How to Make Money Trading Stocks: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide

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How to make money trading stocks

The stock market is an exciting way to make money, but it can also be a complicated and intimidating topic. We have all equally heard the stories of people making millions in just a few minutes, and those who have lost it all in as equally short a time. And yet, there are many people who swear by the stock market as a tried and tested way of making money. While nothing in life is guaranteed, these proponents of stock trading believe that as long as you have the right knowledge and skills, the potential for profit is enormous.

But how do you get started in the stock market? And how can you become a master trader?

In this article, we will explain how trading stocks work, some different trading strategies, and how to give yourself the best chance of success.

analysing the stock market

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What is the Stock Market?

The stock market is a place where people can buy and sell stocks. Stocks are basically pieces of ownership in companies, usually measured by the number of shares you own. If a company does well financially (or is perceived to be doing well), that means its share price goes up, which works out really nicely for those who bought into it. The opposite happens if the business isn’t doing as well as expected, as their stock prices drop. In other words, owning part of a successful company will make you money; but only if the value increases over time. This can make buying and selling stocks an incredibly lucrative venture to get involved with, as long as you know what you’re doing.

How does Trading Stocks Work?

If you want to start trading stocks, it’s important that you understand how this market works and what your potential options are.

First of all, let us explain exactly what stock trading entails before we get into the nitty-gritty details on different strategies and techniques. Trading Stocks simply means buying shares (stocks) in companies which you think will do well financially over a certain period of time. Another way of looking at it would be to say that instead of buying one product from a company or service provider, when you trade stocks, you’re essentially purchasing part ownership of that company.

In its simplest terms, here is how the process works step by step:

Firstly, identify companies whose products or services appeal to you, or whose value you expect to increase. If this is the first time you are trying out stock trading, it’s best to start with companies which will not be too financially demanding.

Once you’ve decided on a few suitable candidates, find out their current price per share. This is basically how much each individual unit of shares costs at any given point in time.

After that, all you need to do is purchase the amount of shares you want. You can often do this directly through a company’s website or through a stockbroker. Both will have details about how many units (or fractions/percentages) make up one full share.

Finally, decide whether you want to make a quick profit or if you are in it for the long haul. Watch the price of your shares carefully and decide based upon fluctuations whether you want to sell your shares to cash in (or cut your losses), or whether you want to purchase more.

What You will Need to Get Started in Trading Stocks?

A Brokerage Account

If you are serious about trading, you’ll need to open an account with a brokerage firm. There are two ways you can go about this: opening up an online stock trading account, or going into a. brokerage office and speaking with someone in person. While either is fine, it is usually easier these days to use an online platform. Some of the other advantages are that you can open an online account in minutes, many have low minimum deposits for new accounts, and they are secure and easy to use.

The Right Training

In order to be a successful trader, it is important that you have the right training. There are countless books and courses available online which can provide quality instructions on how to trade stocks successfully, but one of the best ways for beginners to build their skillset early-on is through a free webinar. These are often better than books because if you watch a live or recently made webinar then you can be assured that all the information is up to date, whereas the information in some older books may no longer be relevant.

An Adviser or Roboadviser

Advisers are people with experience in the financial industry who will act as your mentor and guide you through the process of trading stocks, while roboadvisers use automated algorithms that mirror real human behaviour in order to manage customer accounts. Both options require money up front, but they can be useful if you don’t have time to devote yourself full-time to learning about investing.

Investment Capital

In order to trade stocks you will require some investment capital to get started. While online trading platforms themselves are free to use, you will need some money in order to actually buy and sell stocks. If you don’t have much capital at hand then consider opening a brokerage account with the minimum deposit amount required by your chosen platform.

man watching the stock market

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Different Stock Trading Strategies & Techniques

There are several different ways that you can approach investing in the stock market – whether your aim is long term or short term, big profits or steady income from dividends, active trading or simply holding onto shares until retirement.

