How to keep tabs on your shares and the market

Whether you own shares or you're just keeping an eye on a few you're interested in, it's essential you keep an eye on the company's share price. It's equally important to see how the overall market is performing. This will give you insight into the performance of specific shares. And it couldn't be easier…

A share’s price acts very much like a finely tuned barometer. The price of a share reflects collective views of the particular company’s future.

You can check the daily changes in individual shares by using the daily business pages or internet stock market information services, including the JSE.

If you study the underlying trend in a large group of shares, it’s possible to get a general overview of the economic outlook, explains the research team at Red Hot Penny Shares.

There are several widely followed measures of share performance, for example, the PE ratio. You can find most of these easily in the daily business pages or on websites such as Fin24.

The most frequently quoted measure is the JSE All Share Index. Known as the “ALSI,” this is a composite of shares representative of each sector from across the JSE.

Events on Wall Street and in the ‘City’ have a heavy influence on how the JSE performs. The ALSI reflects this. It also reflects local environmental factors, such as political and economic events, business confidence and multi-million rand corporate activity.

How to track the shares you’re interested in

If you’re interested in the performance of penny shares, for instance, a good place to look is the JSE Small-Cap Index. This tracks the performance of the smallest companies quoted on the stock exchange. The AltX is also a great place to look.

There are also many websites that offer free charts of any share or index you like, like Fin24. Some of these sites even allow you to set up an online portfolio, so you can easily track your own portfolio of shares.

Keeping up to date with what’s happening with your shares and the market in general is crucial to success on the stock market.

Tags: shares, market, share price, alsi, track shares, online portfolio, jse, how to track your shares