Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with market

The 40-Year-Old Electrical Engineer

lekvar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:59:52 -0800

How are things looking for Electrical Engineers? I'm considering going back to school to get a degree in Electrical Engineering and I was hoping that The Hivemind could provide some perspective.

Firstly, what is the market like for someone with a BS in Electrical Engineering? What jobs are commonly available in the US? I've done some looking around and the school's website is a little vague about the particulars.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, what kinds of hurdles will I be facing as a 40 year old with a freshly-minted degree?

complex real estate cost benefit analysis needed

anonymous_account — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:51:46 -0800

Complex cost/benefit real estate question. We put our small, far suburban, now-overpriced house on the market two weeks ago. (Bought in '05.)

Because my wife has gotten a job, our income has doubled since buying our house, and we are saving $5k per month. However, her commute is lengthy, and we would like to move closer to the city, to lessen her commute, because now we can afford to, we know the target area better now, and we have friends in the city. Also, she may work more if we are closer, resulting in a higher income.

However, looking around at the other houses for sale in our area, I kind of doubt that our house will sell at the price which the realtor set for it, because there are nicer, bigger houses in better areas available for less or the same money. However, those are mostly foreclosures or short sales, which our realtor says takes a lot of time to buy, so maybe they are not that attractive to folks who are not real estate professionals.

We have $60k of our money in the bank and no debt except for our mortgage. We have $60k of my brother-in-law's money in the bank as seasoned assets, which he would like for us to use to buy the house. He is going to send $20k more soon. Later we could either pay him back, or he could continue to own part of our house (which I know is another big can of worms).

So what we will be faced with soon is: do we lower the price of our house (i.e., lose money on the house) in order to sell it? Although our house's price is depressed, the price of the house that we want to buy is also depressed. And I feel that we might be able to "save" more money on the purchase than we will lose on the sale...because the price of our house is only about 67% of the price of the type of house that we want to buy. We are not upside-down on the house --- our mortgage is 68% of the current asking price of our house.

What does this High Pitched Noise mean? Am I a Dog?

bluefly — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:06:22 -0800

I just bought a charger for my cellphone at Target. It's not the special manufacturer's brand, but an after market one that costs half of what the Sprint store chargers cost. When I plugged it into the wall, it started making a high pitched noise. I haven't plugged the other end of the charger into my phone for fear of ruining it. Is this normal? Is my charger bad? Thanks.

Public Liability Insurance

ninazer0 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:46:57 -0800

I need public liability insurance for a 1 day stall at a country church fete. Is there any Australian insurer who does this? The shortest term I can find is 3 months at $110 via AAMI. I have been given the run around all day and I'm at the end of my tether. All that I seem to have done today is write complaint letters about being given wrong info.

Any suggestions? $110 to run a jam stall at a tiny Church Fete seems utterly ridiculous. What are they going to do? Put an eye out with an exceptionally sharp marmalade?

Any suggestions? Because at this rate I'm ready to throw in the towel.

Would like to thoroughly understand investment, then forget about it till age 50.

Anonymous — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:14:26 -0800

Does the backlash against the Efficient Market Hypothesis have another answer for my lazy-investing needs? So, reading about a 'random walk through Wall Street', etc., I was somewhat convinced, and then the little bit of information that (expert-in-not-much) Tim Ferriss posted from Warren Buffett (invest in a low-cost S&P Index fund) continued to push me in that direction. And, sure, I've put a very relatively small amount of money into an index fund since, but now I'm rethinking whether it makes sense to invest in something else.

Basically, statistically, do mutual funds or any other form of investment, outperform, on average, index funds, whether in a general sense or if you narrow them down to a known property like MorningStar ratings.

Here are some particulars, although they barely pertain to my question. If you've got some sweet investment advice (ha, please no penny stocks), then throw it at me; otherwise I'm really just interested in the 'going thought' amongst casual investors like myself:

- I've got ~$1,000 a month to invest. This is the delta between post-tax income and living costs
- I've got a whole lot in cash reserves to throw at other things gradually. Allocation is currently 90% cash, 8% mutual, %2 index. I know, insane, but, hey, it worked in this whole recession thing.
- No dependents, 22 years old
- No immediate need for returns, won't be in home-buying mode or anything like that (car either) for a while (~8 years?)
- Okay with risk but not flailing. Big fan of science.

Do Androids Dream of Freely Available Apps?

micklaw — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:09:37 -0800

AndroidPhoneFilter: Help me access Android apps from my new HTC that I purchased from ebay. Got my Android phone from ebay (Hong Kong) and I can't seem to access the mobile version of the Android Market from the phone - only the full browser version.