Here are some of the most popular strategies:

  • Value Investing – This is all about buying low and selling high by looking for good deals among undervalued stocks .
  • Growth Investing – This involves choosing companies with strong earnings prospects so they can grow into valuable assets.
  • Swing Trading – This is a technique where you hold onto stocks for several days to weeks at a time, only buying and selling when it seems profitable.
  • Income Investing – involves choosing shares that pay out dividends so you can collect returns on your investment over the long term rather than waiting for share prices to rise.
  • Index Funds – These give investors exposure to broad market indexes such as the FTSE 100 or S&P 500 without having any knowledge of how individual companies perform in different sectors of industry. Index funds are an attractive option if you don’t have much money but want good diversification across multiple stocks instead of just one or two highly-risky investments.
  • Hedge Funds – These are essentially private pools of capital from wealthy individuals who allow managers to invest in a diverse range of assets and take large risks in the hope that big gains will be made.
  • Day Trading – This involves buying and selling shares within one day or even several hours, using strategies such as scalping which is where you continuously buy low then sell high over a short period of time without holding stock for any longer than necessary.
  • Short-Selling – This is essentially betting on falling share prices – this can either be done by borrowing stocks from other people so they have something to gain if prices fall before being returned, or through contracts for difference (CFDs) which allow traders to bet against an index rather than individual companies.
  • Collecting Dividends – This  entails choosing shares that pay out regular returns , usually because the company is in a strong financial position and so can afford to pay out money to shareholders. This is an attractive option if you want steady returns on your investments but don’t have the time or expertise needed for more complicated strategies such as day trading.

What are the Two Main Types of Stock Analysis?

There are two main types of stock analysis: fundamental and technical. Fundamental analysis involves looking at the financial figures behind companies such as their assets, liabilities and revenue to work out whether their stock price accurately reflects its real value. This method can be very useful in helping traders find undervalued stocks with high growth potential which will eventually turn into good long-term investments even if they fall briefly during market corrections.

Technical analysis involves using charts to predict future movements based on previous trends and patterns that have emerged from historical prices. It is useful for active traders looking to make quick profits from short term price movements, but can often be misleading so it’s important to combine this approach with fundamental analysis.

As a trader you will need to use these two types of analysis to decide where there is value in the stock market, and to time your trades perfectly in order to maximise your profits.

What are the Benefits of Trading Stocks?

There are many benefits to trading stocks. One of the biggest is that you can potentially make a lot of money, and quickly. If you learn how the stock market works and put in some effort, it’s possible to earn hundreds or even thousands of dollars per day just by buying and selling shares at the right time through short-selling. You could also supplement your income through dividends or long-term capital growth if you invest for the medium/long term instead of trying to trade every few days.

This makes investing much less stressful than other forms of work because there isn’t as much pressure on making money consistently; whether you profit over any given month doesn’t matter as long as your balance goes up over the long run.

Many people start out by trading stock in their spare time to supplement the income from their normal job. However, some manage to give up their regular job altogether because they start making so much through trades. If you get to this point, you will be able to set your own hours, and work from anywhere as long as you have a computer or smartphone, and an internet connection.

men making stock market trades

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What are the Potential Risks of Stock Trading?

The biggest potential risk of stock trading is, of course, that you could lose all of your money. There have been many cases of people who one minute were riding high only to lose everything the next minute. To minimise your risks, it is vital that you do everything possible to be prepared. Get the right training, learn how to effectively analyse the markets, and never risk more than you can afford to lose.

What are the Main Alternatives to Trading Stocks?

Cryptocurrency

Trading crypto has become a very popular alternative to stock. It involves buying and selling Bitcoin, Etherium, Litecoin or other cryptocurrencies. It can be a very lucrative investment but it is also risky. There are many different ways to trade crypto including buying coins through an exchange like Coinbase or by mining them yourself.

One of the biggest risks when trading cryptocurrencies is that they fluctuate so much more than stocks. This means there is always some degree of risk involved because if the value drops too quickly it may take a long time before prices recover enough for you make a profit again. On the other hand, when things are going well, the profits can be enormous, and some crypto traders have made huge sums over the last few years.

Forex

Another popular alternative is Forex trading. This is when foreign currencies are traded on the Forex market where their value is constantly fluctuating against each other. The goal of traders in this market is usually not to buy low and sell high, but rather to buy a pair of currencies where one will increase in value relative to other. Forex trading is ideal for someone who wants to make money quickly, but it usually is not the best financial strategy for long-term investing.

To Sum Up…

Trading stocks can be a lot of fun, and if you know what you are doing and take the right steps to prepare, there is the potential to make a lot of money. The most important thing is that you are always aware of the risks, and weigh the potential profits against what you are willing to lose. Make sure you always stay up to date with what is happening in the markets, and there are some serious profits to be made.

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