Thursday, November 19, 2009

Can Stock Trading Software Make You Money?


These days when the economy is so unstable and people out of jobs, many depend on their investments. A number of sophisticated and advanced investors make use of software and tools to sharpen up their investing and trading skills. Online software tools thrives your skills. Many of them are free and available if you sign up to online brokers. You can also find educational material in sites. These sites aim to serve and equip investors with tools and resources mainly in the technical analysis arena; you can subscribe to their free stock analysis tool and free video channel to get a dose of what they have to offer.

Benefits of Stock Trading Software
• Stock trading software can help you to get rid of the emotional aspects of trading while executing the process.
• It allows cool decisions which sequentially reduce the possibility of losses.
• It offers accurate numbers that can deliver projections which signify profitable and safe investment trends.

Dangers of Stock Trading Software
• It may not always be correct.
• Buying stock trading software can be pricey, since the technology develops at a fast pace.
• There are a range of stock trading software is accessible in the market. Thus, it can be very puzzling and time taking to select the software that fits one’s stock trading requirements.

There are two types of stock trading software packages available. A single function package supplies just one function for example real-time penny stocks quotes. There are also all-in-one packages that feature every function that a penny stocks trader should know so as to reach a meticulous investing decision.

Just like with any other form of predictive technology, you can only be given the possibility of events, and there are no certifications. These tools can only let know if a given stock or market will probably move up, down or stay sideways, based on how well its algorithms are built to stick to known investment theories and schools of thought. You’d first have to believe in the theory behind the tool, then believe in the accuracy and quality of the tool before you can trust how it works.

Software invented for penny stocks skill can lend a hand to make extra money. But lots of software out there is a fake. So before you find trading software, make certain you look at the following aspects.

Ensure the website that has the software is legal. Find out if they offer compensation and check out what kind of payment system they have set up. Do you get to go through another company like Paypal? These are safe companies that protect your purchase. Make sure you look at all the small print too.

Know what the software actually does. Do they offer testimonials or statistics. Try and search online for message boards where people have posted about using the software.

Loads of trustworthy and safe companies offer a 30 day risk trial or a refund within 30 days. Ensure you can get your money back if you are not satisfied. The majority of trading software companies are safe, but it’s always a good thing to be careful before purchasing anything on the internet.

Whether you are investing in penny stocks, or bonds, options or commodities, you can rely on software out there to help you with your investments. Software programs can scan thousands of stocks for you and show you exactly what is good to purchase at this point in time.

Causes of Failure in Stock Trading


Penny stocks have been growing in popularity in recent years. In the past, it was considered as bad, but changes in the law and the way the stock exchanges work has created hope among investors. Penny stocks can make someone rich. At the same time it can also make one poor. People lose a lot of money because of market crash. Although a lot is out of investors’ control, there are still instruction that can be learned when you experience a market downturn.

Liquidity
When penny stocks lack much liquidity, it leads to two problems: first, there is the possibility that you won't be able to sell the stock, because it may be hard to find a buyer for a particular stock, and you may have to lower your price. Second, low liquidity levels provide opportunities for some traders to manipulate stock prices. They buy large amounts of stock, hype it up and then sell it after other investors find it attractive.

Inability to cut losses
Day trading brings 2 or 3 point gain. So the trader gets excited to book small profits quickly. But when any one of their stock holdings drops 5 points: the same traders find themselves unable to cut losses rapidly, so they wait for a rebound. In fact, even when their stocks drop by larger points, the majority short term investors become hesitant to book losses. A 20% loss on a single position wipes out the profits that a trader makes on 10 winning transactions, each returning 2% gains.

Entirely selling a winner
When someone makes a profit, it's only usual to want to sell and take that profit elsewhere. On the other hand, a lot of guys look at their losses and cling to them in suspense they'll regain to even. The above plan actually makes you close to loss and far from win.

Long term growth
It’s likely to have the ability to hold on to a stock long enough, it may just bounce back. There’s opportunity cost here.

Prejudiced Recommendations
There are a number of micro cap companies that pay individuals to publicize the company stock in different media, like newsletters, financial television and radio shows. You may receive spam email trying to persuade you to purchase particular stock. If the investor get influenced by them and invest in those companies it can bring much loss to them. Ensure that any press releases aren't given falsely by people looking to influence the price of a stock.

Lack of knowledge when to sell
It is one of the most important thing to learn how to cut your losses. A cost basis shows whether you’ve made money or lost money on a stock. If the current value of your portfolio shows that you have lost money and it looks like it may drop further, it’s time to take losses. You really don’t want to lose more than you can bargain for. Many investors decided to hold last year when they shouldn’t have and were wiped out.