The phone is working ok with my old SIM card, I can hook into the WiFi network at home and surf the webs ok but there is no Android Market app on the phone.

So, my question, how can I get the Android Market app and if I can't (cause I didn't buy the phone through a local retailer) where can I go for some useful Android apps that are not on the Android Market.

Help!

PS I'm in Australia and on Vodafone (about to change to TPG) if that is useful at all.

Is there anything that conservatives think WON'T benefit from the market?

jnnla — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:14:50 -0800

Examples of anything that conservatives DON'T think would benefit from the free market? In the current US healthcare debate, many argue that healthcare should not be subject to free market capitalism, but should instead rely on a single payer system. Conservatives argue that the free market is the best allocator of resources, and is therefore the best way to approach healthcare for Americans.

This is obviously an oversimplification and only one facet of the debate, but it got me to thinking.

Is there anything that exists that conservatives DO NOT THINK would benefit from free market principles?

Are there examples out there of services that conservatives agree should not be subject to the market or do they believe anything and everything should be left to the unregulated free market and driven by market incentives?

I am not well versed in economic theory so please speak to me in terms a child could understand.

Real-time Equities Pricing

nj_subgenius — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:49:01 -0800

Is there a real-time US market data feed better (or at least as good and less expensive) than Yahoo Finance's Market Tracker? My online broker provides great execution and is pretty reasonably priced. My needs are simple enough - solid real-time equities pricing with at least rudimentary technical charting, market breadth, etc. $14/month seems like a good price, but I'd like to know whether any of you have found the same or better with either your online broker, or another third-party service.

Is it alright to buy fresh produce on Saturday morning to be used on Tuesday night?

faeuboulanger — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:53:00 -0800

How far ahead can I buy farmer's market produce? So, I'm throwing a casual dinner party this coming Tuesday (simple, but elegant salade niçoise, some sort of berry pie or grumble, fig, melon, and proscuitto appetizer). I was hoping to use good, fresh, farmer's market produce since, well, it's august...what better time to do so? The problem: my local farmer's market is on Saturday morning, but I won't be cooking until Tuesday. Will the veggies (heirloom tomatoes, new potatoes, peppers, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries) hold up between then and now or would I be better off just going to my local grocery store and buying them on Monday? Thanks!

What are good data sources for laptop and PC sales?

PercussivePaul — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:51:58 -0800

Where can I find detailed sales data on best-selling laptops and PCs? I'm scoping out a research project and trying to see what kind of data I am going to be able to find. Ideally someone would hand me a database containing records of all models of laptops and PCs for sale in the US (or the world, or other countries) along with their list price and all relevant specs, and total number of units moved per year for the past few years.

Something like this already exists thanks to Amazon (best selling PCs, best selling laptops, or of course I could just pull the data straight from Amazon itself). This is a good starting point, but two main issues:
1. It only tells me what Amazon is selling, and I'm interested in what everyone is selling
2. It has sales rank, but I want absolute numbers, or at least a percentage of total sales.

I imagine this data exists but is likely not freely available on the web. I don't know where to begin looking for this sort of thing as I don't have a background in business or anything like that. I have found some stuff (IDC quarterly PC tracker, NPD Group) that might be what I want but I can't read it and it's clearly meant for businesses that can pay a lot. Being a grad student, I can't.

There are possibly resources at my University I could use (for example I have access to Forrester reports) but having spent a day or two poking around I have yet to find what I need. Before I go bothering people in the business school for help, I could use some orientation as to what's out there. Thanks.

How to learn more about finance.

theholotrope — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:25:47 -0800

Where/How do you get your best stock tips? What is your routine when studying a market trade? What are some good websites to learn about finance? I'm barely getting into the market game and I have a lot to learn. Please share any websites for learning finance for free and/or websites that have helped you gain some knowledge on good stocks to invest in. Thanks.

How many smart phones in Iowa?

davereed — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:00:24 -0800

How many smart phones are there in Iowa? Seems a simple question, but I haven't found a source that even offers a good guess. My google-fu fails me. Help Me, Hivemind!

Would you guys recommend to buy MOTORS LIQ CO (MTLQQ)?

omaralarifi — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:32:31 -0800

Can I buy MOTORS LIQ CO (MTLQQ) AKA General Motors stock? If yes, Would you guys recommend to buy the stock? Whatever your answer I need to know the reason. Thank You

How to tell the bull market from the bear market.

edavidoff — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:16:32 -0800

Is there a good mnemonic device to help remember whether the bull market or the bear market is the good one? I have trouble remembering whether the bull market or the bear market is the good one. Does anyone have a good trick to help me?

