Mastering InvestingPro: A Complete Guide for Investors to Get Started and Succeed

The incredible tool InvestingPro has been developed by Investing.com, the renowned financial markets platform with a reputation for providing top-quality real-time data, news, and analysis. The creation of InvestingPro was driven by a need for a tool that could go beyond basic functionalities and offer a more in-depth, data-driven approach to investing without being overpriced and therefore much more accessible to individual investors than other options. 

By leveraging the extensive experience and resources of Investing.com, InvestingPro aims to deliver a detailed, user-friendly, and powerful platform for all types of investors to make informed portfolio decisions across an array of strategies.

Successfully maneuvering through financial markets that are constantly teeming with data points, intricate strategies, and changing market conditions can be a daunting task for both new and seasoned investors. In this environment, having the right tools to hand isn’t just an advantage – it’s a necessity.

Here’s why mastering investment tools like InvestingPro is crucial for your success.

InvestingPro provides data-driven insights that help you cut through the noise and focus on the metrics that matter. By understanding how to utilize these analytics, you can make decisions based on solid evidence rather than gut feeling – massively lessening the probability of human bias.

One of the standout features of InvestingPro is its extensive research tools. From macroeconomic data to individual company performance, InvestingPro offers a wealth of information both at-a-glance and in-depth (for different investor types). Learning to navigate these resources can give you a tremendous edge over other investors who don’t have access to such detailed analysis in the first place, or who are too time-poor to sift manually through thousands of data-points without a helping hand.

As an example, InvestingPro offers access to financial statements, historical performance, and predictive models. While for a broader market perspective, the ‘peer comparison’ feature aids in the understanding of sector trends and economic indicators for better overall strategy.

The financial markets are exceptionally competitive, with countless investors vying for the same opportunities. Utilizing advanced tools like InvestingPro gives you an edge by enabling faster access to data with its real-time updates and the ability to set bespoke alerts, better market timing, and more precise portfolio adjustments.

Investing is a journey, and long-term success requires continuous learning and evolution. By mastering InvestingPro, investors build a strong foundation that boosts confidence in making investment decisions. Over time, this leads to more effective strategies and therefore improved portfolio performance.

InvestingPro has been created as a tool that grows with you and your investment strategy over time. The done-for-you portfolio suggestions lead into stock-specific dashboards with at-a-glance data (visualised in both graphs and tables). More advanced investors can then create their own widgets and ‘views’ for watchlists among an array of more than 12,000 metrics.

The benefits of mastering tools like InvestingPro are undeniable. Investing the time to understand and utilize its full range of features can transform your investment strategy through making more well-informed decisions based on real-time data, and gaining a competitive edge in the market. Those who equip themselves with the right tools and knowledge stand a far better chance of achieving long-term success.

In this section, we’ll walk you through the initial steps to get started with InvestingPro, featuring a detailed onboarding process and an overview of its basic functionalities to get started quickly.

1. Sign Up

Sign up by visiting the InvestingPro plans homepage and taking a look at the available subscription plans. Based on the features and access you need, you can choose a plan that best suits your situation.

To create an account, click on the ‘Claim Sale’ button under the chosen plan. Then you can either sign up for an Investing.com account, or sign into your existing (free) account. This makes sure your access to the InvestingPro tool is linked to your main account – ‘Pro-only’ sections of the main website (such as parts of the screener and certain pieces of information on overview pages) will automatically appear whenever (and wherever) you’re logged in.

Once you’ve finished going through the sign-up process and have entered billing information etc, you should now have full access to the InvestingPro dashboards!

2. Go through the welcome ‘to do list’

Once you’ve created and verified your account, logging in will take you to the InvestingPro dashboard. Take a moment to check the top-right corner of the screen, where you’ll see a circular avatar with the number ‘7’ in red.

Click on where it says ‘To Do (7)’ and it will open this handy step-by-step guide. Clicking on each of these sections will help you to navigate to the seven main areas of the tool. (You can also see all of these windows at any time by clicking on the sleek navigation on the left-hand side.

3. Navigating the Ideas and ProPicks

For beginner investors (or those curious about the superior InvestingPro AI stock-picks), there are two areas of the tool that offer a more ‘done-for-you’ approach. The first of these is the ‘Ideas’ section. Rather than using filters to find individual stocks (as is possible with our stock screener), investors can find whole portfolios to copy, based on their chosen criteria.

