Currency Trading Information

Stocks Trading - Advantages and Disadvantages


What is Stocks Trading?

Companies throughout the world issue new stock shares every day. They do so to raise capital in order to invest in the business. Once stock shares have been issued the public is free to buy and sell those issues through a stock broker. As the supply and demand for the shares changes so too does the price. Changing stock prices means opportunities to profit for a trader.

With the arrival of the internet it is now possible to buy and sell stocks relatively cheaply and almost instantly. This, coupled with increased volatility has given rise to more and more people trading stocks rather than just buying and holding them for years.

Advantages of Stocks Trading

Better returns. Actively trading stocks can produce better overall returns than simply buying and holding.

Huge Choice. There are thousands of stocks listed on markets in the US (such as the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq) and around the world. There is always a stock whose price is moving - it's just a matter of finding them.

Familiarity. The most traded stocks are in the largest companies that most of us have heard of and understand - Microsoft, IBM, Cisco etc.

Disadvantages of Stocks Trading

Leverage. With a margined account the maximum amount of leverage available for stock trading is usually 4:1. Meaning a $25,000 could trade up to $100,000 of stock. This is pretty low compared to forex trading or futures trading.

Pattern Day Trader Rules. Requires at least $25,000 to be held in a trading account if the trader completes more than 4 trades in a 5 day period. No such rule applies to forex trading or futures trading.

Uptick Rule on Short Selling. A trader must wait until a stock price ticks up before they can short sell it. Again there are no such rules in forex trading or futures trading where going short is as easy as going long.

Need to Borrow Stock to Short. Stocks are physical commodities and if a trader wishes to go short then the broker must have arrangements in place to 'borrow' that stock from a shareholder until the trader closes their position. This limits the opportunities available for short selling. Contrast this to futures trading where selling is as easy as buying.

Costs. Although online trading costs for stock trading are low they still add considerably to the costs of daytrading. Online futures trading is about 1/4 of the cost for the equivalent value. In the UK 0.5% stamp duty is also levied on all share purchases making trading virtually impossible - Hence the popularity of spreadbetting.

Tim Wreford runs Online Futures Trading, a website that provides information and resources for traders. Tim also provides a free day trading system, the results of which are updated daily on the site.


MORE RESOURCES:

PHP Error Message

Warning: set_time_limit() has been disabled for security reasons in /home/a1838320/public_html/forex/inc/rss.inc on line 8


Irw-Press: Worldlink Group Plc: Worldlink Offers Customers A Currency Trading ...
OfficialWire (press release)
Worldlink has taken the decision to enter the currency trading market because it takes advantage of REAL-time data, for which Worldlink owns the patents to ...



BM&FBovespa Cuts Fees by 55% on Spot Currency Trading
BusinessWeek
1 (Bloomberg) -- BM&FBovespa SA, the world's third- biggest exchange by market value, cut fees by 55 percent on spot currency trading to lure business ...

and more »


iFreshNews (blog)

FOREX: Bond auctions boost euro currency trading
iFreshNews (blog)
Government backed auctions in France and Spain helped increase the trading price of the euro but many traders became less confident of the currency's ...

and more »


Canada's Currency Trading Volume Falls for 1st Time Since 1983
BusinessWeek
Currency-trading in Canada reflected trends in the global market, as heightened price swings after the seizure of global credit markets cut risk appetite, ...

and more »


Currency Trading Soars
Wall Street Journal
Currency trading volume around the world has hit $4 trillion a day, fueled by investors in the wealthiest nations looking ...
Currency-Trading Growth Slowed After Crisis, BIS SaysBloomberg
Global currency trading soars to $4 trillion a dayMarketWatch
Global currency trading jumps 20%BBC News
TopNews United States -Interactive Investor -InTheNews.co.uk
all 107 news articles »


Yen/Dollar: Take Your Shorts Off
CNBC
There were two big rumors going on around currency trading floors Wednesday. One was to ditch the short yen trade. A month ago, when the yen first made its ...

and more »


Euro Falls as ECB's Stark Adds to European Financial Concerns
Bloomberg
... number will put “real pressure on the Reserve Bank of Australia,” said Tony Allen, head of currency trading at ANZ National Bank Ltd. in Wellington. ...

and more »


MSN Money UK

The Currency Trading Market
DailyForex
The popularity of the currency trading market (FX or Foreign Exchange trading) has grown rapidly in recent years as the prospect of having a 24-hour, ...
Forex Trading and How You Can Make Money OnlineHope News

all 12 news articles »


'Investors' taken for $8M in scam
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
He told them he was able to pay such high returns because he used their money to invest in foreign currency trading. Rakotonanahary admitted yesterday that ...

and more »


Moneycontrol.com

PRECIOUS-Gold nears record as economy bears circle markets
FOXBusiness
On the wider markets, currency trading pointed to aresurgence in risk aversion. The yen struck a fresh 15-year high against the dollar andthe Swiss franc an ...
Gold nears record as economy bears circle marketsReuters India

all 355 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006