Blindly following a broker
It is good to take the help of a broker to know the company information. But it is not wise act to follow his words blindly. You can make your own research work. You should listen to your broker. But you should also question him. Because at his core, he's a salesman, so he's trying to sell you something. Press him on details. Why is this stock the next great stock? Did he invest his own money in it?

Learning how to “trade” during a bull run
The majority ordinary traders are bitten by the stock market bug during bull markets. They purchase inflated stocks at peak prices, pursuing penny stocksat higher and higher prices while riding the upward momentum of the bull. They buy stocks indiscriminately, without regard to stock fundamentals, quality or price. As a result they suffer later on.

How to invest in penny stocks


The term penny stocks generally stands for any stocks that trade outside the major stock exchanges and is taken as ‘deprecatory’. The major stock exchanges would include: NASDAQ, AMEX, or NYSE. The term is also often used interchangeably with small caps and nano caps. The title of penny stock yet should be determined by the share price instead the listing service or market capitalization. Many companies show false track records to public. Even some of them suffer from bankruptcy. There are a number of micro cap companies that pay individuals to publicize the company stock in different media, like newsletters, financial television and radio shows. They can also send spam email trying to persuade you to purchase particular stock. When various of these companies will file for an IPO, many others will start off trading on the OTC BB as a penny stock.

The easiest way to get your foot into the market is to get into a company that is trading under $5 a share.

Stocks that no longer trade over $1 on the Nasdaq
These take account of those companies that fell from grace (Enron). Though it is possible that they may see better days in the future, the likelihood is stacked against them. It’s generally best to keep away from trading these penny stocks. If you still want to trade, then you can wait until the stock begins to rebound.

The following tips to help the penny stock trader avoid making costly mistakes.

Due Diligence
It’s not so easy to find information on these companies and hard to find out what is legit and what isn’t. Many websites out there offer free ideas and do all the research for you. But it is significant that you do your own research too. Observe the company and research it everyday if you are holding on to it. Ensure whether or not ownership has changed and if there is any new financial news.

Low investments means low risk
Don’t begin with a big investment. It is advised to play with what you can afford. This is great for fresher. Sometimes a penny stock can develop into a huge major company and finish up trading on a major exchange. If you hold on to one like this, the profits will startle you.

Do your own research
There are lots of small caps or microcap stocks in which you can invest that give all the relevant and audited financial statements that you necessitate, in addition genuine press releases. You should observe at all the potential companies out there trading for just a couple of dollars or even under a dollar. Many have been able to double or even triple their investments on penny stocks. Don’t trust the hype, and protect your capital.

Size matters
There are numerous penny stocks. The size of your position should exceed $2000 - $3000. Although this may not appear pretty much it’s not strange for a $0.10 company to drop to $0.05. That's a 50% loss. If your position is $10 000, a 50% haircut leaves you with only $5000. Cut your losses to a minimum. If the company has done well, and you are up, either take your profits off the table, or add to your position, and be sure to reset your stop loss to protect your previous profits. Capital preservation is vital for unbeaten trading.

Make your own strategy
Make a plan before you buy. Make sure why you are buying. What is your exit strategy? Where is your stop loss? At what point will you take your profit? Record these answers before you place that buy order.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Dysfunctions of Penny Stocks


People lose a lot of money because of market crash. Although a lot is out of investors’ control, there are still lessons that can be learned when you are experience a market downturn.

Difficulty in obtaining Information on penny stocks
It is a true fact that it is not so easy to get proper information on existing stock market and corporation’s worth. Due to lack of knowledge about the company’s value people suffer many time. Price and volume data possibly will not be directly available to the public and may only be made available to you by the stock brokerage you’re dealing with. On average, pink sheets for penny stocks are only made accessible to brokerage firms.

Deception and uncertainty
This business is exposed to maltreatment, deception and uncertain sales practices as revealed in their history, and fraught with brokers who use high pressure sales techniques and cold calling.

Penny Stocks are those, which sell for under $5 per share on the exchange and are small company stocks. They are easy to purchase, but they can be hard to sell. They are easily manipulated because they are so thinly traded.

These stocks are hard to unload
Once you have bought the share, then your work is to sell it. For this you’ll need a broker, who may not agree with your decision regarding sell. Besides that brokers may be less than loyal of your wishes to sell your stock, and convince you to keep hanging on or trading these supposed “investments”.

Lack of History
Several companies measured as micro cap stocks are either newly formed or approaching bankruptcy. These companies will generally have poor track records or none at all. As a result, this lack of historical information makes it difficult to determine a stock's potential. An oft-quoted statistic shows that at least 70 percent (!) of penny stock investors lose their lose money, not counting the risks of fraud or abuse.

A highly chancy trading
If you one way or other make money from penny stocks, you may analyze this stroke of fortune entirely to your skill or careful analysis or the due diligence you poured into making your investment decision. It may simply be due to pure luck. These stocks are extremely hit or miss, just like at the slot machines. Brokers may want to push penny stocks upon customers because they can charge more for such a stock. Be watchful of the charges a brokerage can impose on you for trading such stocks.

