in the U.S. stock market:

1. U.S. markets are better capitalized

The U.S. stock markets represent the biggest single concentration of wealth in history. In terms of market capitalization, no other financial market comes close to the combined U.S. stock markets. As of the end of 2011, the market capitalization of the NYSE was valued at US$11.8 trillion.

Exchanges	Market Capitalization (2011; USD Trillions)
NYSE	$11.80
Tokyo	$3.33
NASDAQ	$3.85
Euronext	$2.45
London	$3.27
Shanghai	$2.36
Hong Kong	$2.26

2. U.S. stock markets are more liquid

Just looking at the NYSE alone, the value of share trading for the whole year of 2011 was 6 times that of London, 4.5 times that of Tokyo, and 13 times that of Hong Kong. U.S. markets are still the biggest in terms of turnover as well as value. That means there’s a very high chance of finding a buyer or seller of any particular stock at any given time.

Exchanges	Value of Share Trading (2011; USD Trillions)
NYSE	$18.03
NASDAQ	$12.72
London	$2.83
Tokyo	$3.99
Euronext	$2.13
Shanghai	$3.67
Hong Kong	$1.44

3. U.S. stock markets offer greater diversification

U.S. markets offer access to a huge variety of U.S. companies seeking to raise capital. With more than 5,000 companies to select from, you can invest in major companies and brands from all over the world who list their shares on U.S. financial markets.

Exchanges	Number of Companies (2011)
U.S.*	4,988
London	2,886
Tokyo	2,291
Hong Kong	1,496
Euronext	1,112
Shanghai	931

*NASDAQ + NYSE

In addition, there are a lot more tools, information, and resources available to those who invest in the U.S. stock market. Plus, wouldn’t you love to invest in or trade the stocks of some of the world’s most famous brands like Nike, Amazon, The Coca-Cola Company, McDonald’s, Time Warner, and Citigroup? The U.S. is also home to hundreds of innovative startups that could potentially make their founders — and investors (like you) — rich.

The U.S. stock market is on a bull run for the last five years. As measured by the S&P 500, U.S. stocks have generated total returns of 233%. Although some say U.S. stocks are pricey, others also note that there is still room for growth.

Who Will Teach You

Charmel Delos Santos is a full-time trader, author, speaker and a mother of three young children. She started to invest over 13 years ago in real estate, stocks and options. Charmel invests in the U.S., Australian, and Philippine stock markets.

She had a long and bumpy experience in investing, losing all of her AU$15,000 capital at the start, but she persevered and trained with Dr. Van Tharp (trading coach and best-selling author) and by applying what she learned, immediately became a profitable and relaxed investor.

In fact from 2008, when the global financial crisis hit the markets, Charmel was able to grow her retirement fund steadily, and regularly earning income through investing for all those “loving expenses.” Her friends, who know about her investing activities, wanted to know how to invest in stocks, and that’s how she started her blog and book. She has published the first and only stock trading book for women “High Heeled Traders.” She has been conducting corporate and public talks and workshops partnering with MIBX in Qatar, the PSE Academy for “Women’s Investment Program,” and IBM. She has been featured on TV, print, radio and online media in the Philippines, Australia, Qatar, and the U.S.