It can be difficult to trust the stock market with your money, whether you are new to trading, or are a veteran investor. The stock market has been a place where many investors have made both incredible gains, as well as loses, which are often much larger than the level of investment placed into stocks. It can be a bit overwhelming when faced with the realities and movement of the stock market on a daily basis for the less experienced investor.
Yet, the common investor can make headway, and will find that the market is not as overwhelming as it may seem at first. There are available to the average investor some general stock trading principles that, if followed, can guide the investor, showing them how to make money in the investment market, while still protecting their initial investment should the market make a downturn.
Churning, as many professionals call it, is one of the biggest stock trading principles that an investor can follow. Having access to an online account can be a great temptation to many traders, allowing them to actively buy and sell their shares when the smallest of movement in either direction is detected, in an attempt to profit or avoid loss. This is an ill advised practice, and unlikely to pay off in the long run as the average trader can’t time the market well enough.
Due to the commissions that brokerages charge for trading stocks on your behalf, churning will often eat away at any profit you might have made. Small profits will vanish with the commissions charged on every trade when someone churns their portfolio, leaving the investor who could have made money with a loss rather than a gain.
Doing one’s homework on a company before purchasing shares is another stock trading principle that an investor should abide by, even if one deals on a regular basis with the business or employer. The average investor has at their fingertips the stock trading tools available on the internet, which when taken advantage of can allow them to know the financial information and outlook of a company, and keep up to date on the company’s movement.
Additionally, tools like stock trading charts and financial summaries can allow the experienced investor (or the investor looking to learn) to make comparisons between companies and industries to do a deeper intrinsic analysis on companies to see whether or not a firm can make it for the long haul. Often, even a shallow analysis of a company versus its competition or industry can yield a wealth of information and allow an investor to make a more informed decision.
A third of these important stock trading principles is to actively follow, but not obsess, over the performance of your portfolio. Many investors have the \”leave it alone\” attitude that they can simply buy stock, let it sit over time, and make money. Often, this can be the case given the average long term return of the stock market, but earning money in the market is never assured.
Make sure that you are up to date on the general news that is coming out of the companies that you hold stock in, and take note of any major developments in the industry or in the economy that could impact the company in the short term or long term. If you are fairly current on the news that comes out about these companies, you can be better prepared to pull the trigger on a trade and follow one of the best stock trading principles ever stated: Buy low, sell high.