I know little about the stock market, but Im looking to put some cash in. Any suggestions on stocks I should keep my eye on? Anything particular I should stay away from?
Marco, stay away from the stock market. I invest my money in Tax Lien Certificates. The laws vary by state, but in Kentucky I get a 12% return. Ohio is 18% but you have to have a lot of money to invest to be able to purchase. You'll never see that kind of return in the stock market right now and there is no risk.
Marco... I am licensed investment professional. Please do not take Marillac's advice unless you fully understand the product/investment. Any good financial professional would first ask you on what is your time horizon and tolerance for risk (volatility) before recommending anything to you.
Therefore, if your looking to "trade" rather than "invest", the opportunities lie in treasury bonds, muni bonds, preferred stocks and ultra etf's (if you can take the volatility and willing to lose your money). However, in order to trade, you really need to know what your doing.
If your looking to invest (time horizon of 3 plus years in my book) then there are other opportunities.