A short encounter with the past

The oldest stock certificate was issued in favor of a Dutch company in 1606. The purpose of this company was to benefit from the spice trade between India and the Far East. During the 18th and the 19th centuries the trade of spices drifted to England when Napoleon reigned over the place. With the development of United States of America as a colony to British and Alexander Hamilton (the first US secretary of the Treasury) flourished the American Stock Exchange. Hamilton played a crucial role in encouraging the trading in the Wall Street and Broad Street in New York. The New York Stock and Exchange Board now popularly known as the New York Stock Exchange was organized by the traders of New York in 1817 when trade and commerce bloomed there.

A precise survey of the Western stock market

•    The Wall Street- a place where the whole of 18th century trade and commerce took place, Wall Street is a recognized place across the globe. The street was termed as Wall Street since it ran alongside a wall that was taken as the northern boundary of New Amsterdam in 17th century.

The Wall Street is known for the J.P. Morgan’s million dollar merger that created US Steel Corporation, the ruinous crisis that resulted in Great Depression and the “Black Monday” of 1987.

•    The NYSE or the New York Stock Exchange is perhaps the foremost and so the oldest stock exchange in United States that is believed to be born in 1792. The significant aspects related to NYSE include the Buttonwood Agreement when 24 stockbrokers and traders of New York signed this accord and established the New York Stock Exchange and Securities Board which is now recognized as the NYSE; the considerable swings that the NYSE saw during the 20th and 21st century; the hitting of the 100 and later even 1000 mark by the Dow around 1971 and the mark of 10,000 that the Dow scaled in 1999.

•    NASDAQ is the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Questions. It is an apparent or virtual stock market where all trading is done through the electronic media. NASDAQ, the global and the largest electronic stock market today was first established in 1971 in United States at the time when computers were not as developed as they are today and it was very difficult to compute. The main exchange of NASDAQ is in United Sates while its branches can be found in Canada and Japan and it is also linked to markets of Hong Kong and Europe. NASDAQ functions by purchasing and selling the over- the- counter or OTC stocks.

•    AMEX-was discovered in 1842. The putative father of the institution is Edward Mc Cormick (the commissioner of SEC) who endowed it with its current name.  It started its journey as the New York Curb Exchange and its name is factual. The AMEX in contrast to the NYSE operates with the small and more dynamic companies some of which even make it to the NYSE board.

Technical analysis that uses statistics for forecasting price fluctuations is one approach. However, because it is difficult to track changes in fractions of a penny, there simply isn’t enough data to be able to analyze. Therefore, you have to keep an ear to the ground when you trade penny stocks.

One of the biggest forces that drive penny stock prices is hype. Whether it’s online in discussion forums or chats, or offline with publicity and press, hype can cause swings in penny stock prices.

Are you looking to trade penny stocks to earn a good return on your money? Penny stocks can be profitable for some, but it can also be a money-losing experience.

What should you watch for when you trade penny stocks?

What are some strategies that professionals and amateurs use when dabbling in the penny stock trade?

One technique that some experts who trade penny stocks implement is to focus on a particular stock. Get to know the stock inside and out; that is, get to know the company behind the stock, any news about that company, and anything else that might affect the stock price. Target one stock, listen to the buzz, and see how the stock responds. The louder the buzz gets, the larger the potential for a big price swing.

Many people who trade penny stocks are small-time investors who don’t have more than $1,000 of investment capital. These people trade penny stocks because it gives them more shares for the money.

Where they might be able to buy dozens of shares in a major exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange, they can buy hundreds when they trade penny stocks. The potential for loss is big, however. It’s almost closer to gambling than investing. The money used is strictly risk capital. Once the money is gone, it’s gone.

Another subset of people that trade penny stocks are amateur investors who use the buy and hold strategy. They purchase a stock and retain it for long periods of time, hoping that the stock skyrockets at some point in the future.

Unfortunately, this strategy hardly ever pays off in the way that the investor had hoped. In the long-term, the stock could end up being completely worthless.

Trading penny stocks can be a profitable, and even fun way to invest. It certainly isn’t a traditional method of investing, and is unlike old standbys such as bonds and mutual funds. However, trading penny stocks isn’t for all people.

You should have a high tolerance for risk, a willingness to analyze every minutiae of your penny stock, and some intestinal fortitude. Have fun with penny stock trading, but don’t expect to stumble into the next WalMart for pennies on the dollar.

And remember, as with anything else in life with high potential for gain there is also high potential for loss. Do your homework, follow your rules, and plan to prosper.

In fact, whether you have been burned by penny stocks in the past, or have never even invested, the following theories are designed to give you an instant and significant advantage over all those inexperienced and uninformed traders. After all, to make money in stocks someone usually has to be losing money. Which side of the fence do you want to fall on?

