Welcome to Training the Trader, the official resource for all things related to the Stock market and online trading courses in general.
Training the Trader, Stock Market Courses.
Areas of Study are:
1. Learn how to trade the stock markets.
2. Stock market courses.
3. Learn how to trade Forex / Foreign Currency Trading.
Online Trader Training courses and resources used in this project are from:
Training Traders – Stock Market Training providers in the UK.
Direct Website Resources: http://www.trainingtraders.com/
Additional Stocks and Shares Factual data has been compiled below for our Readers perusal:
Shareholders and Their Rights
It is an unfortunate fact that most shareholders do not take an active interest in the affairs of their companies until something goes wrong. So long as the dividends roll in, and the prices of their shares do not fall too heavily, they are content to sit back and let happen what may. They overlook the important fact that however small their holding, and however large the company, they are part proprietors – a portion of it belongs to them – and they have rights which are laid down by the Companies Act and the articles of association that govern the legal running of the company.
The highlights of the share investor’s calendar are usually the announcement of the annual profit figures and dividend, fol¬lowed by publication of the annual report and accounts, and the holding of the annual general meeting. Other events that are also important are the declaration of any interim dividend, possibly the issue of half-yearly or quarterly progress reports, and the holding of extraordinary general meetings which may be neces¬sary to approve an increase in the authorized share or loan capital or to transact any other business requiring the consent of those shareholders entitled to vote.
Directors of companies whose shares are quoted on the Stock Exchange are expected to announce the profits and dividend as soon as possible after completion of the board meeting at which the figures are finalized. It is also useful to look for the correct resources for Business related forms, such as The Companies Act 2006 Forms for the UK companies, these forms offer an array of data for the discerning Academic and Business owner.
The London Stock Exchange makes it a condition of granting an official quotation that the essential information is transmitted to the Share and Loan Department in a form which is clear and which gives comparative figures for the previous trading period. As soon as the Share and Loan officials have checked the details, they are posted on the floor of the House. Simultaneously, the company will probably take steps to have the details circulated to the City Editors of the daily and evening newspapers, to other financial publications, and to the Exchange Telegraph and Reuter’s ticker-tape services.
Some days or weeks after publication of these preliminary details, the directors follow them up with the annual report and accounts, a copy of which is mailed to every share or loan- capital holder entitled to it. Annual reports vary considerably in size, style, comprehensiveness, the amount of information given, and simplicity or complexity. Some squeeze the bare minimum requirements of the Companies Act into three or four small pages, and forgo any attempt at elaboration or trimmings. Others run to dozens of large expensively-printed pages giving pictures, charts, diagrams, masses of relevant and sometimes time-wasting information, and statistics. In between are excellent bread and butter efforts which strike the happy medium of presenting essential and useful information in a clear and understandable manner. It is an unhappy fact that in the effort to inform shareholders the directors of some companies have let their public relations experts, designers, and layout men run riot in trying to produce the lushest reports. There is a great deal in favour of the simple straightforward document which sticks to essentials. Shareholders who get an elaborate report from a company are entitled to ask what it costs to produce and mail, particularly if things are not going too well with the company.
The first item in the report is the notice of the annual meeting – the place, the time, and the ‘items to be discussed. At least twenty-one days’ notice must be given of the calling of this important event. Items to be discussed are usually as follows:
Receipt and consideration of the directors’ report and the accounts gives those shareholders who trouble to attend the meeting the opportunity to ask questions about management, Law Workshops, finances, past, current, and future trading, and other relevant matters. They can also criticize items in the accounts which call for comment or are not clear.
Declaration of a final dividend: once declared by the directors, it is not easy to alter a distribution. All shareholders can in fact do is criticize the payment as being too parsimonious or over- generous, and reduce it if they get sufficient voting support.
Firm resources for Students in the Finance World can be located with:
http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/resources/index.html
The election of directors: the articles of a company provide that a certain number or proportion of the board must retire each year; retiring directors usually stand for re-election. Share holders can however oppose the re-election and put forward other candidates. This is another opportunity to criticize or probe into management policy and to call for details of or to criticize the fees and other payments to directors. When a director reaches seventy years of age, notice of the fact should be given.
The remuneration of the auditors is fixed at the meeting. Although this is mostly a routine matter, it does give an opportunity to put further questions regarding the accounts. The auditors, as representatives of the shareholders, have the duty of seeing that the annual accounts give a true and fair view of the company’s affairs and profits, and of drawing attention to any items or transactions which they do not approve.