And ‘copy’ is meant literally here. By tapping the ‘Copy’ icon in the top-right of a chosen portfolio, you’re able to take thirty of the largest (current) holdings and drop them into a personal watchlist.

Our ProPicks page is a bit different. Rather than copying the current portfolios of the world’s most famous investors and trusts, our proprietary AI will scour more than 135,000 global stocks, and upwards of 1,200 metrics. This information is then passed through 14 meticulously tested financial models and from there the most relevant stocks are chosen based on the portfolio they’ll be added or removed from.

4. Familiarize yourself with equity overviews

You’re ready to start looking at individual stocks, but you already have a few in mind that you want to check (either before or after using the stock screener tool). Write the name of the stock (or its ticker symbol) in the search box and select the equity you want to learn more about.

Along with myriad useful widgets on this main page, including current exchange data, fair value pricing, peer benchmarks and historical financials, investors can also dig deeper by navigating to one of the links across the top of the dashboard (as shown in the image above).

Tailor the main dashboard to display the information most relevant to your strategy. You can rearrange the sections, add new widgets (using different metrics, data series and timeframes) and download the information as images or Excel files for further offline analysis.

Investors can also change both the reporting and trading currency shown to align with their chosen stock broker currency for clarity when investing.

Here’s a quick, at-a-glance breakdown of some of Investing.com InvestingPro’s core features.

• Adding Assets: Start by adding your existing investments to the portfolio tracker (Watchlist). You can have multiple watchlists based on any different portfolios or just to keep track of interesting finds. 
• Real-Time Updates: View real-time updates on your portfolio’s performance, track changes in value, and monitor asset allocations.
• Performance Metrics: Analyze various performance metrics on a stocks’ overview page. Use these insights to make informed adjustments to your portfolio.

• Market Overview: Access a high-level view of global markets, including indices, commodities, currencies, and bonds.
• Detailed Analysis: Dive deeper into specific markets or sectors using technical analysis tools, charting capabilities, and trend indicators.
• Economic Calendars: Stay informed about upcoming economic events and releases that could impact your investments. Use these economic calendars to plan and adjust your strategy accordingly.

• Tailored News Feeds: Receive news relevant to your portfolio and investment interests. InvestingPro aggregates news from reputable sources, ensuring you stay informed on factors that could influence market movements.
• Market Alerts: Set up custom alerts for specific stocks, indices, or market conditions. Receive notifications via email, SMS, or within the app to stay ahead of critical developments.

InvestingPro offers a wealth of advanced features and data that can help both new and seasoned investors make informed decisions. However, making the most of these tools requires a thoughtful approach and effective strategies. This section provides actionable tips and strategies to maximize your use of InvestingPro and enhance your investment performance.

Consistent Portfolio Monitoring

• Routine Check-Ins: Make it a habit to regularly review your portfolio. This helps you stay updated on performance and make timely adjustments based on market conditions. For those using our ProPicks tool, portfolio rebalancing alerts are sent out on the first trading day of each new month.
• Performance Metrics: Use InvestingPro’s performance metrics to analyze returns, risks, and asset allocation. Regular reviews can identify underperforming assets or opportunities for reallocation. Do the stocks in your portfolio still adhere to your strategy, or is it time to sell and reallocate that capital?

Keep Your Data Current

• Updates Based on Transactions: Ensure that any new investments, sales, or changes in your holdings are promptly reflected in your InvestingPro portfolio.
• Automatic Sync: Remember that InvestingPro will sync to both desktop and mobile, giving you peace of mind on-the-go and saving you the hassle of double-inputting.

• Price Alerts: Set up alerts for specific price points or percentage changes for stocks in your portfolio and watchlist. This ensures you can act swiftly on significant shifts.
• Volume Alerts: Monitor unusual trading volumes that might indicate upcoming market moves, enabling you to proactively adjust your positions.

• Economic Calendar Alerts: Use the economic calendar to set alerts for significant events and indicators, such as GDP releases, interest rate decisions, and earnings reports.
• News Updates: Customize your news feed to focus on sectors and companies relevant to your investments. Immediate alerts help you stay informed and ready to respond to breaking news.

In-Depth Company Analysis

• Financial Statements and Ratios: Dive into detailed financial statements and key ratios provided by InvestingPro. Assessing metrics like P/E ratio, debt-to-equity ratio, and others can provide insights into a company’s health and prospects.
• Historical Performance: Examine historical performance to identify trends and patterns that can inform future investments.