No Minimum Standards
Stocks on the OTCBB and pink sheets do not have to realize minimum standard requirements to remain on the exchange. Sometimes, this is the reason that the stock is on one of these exchanges. Once a company can no longer maintain its position on one of the major exchanges, the company moves to one of these smaller exchanges. Whereas the OTCBB does require companies to file timely documents with the SEC, the pink sheets have no such requirement. Minimum standards act as a safety cushion for some investors and as a benchmark for some companies.

Common Mistakes in Penny Stocks


Penny stocks can bring you a lot of money. But it is a risky job. There are some strategies that the investor should follow while investing in stock market. Numerous people invest in this but due to common mistake they fail to achieve their goal. A wrong decision can make you suffer for long. Making mistakes is part of the learning process for all investors, but it's plain old common sense that separates a successful investor from a poor one. All together, the majority investors, fresher or experienced, have fallen astray from common sense and made a mistake or two. Being perfect may be without a solution, but knowing some of common investing errors can help put off you from going down. One of the most excellent habits to become a superior investor is to study from other people's mistakes. Based on this experience, the most important advice anyone can offer to investors is to: have an investment plan.

The following are some common mistakes that a lot of guys commit.

Lack of own research
Different people give different idea on penny stocks and they may be right. But it is not a sign of a good investor to trust them blindly. The majority of people invest hearing the motto of others. But they should not do so. Copying them without questioning them can make you lose a lot of money and there will no use of regretting over the past.

Taking on the risk of leverage
Nearly all traders use rented money to trade. They usually borrow money to transact at higher trade volumes because they’re dealing with such small margins. To trade at higher volumes, traders join in margin trading, where they pay a certain interest rate for the opportunity to use other people’s (the bank’s) money for their purposes. This activity can get pretty upsetting. It can mean big losses to destroy all the small gains you’ve made over the course of a given week.

Not investing during bust times
In the main, the economy moves in cycles. People keep themselves away from investing in bust times. Evidently, there are more bargain investments in leaner times. Therefore you should not stay out of the market in those years can be a big mistake.

Not staying on top of your investments
A number of people pay out months making research, setting up a diverse portfolio only to make their initial buys and go to sleep at the wheel. It's puzzling, but it does happen. The trouble is that the market won't call you before things change. Consequently, a lot of guys wake up one day to discover themselves busted.

Betting on penny stocks
It is true that one can invest very low amount in penny stocks but there are two problems with such stocks. First, small prices normally offer smaller margins, so the transaction costs will be a great problem. Second, penny stocks are more subject to scam and manipulation. Despite the fact that most penny stocks are reasonable, it's an area where criminals carry out their trade.

Wrong Assumption
A number of people incorrectly assume that a great product equals a great stock. But the fact is that there's more to a good company than a good product. The product of a company may be good but it does not mean that it has also good stock value.

Blindly following a broker

Quite a lot of guys follow their broker's advice blindly. But they should remember that he may not be an expert. You can listen his advice but before implementing it you should make your own assessment.

Trading too much
If you have won few trades simultaneously, you should not be crazy for more and more trading. Because it may happen that all the money you have won may be lost in a single trading without thinking. Each trade has a commission fee and each trade has tax implications. So, if your profit margin is thin, chances are it will fade away with fees and taxes.

Penny Stocks Glossary- A Comprehensive Knowledge About Penny Stocks


It is very essential to understand stocks investments terms before you get started. It will enable to interpret what the newspapers, your broker, and stock exchanges mean. If you are a fresher to stock market investing, you should know several stock market terms before you make those first trades. Stock market investing is somewhat complex. Study these terms to obtain a fundamental understanding of the stock market, and then start digging deeper.
Here are a few of them:

Ask price: a term used to show the amount or price in which the sellers of the penny stocks want to sell their shares of stock to the buyers.

Balance sheet return: This term stands for the measures of a penny stock company, productivity and company value. The balance sheet return typically contains measures like the book per share, profit margin, return on equity, sales/price ratio, price/book ratio, and the reporting date.

Basher: It is someone who posts information on a message board for driving the penny stocks prices down.

Bid price: This is the price at which you can sell your stock.

Blue Chip Stocks - it describes the stocks owned by firms that are considered secure and less uncertain than other firms. They generally have a large market capitalization.

Block trade: In penny stocks lingo, block trade refers to a trade of 100,000 shares or more.

Canceled order: This is a buy or sell order that is canceled before it has been executed. A canceled order can also refer to the cancellation of a limit order, or a market order.

Capital stock: This is the amount of property contributed by stock holders that are used as the financial foundation for the company. Capital stock may be either common or preferred stock.