Antiquing means so many different things

The Whelk — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:32:06 -0800

I need an antique (or sufficiently vintage-y-antiqu-y styled) trunk for my living room. Problem: every piece I've seen to has been too big, too worn, too ugly, or too expensive. Where would I find stores/markets/fairs/dealers in the NYC metro area that might carry such trunks? I got a zipcar, so I can tool around the tri-state area. Insanely detailed requirements follow. Ideally, I'm looking for something about 15 inches high, under 40 inches long and under 26 inches wide. No curved tops, as it has to function as a coffee table. Uneven top surfaces (planks, etc) are okay. I'd also like really cool metal handles and locks but it's not a deal breaker. It should be able to open without creaking and breaking.

Taxes on a Slightly Complicated Stock Market Play

jimmyjimjim — Sat, 30 May 2009 06:59:26 -0800

How does one handle the tax situation when frequently buying/selling small stakes of a stock in which you are also holding a long term large stake? Hypothetically: say I've owned 5000 shares of a company for five years, so any gains are now long term. Say the stock price is constantly swinging by 5%, and will continue to do so for 4 months or so. Say at that point, it will break the cycle and shoot skyward.

Just to keep things simple, let's not challenge any of those assumptions.

Say I want to not only profit by the shoot-up in four months time, but also from the swings in the meantime, by setting a sell order for 500 shares at the higher edge of the swing range, and a buy order for the bottom....and repeating over and over in the months ahead.

One complication: if/when the stock at any time dips REALLY low, I will buy another 2000 shares to hold long term. And I will hold my 7000 shares for at least a year after the stock shoots up. But if I get caught out, and don't manage to rebuy my 500 in-and-out shares in time for the shoot-up (and so I have only 6500 shares), that's ok.

My question is how I'd handle this, tax-wise. I'm figuring I'd deem myself to be buying/selling DIFFERENT shares with each cycle, so I can pay long term capital gains tax on each sale profit. After four months, my entire stake (or nearly all) may be new and short term, but, per above, I don't intend to sell for another year, anyway, so it'll all mature before eventual sale.

Without challenging my assumptions about the stock price, does this make sense, tax-wise?

help me build a market booth

diode — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:25:37 -0800

I want to help my wife build a small market booth for selling her art. It needs to be about 4x4 feet in size. It also needs to be portable so that she can set it up on her own and fit it into the back of a station wagon. The booth is for keeping the rain and sun off so it needs rainproof tarp overhead, plus it's got to be stable enough not to tip over from occasional gusts. An umbrella is okay but most of them seem to go over when the wind kicks up. She's got a station wagon so any structure has to be broken down into pieces no longer than about 65" long. Bonus points if it is light and looks cool. Stable and keep the rain off are the main priorities plus fitting into the back of the car.

Stock data for use in black box trading application?

Hypocrites — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:12:55 -0800

Stock data for use in black box trading application? I just need raw data, the current tick and the technical analysis for each tick and I need the data to be real-time. I would prefer an API with it, but if not that's fine. All I need is data, no other analysis or "features" of any kind. (e.g. no Bloomberg Terminal, Fidessa, CQG, any variation therof) This data needs to be easily manipulated in my own application that I'll be developing in C#. Thanks in advance!

Why are grownups always worrying about the housing market?

dino terror — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:55:51 -0800

Financial noob filter: Housing market fluctuations seem to have always been a big item, but to my noob mind I think "What do people care unless they are buying or selling a house?". I imagine the answer may be something to do with paying a mortgage on the house based on its previous 500k value when it is now worth only 300k. That or equity leverage. Can anyone clear this up for me?

Interesting foods in ethnic groceries?

twoleftfeet — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:42:13 -0800

What interesting foods can only be found in ethnic grocery stores? The city I live in has a large number of ethnic grocery stores; mexican, japanese, polish, swedish, italian, chinese, ... the list goes on. I like to explore these stores - it's a poor man's adventure travel! But often I don't know what to try. What are some interesting foods that I can find there that I can't find in the supermarket?

I realize that your definition of "ethnic" depends on where you live, but I'll take any and all attempts at a reasonable answer!

Some questions about flea markets

sidr — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 23:28:40 -0800

I have some questions about flea markets. So I have been to a few fleamarkets in my time, and after talking with people about them I find that opinions vary widely. So I have a few questions:

1. How do *you* define a flea market? I have read the dictionary definition and the wiki entry, asked people I know, I have my own theories etc., so tell me what you think. Do the antikvaari of Scandinavia and the fancier vintage stores of San Francisco count? Does it have to be outdoors? The residents of Budapest throw out what they do not need every now and then on the street, all of them at once. Is this a flea market? I guess I am looking for common threads in what the hive mind calls a flea market. Some of you might say "the internet" and I would agree, for example.

