Stock Markets
As you are probably aware, the world is experiencing a bear market. The economy is in a downturn and things are looking a little bleak on the stock market. Stock prices are falling and people panic in response, sell their shares in companies so the share price falls even more! Then companies start to lay off workers to cut costs and vicious cycle spins out of control. This need not be the end of the world for a first time investor though. Even though the current economic climate is scaring even more seasoned investors, the low stock price means that a first time investor can get into the markets where it would have been impossible before.
Commodities are probably your best bet, from my uneducated view. An accredited financial advisor would be able to give you more solid investment advice, though. One thing you also need to consider before beginning to invest is what kind of investment you are interested in. there are many other options available to you besides the stock market. Let's take a look at some of those.
The first option a first time investor might consider, if you have a lump sum to invest, is the money market. When you invest in the money market, you essentially lend money to the bank to use for their investments. They will invest and loan the funds on your behalf. All this is, of course, transparent to you and the return is based on the prime interest rate. Although the return won't be a great as investing in bonds or stocks, the risk is significantly lower.
Another option to consider is fixed investments. These are commonly known as fixed deposits. You go to a financial institution and deposit funds into an account where the funds are fixed for a predetermined time before you have access to the funds again. Most people who want to save rather tan invest choose this option. The return is steady, linked to the interest rate, and there is no risk. The returns are much lower than investing in the money market though as the risk is non existent.
Obviously from what I said above, the more risk you are willing to take on, the higher your returns can be. This can be a bit of a gamble in volatile markets. In my personal, uneducated, opinion, I would wait until economists start saying we are coming out of the current recession. Then I would consult with my accredited financial advisor as to which stocks to buy and start picking them up while they are still relatively cheap. Then you should get a pretty decent return on your investment.