How to Give Direct Purchase Stock Shares as Christmas Gifts

Choose the stock you'd like to buy. Whether you want to buy a big money stock or just one that fits well with the recipient's personality, the easiest way to start is to find direct purchase stocks (or DPPs) online. Not all companies sell their stock in this fashion, but there are hundreds of companies that do. One good place to find a list is at sharebuilder.com.
Set up an online trading account. It is possible to contact the company directly but much easier to set up an account with Sharebuilder, eTrade or a similar clearinghouse, especially if you plan to buy stock from more than one company. Simply go the respective website and register. There will be step by step instructions to help you.
Purchase the stock. Once you're signed into your account, there should be instructions on how to make your purchases. It will basically be the same process you use to buy other goods and services over the Internet. However additional steps may be required to verify your identity.
Transfer the stock to the recipient's name. Remember, you want the recipient to be able to sell his or her stock, so you should not leave it in your name. All you need to do is tell the company that sold you the shares that you would like to make a transfer. You can either call the customer service number or look for 'shareholder services' or a similar link on their website to make contact electronically. Be prepared to provide the name, Social Security number and birth date for the new owner.
Once you've transferred stock into the name of the recipient, ask the company to send you a paper certificate. This is what you will wrap up and give as the gift. Feel free to frame it or package it as you see fit. Some certificates look better on the wall than others. For example, DreamWorks stock has a picture of Shrek on the front of it, which is perfect for a child's bedroom.

How to Predict the Stock Index (3 Steps)

Choose the indices that you would like to follow. Monitor the price levels and volume levels of each index to watch for breakouts. Determine the resistance and support levels of the index for the period of time appropriate to your trading time frame. The resistance level is determined as a maximum price level that has been reached three times or more but not exceeded during a given period of time. The support level is calculated in a similar way, but at the minimum price level. If the price of a security exceeds the resistance or support levels, it's called a 'breakout' and indicates the possible beginning of a trend.
Trade breakout levels accordingly for the index you're trying to predict. If a resistance level is breached, you may wish to buy an index fund or index exchange-traded fund (ETF) that provides broad exposure to that index. If the support level is breached significantly, you may want to short-sell one of those funds.
Protect your investment in an index fund by using stop-loss orders. Trends can persist for long periods of time, but historically, most of them encounter re-tracements or reversals. For example, the Nikkei 225 of Japan experienced a high of more than 20,000 in the year 2000. In 2009, it remained at the 10,000 level, although it managed to reach a high of approximately 18,000 in 2007. Even strong trends are prone to eventual reversals.