2. Do you know of any scholarly research or articles on flea markets? Do tell. I have looked at Google Scholar, perhaps you know other resources.

3. Recommend me some interesting flea markets to visit please. For example the Japanese take on second hand+vintage+flea market junk is interesting. Perhaps its crazier in the Congo or Chile? Dunno. Tell me.

4. How small can a flea market get? Are they self similar? Is a collection of flea markets a flea market too? Do they have some structure? Etc.

I hope this is not considered chatfilter. I'd like to know what the hive mind thinks of flea markets so I thought of some questions milling in my head which is quite the flea market itself. Some of these questions seem simple to me but might be wildly different in your minds. So yeah. Also it is nice that I can select 'grab bag' in Category.

Best source of streaming data for futures?

Hypocrites — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:50:49 -0800

I need to get streaming futures data to use in software I am developing. What's the best source? I'll be using the C# programming language. I'd like to get streaming quotes for all futures and commodities, simultaneously.

Marketing a great website before it's copied

jakubsnm — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:39:12 -0800

Recently I've thought of a great idea for a website which I'm planning on developing soon. I believe the site has the potential of something like YouTube or Facebook. Due to my paranoia and low budget, I've decided to develop the site myself. I believe no one has the capacity or resources to copy the site for at least a fortnight. Due to the low budget Im having to resort to spreading the word over the net. Unfortunetly I cannot reveal what the site is about :( I was just wondering if anyone knows of any descent sites or forums that are pretty general, where I could post my idea? so i can reach as many people as possible within a fortnight. P.S. Please don't say Youtube or Facebook... lol

Is this Market Research?

schwap23 — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 10:32:56 -0800

I'm looking at some newly affordable technologies and I'm wondering if there are enough people willing to pay for the technology's services to make building a small business around it a good idea. Is this market research and if so, how do I get some? I've been loosely following developments in the 3-D printer market, and there have been some interesting developments recently. Specifically, there are machines that are user friendly, produce decent size objects (about the size of a bread box), and available for $5k or less. If I could stretch to $10k, the options become even more tantalizing! I say this from the perspective of someone who gets excited about these kinds of things!

I have been a 'builder-of-stuff' for over 15 years (everything from theatre props to kitchen cabinets), but I'm not blind to the advances in technology that eat at the edges of my field. Rather than try to fight the rising tide of machines, I want to try and ride the wave.

I have operated as a freelance builder for the last two years, and if there is one thing I have learned, it's the importance of your business network. If people don't know what you can do and how to get a hold of you, you might as well set your business funds on fire!

I want to know if there is a true market for the kinds of objects that I can produce, both on my own and using these new machines. I understand the importance of having a good understanding of this, but I don't know how to go about getting it... On my own? At the library? Pay some consultant? Too many options!

Whit's the game, back hame?

Happy Dave — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 03:49:39 -0800

Calling Scottish MeFites and fellow Scottish diaspora - what's the job market like in Scotland at the moment, and am I mad to be considering moving back? Like many Scots, I moved down to England for a job after university. I've been down in London for nearly five years now, and I'm thinking about moving back to Scotland in the next two years, possibly sooner.

I've been in the job market since 2004, first working in the training/comms side of IT consulting, and now for the last two years as a writer and business analyst in recruitment advertising. Lately I've been thinking both about general life direction, and about missing Scotland (I blame the Scotland's History thing that's been playing on the Beeb, cursed iPlayer).

I've got a general plan over the next five or six years to save up and go back to uni to get a post-grad in Outdoor Education, and then to work in that field (not as random as it first appears, I did a lot of that with the TA before going down the comms path), so there's a few things I'm trying to work out:

1) Does it make sense to stay in a (reasonably secure I think) London job, save like heck and go up to Scotland once I've saved, while building outdoor experience as best I can in the South of England

or...

2) Should I (Can I?) take a similar paying, similar type of job in Scotland, or perhaps a paycut, but have the benefit of being close to friends and family, close to mountains and the sea and possibly getting more living space for the same or less money?

Any Mefites who have done this, are doing this or are currently living in Scotland? What's the job market like? The job searches I'm doing aren't telling me much (except that I'd be sorted if I was a tax consultant or wanted to work for a bank).

I'm from Edinburgh originally, and would likely want to live in or around there, but would consider other areas if there were drastic differences in jobs markets or cost of living.