Part 1: Introduction to Fundamental Analysis

As the market relentlessly calls into question virtually every portion of your stock portfolio, even the most independent-minded investor can start doubting himself. You wonder, did I make the right decisions when I bought these stocks? To answer yourself in any rational fashion, you need to be able to judge whether circumstances, not just psychology, have changed for your holdings.

In times like these, strong fundamental analysis becomes key to your conviction. With this in mind, welcome to our five-part series on the how-to of fundamental analysis: what it is, how to read a balance sheet, and how to read an income statement. ...