I'm terrible at this lol

when people look to invest, the main goal is to earn profit. no one wants to invest in a company which is experiencing losses. the simplest way to understand what the company's profit/loss is would be to look at its financial report, ie. the earnings. when earnings is bullish, the stocks generally rise in price. when earnings are bearish, the stocks typically dip in price. however, not all stocks follow this rule. there are some stocks which historically did not rise when the earnings of the company rose. in these cases, it is likely because of the consumer's and market's attitude towards the stock. perhaps they feel that the stock is not worth its market value (overvalued). it goes to show that one should know your stock before purchasing. know which is speculative which is fundamental.

I choose stocks based on my understanding and belief of the company and its products. to me, it's important to understand what is the selling point of the company, what they do and what is their goal. by understanding their product, only then can we know what we are buying into and investing in. ultimately, investing in a company means supporting their product and research that goes into developing their product. I find it unwise to blindly follow the general market without understanding what the company does.
reading news related to the company is also very important, as this will determine demand and supply in the market. read widely, read about the leaders of the company and their beliefs. read about their product and what it does. read about countries' reactions to the company's product and any long-term plans.