Current P/E ratio: This refers to the ratio of the current price divided by the last two quarters earnings per share (EPS), plus the next two estimated quarters earnings per share.

Day order: A day order is an order that remains open for one trading day until it is executed or canceled.

Discount broker: This is a broker who offers low-cost deal fees. The discount broker’s prices are low because he does not offer investment advice.

Due diligence: It means undertaking research work before investing in penny stocks

Float: This refers to the number of shares a stock has available for trading purposes.

Full service broker: This is a broker who offers a full range of investment brokerage services, including financial advice and portfolio management.

Fundamental Analysis - analyzing stocks involves examining important financial data of a company which includes financial ratios, profits and revenues, press releases, among others. It is a way to verify which stocks are investing worthy.

Limit order: This is an order to buy or sell a stock at a price specified by the customer. If you set a limit order you can specify the maximum price you want to pay for your purchase or the minimum price you will accept to sell your stocks.

Market Capitalization - a term used to indicate a corporation's value. It is calculated by multiplying the price per share of the stock and the total number of shares of the corporation.

Market Orders - when an investor places an order to buy or sell shares of stock without indicating any desired amount of the stock price.

Market maker: This refers to a brokerage or a bank that represents a stock, and competes with other market makers to buy and sell the stocks. The market maker displays buy and sell quotes.

Pink Sheets: Pink Quote, informally known as the Pink Sheets, is an electronic quotation system operated by Pink OTC Markets that displays quotes from broker-dealers for many over-the-counter securities. Market makers and other brokers can use Pink Quote to publish their bid and ask quotation prices. The term Pink Sheets is also stands for a market tier within the current Pink Quote system.

Pump and dump: This is a penny stocks trading strategy where the prices of the penny stocks usually rise quickly because of hype, and falls drastically when the hype-makers unload their stocks.

Spread: This refers to the difference between the bid price and the ask price.

Stop limit: This is an order that combines both the stop and the limit order. If you put and activate a stop limit, your order can be executed up to your limit price. If the trading goes beyond your limit ceiling, your trade will not be executed.

Stocks: Stocks are shares in a company that are traded on the stock market. Shares are bought at the current sale price and then sold at will in the future for either a profit, loss or at a dead even break.

Tanking: Tanking is when penny stocks lose their value very quickly.

What Are The Best Stocks To Trade?


If you watch the news or read a newspaper, you’re sure to have heard of the stock market. You read that shares of a company showed a 5% gain, or others fell a big 300 points. If you can learn about it, you can just make a lot of money in investments.

The term “penny stock” usually refers to low-priced (below $5), approximate securities of very small companies. Whereas penny stocks by and large are quoted over-the-counter, such as on the OTC Bulletin Board or in the Pink Sheets, they may also trade on securities exchanges, counting foreign securities exchanges. Besides, penny stocks comprise the securities of certain private companies with no active trading market.

But the main concern is to know about the best stocks to trade. For a large amount people, they support the answer to that question on tips they have heard from others that is more accustomed with the market. It may be easy method to pick stocks. On the other hand there are risk for lose of money with this technique. You have to make a decision how you are going about getting penny stock leads. You can get picks from a professional stock picking service, or would you rather uncover and research your own picks.

While choosing a good penny stocks, you should consider every aspect of the company that you can. Try to get a feel for the company, learn how it makes money, and decide what you look forward to the company to be doing in the coming years. Low liquidity levels provide opportunities for some traders to manipulate stock prices. They buy large amounts of stock, hype it up and then sell it after other investors find it attractive.

You also should consider for the following things, among others, to make certain that you are only dealing with the utter best penny stocks. You need to look for a trend of improvement. Share prices raise the most when a company has momentum. If they keep making more money each year than they did the last, the shares will probably benefit as the company grows.

Good Trading Volume determines the quality of a company. It will make it easier to trade shares, and can magnify any upward price movement.

Apart from that it is to ensure if the shares are on a good penny stock market? If they are on the Nasdaq SmallCap or AMEX, they will have to report to shareholders regularly, and must hold on to strict requirements of the exchange. OTC-BB and Pink Sheet stocks are in general less transparent or cooperative.

Ensure the financials to see if they are making more money than they are spending and if their operational plan makes sense. Strong business plan and results. The trouble for most people is that there is lot information available and it’s difficult to make a decision. You should buy based on charts, based on ground rules, based on insight. Sometimes, it’s a amalgamation of all three. When a penny stock newsletter or service reviews a company, and analyses all the details, it is a fine to read that report and settle on if the company fits with your trading goals.

What is the best stock to invest in? The answer varies daily, and mostly, it relies on what level of risk you can undertake. There are a lot of publicly traded companies. Therefore it is your first job to know yourself that what kind of investment you are interested in. Thus you find the right trading stock companies.