If you spend even a small amount of time surfing the Internet then you are going to find many different online business ideas and before long it can become quite overwhelming. Just like anything new, there is going to be so much information available but the problem is always knowing which information to listen to and which to ignore; this article covers the 7 fundamental online business ideas which you will come across online.The thing to keep in mind is that each of these ideas will manifest itself in many different forms but no matter what type of online business you are looking to set up you will find that it fits into one or more of these online business ideas. They are the fundamental building blocks of any online business and a good understanding of them will give you the start that most people never have.The 7 Fundamental Online Business IdeasEach of the following online business ideas are based around the 7 different ways of actually making money online. Whatever business you decide to start online it will fit into one of more of the following categories:AdvertisingThe first of the online business ideas is advertising and with this idea you will look to setup a website in some kind of niche. You can then put advertisements on this site that are related to the niche content you have based it around. The key to this idea is making sure you get your targeting right otherwise you are simply going to annoy people who come to your site by trying to advertise them something totally unrelated to their needs; this is a fundamental error and something you should be very cautious of before you even start.ServicesWith this idea you will setup a website that offers some kind of service to people who visit. Now this can be varied from an online gambling site that offers the gambling service to people right through to an online presence for your offline business.The main difference with the latter is that you can either simply use it as an online marketing tool for your offline business or you can totally automate it so that you use your offline brand name to create an entirely separate online business.SubscriptionsThis is my favourite of the online business ideas because it is extremely scalable and in essence fairly easy to setup. There are however a few things to consider before starting this type of model. You need to make sure that whatever you are offering a subscription to has very good content otherwise you can get yourself a bad reputation before you’ve even started. Secondly you need to monitor the subscriptions in detail and offer technical support for anyone that may have problems getting access.ProductsThis idea is fairly self explanatory, you setup a website where you sell products online. These products can be your own products or ones you buy in from a supplier, the only real difference will be the margin you make on each one. Also, it will take longer to get traction with your own products whereas others will probably already have brand awareness.CommissionsThe commissions model is similar to the products model but in this case you simply promote other peoples products and direct them to their website. You have your own affiliate code so that when anyone buys their product you get paid a commission. Effectively you are acting in the same way as a normal offline salesman on commission.LicensingOut of all the online business ideas, this one is probably the most confusing and I have certainly seen it explained in a variety of different ways and unfortunately most of them are incorrect. This idea can come in two different forms, you can either be a licensee or a licensor. In the former case you will take someone else’s brand and use it to promote your own products which you will then sell for a premium online. In the latter case you are the one with the brand that other people license off you and you get paid a fee based on this.This is quite an in depth concept and we have really just touched the surface with this article.Being a BankWhen you look at the different online business ideas you will probably struggle to come up with this one. What I mean by being a bank is that you effectively offer people lines of credit through various mediums online. Once again, this idea can be hard to understand at the beginning but becomes clear when you research in depth.You will have most likely seen companies offering checkout facilities online where you can pay for goods and services through some kind of online transaction. When you look into what actually goes on in this process then you will start to see how this model works but essentially you are being paid interest on money you allow people to borrow for varying periods of time.
Social Networking and Joining the Online Health Community
Building health related social networking sites require much-needed features like online health communities.Many illness sufferers are now participating in online illness specific communities, discussing their experiences. We all have sick friends and family members, and now thanks to e-mail, live health chat, health forums, medical blogs, video sharing and other online resources, we have become much more intimate and the supportive environments are helping those with serious illnesses and diseases.Social networking sites may have such supportive environments, however without an online health community, health related social networking sites simply become another social networking site.There are many challenges faced by most social networking sites and the most common is getting people back onto the site. How do we engage people in health care services and have them coming back to the social networking site on a regular basis that is not for a recreational means? One answer is ensuring the online health communities are active and relevant to the users of the site.The second most common challenge is how to create synergies among the different services offered by the social networking sites and what are the differentiations between these sites to better compete in this niche market. One answer is ensuring the online health communities are offering meaningful information related to the illness sufferers and ensuring that the “big brothers” or advocates of the social networking sites are keeping the health content up to date and relevant for all users of the site, be it illness sufferers or family and friends of illness sufferers.These online global health communities are emerging as a new medical domain and require illness sufferers to join to help keep the online global health communities afloat. These online health communities are open to all: illness sufferers, family, friends, professionals, and researchers. People seen within these communities are a valuable health resource to others suffering from the same illness or disease.People within these health communities are strong advocates, making others aware of what it is they are suffering from and detailing their experiences. These people can be seen as “big brothers or big sisters” to others within their community. They frequently post content designed to help others, and to respond to the questions posted by others.Quality of life improves when the illness sufferers are in control of their illness or disease, and the communities provide illness sufferers this support. The greater the community, the greater the support. All communities require growth, growth by visitors and growth by registered members participating in discussions.
SPDN: An Inexpensive Way To Profit When The S&P 500 Falls
Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio
By Rob Isbitts
Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.
The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.
SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.
Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.
Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense
Segment: Inverse Equity
Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500
Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)
Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)
Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.
Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.
Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.
Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.
Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.
Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy
Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy
Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.
ETF Investment Opinion
SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.