Investing wisely has always been about using your knowledge to the best possible effect. Although the internet now helps us to find most types of information quickly and speedily, what local knowledge could Armagh residents also use to get a helping hand?
The Current Situation with Amazon
Amazon is one of the world’s most valuable stocks, with a fascinating price history since it was launched in 1997 at $18 in an initial public offering. The first day of public trading saw the share value rise by 30%, and since then it has grown into one of the world’s top three companies by market capitalisation.
You can easily find out the latest information online when you want to buy Amazon stock, but there is also now a local link to the multinational company. The delivery station created by Amazon Logistics in Portadown in 2021 has resulted in the area now having a group of Amazon employees who can see first-hand how the business is doing locally in terms of the number of orders delivered.
However, this is just the starting point and any potential investor should look to combine this local knowledge of Amazon’s business with fundamental analysis of the share’s true value. Details such as the cash flow and debt-to-equity ratio are typically used by investors to calculate whether the current price is fair or not.
Investing in the Local Property Market
Property investments are generally seen as being a long-term approach that is relatively low on risk. However, as with any type of investment, it really depends on how you do it. Looking for local areas you think will grow in popularity and appeal is a smart way of doing this. You could look for new housing developments or places where a project such as a new school or factory could give an existing neighbourhood a boost.
Recent figures reveal that the price of the average house in Northern Ireland rose by almost 8% in the last year, giving a new average figure of over £159,000. However, Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon saw a price fall of 1.8% in the same period. This area also has the lowest average price in the 11 local government areas, at £138,944.
While these numbers are disappointing for existing property owners in Armagh who want to see their houses rise in value, it could be the sign of an opportunity for others to invest. If the prices are low just now, you could carry out some research to see whether they’re likely to increase in the short to medium term. Belfast has the best property yield in the country, but you can look for issues such as occupancy rates and rental prices to assess other areas.
By using your local knowledge in clever ways like this, you can discover some of the different kinds of investments that might interest you, but don’t forget to do further research rather than relying purely on these factors to make the final decisions on what to do with your money.