Sector and Macro Insights

• Sector Performance: Use InvestingPro’s sector analysis and peer comparison tools to understand how different sectors and securities within those sectors are performing relative to each other. This can guide sector rotation strategies and diversification.
• Macroeconomic Trends: Pay attention to macroeconomic indicators and trends, such as inflation rates, unemployment data, and trade balances. These can impact broad market movements and individual asset classes.

Fundamental Analysis

• Qualitative and Quantitative Research: Combine InvestingPro’s quantitative data (financial metrics, ratios) with qualitative research (management quality, industry position) to form a comprehensive view of potential investments.
• Valuation Metrics: Use valuation metrics, such as discounted cash flow analysis and relative valuation (comparables), to assess whether an asset is fairly priced. Investors can also simply use our proprietary ‘Fair Value’ widget to see at a glance whether a stock is undervalued, and by how much, resulting in what percentage of potential upside (or downside).

Technical Analysis

• Charting Tools: Leverage InvestingPro’s advanced charting tools to study price patterns, trends, and technical indicators like moving averages, RSI, and MACD.
• Support and Resistance Levels: Identify key support and resistance levels which can inform entry and exit points for your trades.
• Backtesting Strategies: Use historical data to backtest technical strategies and understand their viability before applying them in real-time trading.

By incorporating these practical tips and strategies, you can fully leverage the powerful features of Investing.com and the advanced InvestingPro to boost your investment performance. Regular portfolio reviews, customized alerts, smart use of research and analysis tools, and a combination of fundamental and technical analyses are key components of a successful investment strategy.

InvestingPro not only helps you make more informed decisions but also positions you to react swiftly and confidently to market changes, ensuring your investment journey is both strategic and rewarding.

If you come across any difficulties while using this top investing tool, or even if you just have some feedback for how to make InvestingPro even more outstanding, there are a few options.

On every page of the tool, there’s an orange ‘help’ button that sits in the bottom right corner. Simply type your query in and the InvestingBot will find the relevant article from our extensive knowledge base. If none of the articles answer your query, you can always leave a message and the team will get back to you as soon as possible. This also includes the ability to add an attachment (such as a screenshot) to help us get your challenge fixed quickly.

Investing in the financial markets can be both thrilling and challenging, but having the right tools at your disposal makes all the difference.

With its comprehensive suite of features, real-time data, and advanced analytics, InvestingPro stands out as an indispensable platform for investors at all levels. Whether you’re a beginner looking to establish a strong foundation or an experienced trader aiming to sharpen your strategies, InvestingPro offers the functionalities you need to make informed and confident investment decisions.

Throughout this guide, we’ve explored the various aspects of InvestingPro, from its initial setup and key features to practical strategies for maximizing its potential. We’ve also addressed how to ensure a smooth user experience, and where to go if there are any challenges. Here’s a quick recap of why mastering InvestingPro is worth your time and effort:

• Enhanced Decision-Making: With data-driven insights and powerful analytics, you can make informed decisions that are grounded in real-time and historical data.
• Comprehensive Research: Access detailed research on companies, sectors, and macroeconomic trends to develop a well-rounded investment strategy.
• Competitive Edge: Utilizing InvestingPro’s alerts, notifications, and advanced tools gives you a significant advantage in the fast-paced world of investing.
• Long-Term Growth: Building your expertise with InvestingPro will lead to better investment performance and increased confidence over time.

Taking the time to learn and master InvestingPro can transform your approach to investing, allowing you to navigate the financial markets with greater precision and assurance. The integrated approach (combining both fundamental and technical analysis), when coupled with effective risk management, equips you for success in any market condition.

1. Sign Up and Explore: If you haven’t already, sign up for InvestingPro and start exploring its features. Initial familiarity with the platform will help you understand its capabilities and customize it to meet your needs.
2. Leverage Educational Resources: Make use of Investing.com’s Academy (that’s here!) tutorials, webinars, and articles to deepen your understanding and make the most of the platform.
3. Implement Strategies: Apply the practical tips and strategies discussed in this guide. Regularly update and review your portfolio, set up alerts, and use research tools to stay informed.
4. Join the Community: Engage with the InvestingPro user community through forums and social media. Sharing experiences and insights can further enhance your learning and provide additional support.

By taking these steps, investors will be well on their way to success. The financial markets hold vast opportunities, and with InvestingPro, you have a powerful ally to help you seize them.