Glass Jaw

Lots of people have made lots of money from trading penny stocks. Lots of people have lost plenty, as well. What is the difference between a successful micro-cap trader, and one who continually takes it on the chin?

Uses professional stock picks and research. Does their own due diligence. Observes patience. Takes lessons from past trades and stock activity. Takes lessons from other traders. Decides between 10 stocks at a time.

Uses tips at work, rumors, and so-called ‘inside scoops’ to pick stocks. Doesn’t investigate financials and corporate position. Falls victim to negative emotions like greed, anger, and desperation. Makes the same mistakes more than once. Looks at one stock alone on its own situation.

So Let’s Learn

The fact that you have taken the time to review this feature demonstrates that you have the characteristics of a successful trader, specifically the willingness to learn from experts and the experiences of other traders.
So let’s learn. As mentioned above, you should always examine groups of stocks together when looking for a new issue to invest in. For example, make a chart and write down the revenues of each. In the next column list the earnings. Follow this by each of the subsequent criteria you think are important. With all of the data on one table and available at a glance, you can easily get a clear picture of which are the one or two strongest companies from your pool of potential investments.

However, understand that stock prices do not necessarily act in concert with the underlying fundamentals of a company. For example, there is nothing saying that the stock of the worst company on your list won’t out perform the top ranked one.

For that reason you should also include factors such as trading volatility, your opinion of a potential break-through due to some new product, potential positive press releases, etc… This method is not intended to reveal the best stock, but instead to give you additional clarity about which are the best few and worst few according to your own weighting of the various factors you have chosen.

Available Advantages

Get a discount broker. Monitor your portfolio online, do your research online (and offline), and place your trades online. Embrace the technology, because it provides superior advantages all across the board. You can screen stocks, put those into comparative charts, instantly access the corporate press releases, check the latest industry news, and then place your trade… all for about $20.
Then you can monitor your trade order fulfillment, verify that the money and shares traded hands, track the progress of the stocks, get instant alerts for press releases… It is truly endless and complete, and each step that you take full advantage of leaves other traders one step behind you.

Keep small amounts of money in each stock, and only ‘risk’ money for penny stocks. While these low-priced, volatile investments can produce some truly incredible gains, they usually bounce among all sorts of price ranges.
On a related note, if you get ‘freaked out’ or worried about a stock you hold, you should consider selling your position. Try to invest in solid penny stock companies that have a low share price because they are small or undiscovered, not because they are having business troubles.

Be sure to read our related articles Falling in Hate, Fools Rush In, and Trading Myths, and our tools section on Choosing a Broker.

Beyond… And After That

Some of the most successful traders have a few things in common. Firstly, they have made some major trading mistakes in their day. However, they learned more from these mistakes than they ever did from any of their great trades. Don’t squander your failures by trying to put them behind you.

Secondly, keep a journal with dates, specific trade amounts and prices, and even the stocks you were thinking of investing in but didn’t. You can use this for a hundred different purposes as you become a more advanced trader, such as seeing opportunities you missed, or learning that your strategies are valid, or just to monitor your improvement as you become more experienced from month to month.

One of the major rules within the stock market is that no person is allowed to trade within the stock market unless they are a certified stockbroker. A stockbroker, within the United Kingdom twelve million investor’s trade in the stock market, performs every trade that occurs and each one has enlisted the services of a stockbroker.

So you are probably now wondering, what exactly can a stockbroker do for me? There is a wide range of abilities and services that any stockbroker can offer you, at the same time there are also various ranges of fees that will be collected from them. Typically, a stockbroker will charge a commission, a set fee, or some combination of the two. In regards to the services a stockbroker can offer you, there are three basic levels that include only execution, portfolio management, and advice.

When a stockbroker only deals with the selling and buying of particular shares, per the instructions you give them, this is generally called execution only or in softer terms dealing only. With this type of service, they do not offer you any type of advice on any action you want perform. Typically, investors that are experienced or novice in investing will use this type of service. Execution only is cheaper and extremely efficient the fees the stockbroker charges can range anywhere between £20 to hundreds of pounds, this will depend on the specific stockbroker you choose.

Portfolio management is extremely detailed and the most expensive type of service performed and dealing with advice is typically a little more expensive than execution only, because the stockbroker will offer advice and views on what is happening within the stock market. The stockbroker at this level of service will also take the time to explain anything you may not understand very well.

Within the portfolio management service, you can separate these into two other categories these are advisory and discretionary. When under the advisory category, the stockbroker will create a proposal of a portfolio for you; however, he or she will not take any action without express permission from you. Within the discretionary category, your stockbroker will completely run all aspects of your portfolio and will give you reports as needs on how the portfolio is working.