This is Allan Tan, and this is my last post on this site. Due to the difference in style of handling affairs pertaining TTA Inc, with the CEO, BL, I have decided that it is time to move on.

Just making a statement that, I no longer endorse or promotes TTA Inc or BL’s trading systems.

This is just a public announcement. Thank you.

Allan

http://www.donnaforex.com/forum/index.php?topic=6624.msg255290#msg255290

http://tradingeducationprogram.org/

Many “experts” at CNBC mentioned that gold bull market is over. Oh really? Thanks for giving me the chance to buy gold at cheaper price.

We had bought Gold ETF at $152, see here.

On 17 Oct 2011, we had informed our students and subscribers to buy Boustead at $0.8200 (see here).

Today Boustead is trading at $0.9500. This trade is sitting on profit of 18%. In addition, this stock is paying a dividend yield of 6%.

If you are not yet our learn investing student, you may want to consider signing up.

Using our simple to learn value stock investing system package you will get,

1-on-1 online coaching with Brendan for several hours,

our formulated spreadsheet to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock.

12 months of real-time stock trade alerts and market update news (sent straight to your email), after which you will be paying $300 for every 1 yearly for this service.

unlimited email access with Brendan (as long as you are a member), and trading alongside Brendan.

What you will achieve after is, you can:

During the one to one coaching, you will learn:

i) how to identify a winning stock by looking at the fundamentals. (the critical details to be disclosed during coaching).
ii) where to get these critical information on the stocks.
iii) how to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock, and by using our formula you will pick stocks that offers a “discounted” price.
iv) how to identify a good entry level to buy the stock.

By combining fundamental and technical analysis, we can achieve a high rate of success in our stock pick.

To sign up for our learn investing program, click here.

I can assure you that most or all educators will not show you their trading statements. This is because they are either bad traders themselves or they have stop trading (now they are earning income from teaching). Will you trust their trading skill and the quality of their trading education program? I will not.

Below are my stock trading statement. We have nothing to hide. We are good at trading and investing. We even manage to make profit in difficult stock market environment like 2011.

We promise you will not find courses that will give you such quality and effort from myself to teach you at such affordable prices.

Using our proprietary strategy we have been able to generate consistent profits in our stock investment. We specialise in stocks listed in Singapore and United States of America.

Our return objective is to double our subscribers’ money every four years. We eat our own cooking – we had invested our own money in the stocks that we recommend.

This strategy had enabled me to be ranked top 1.5% in a US Stock Pick Competition organised by Zacks.com, see here.

Upon signing up for our Learn Stock Investing program, you will receive:

1. One to one coaching via skype.
2. Our stock picks via email for 12 months.
3. Market update via email for 12 months.
4. Our formula spreadsheet to calculate intrinsic value of a stock.

During the one to one coaching, you will learn:

a. How to identify a winning stock by looking at the fundamental (Profit and loss statement, Cash flow statement).
b. List of websites will be given for free information on stocks.
c. Learning how to identify a winning stock is not sufficient. You will learn how to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock. We do not want to overpay for a stock. Normally we will only buy when the stock is undervalued by 50% or more.
d. After you have identify a winning stock trading at undervalued price, you will learn how to identify a good entry level to buy the stock. By combining fundamental and technical analysis, we can achieve a high rate of success in our stock pick.

To sign up for our Learn Investing Program, please transfer USD650 to paypal account at metal.commodity@tradingeducationprogram.org.

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.” – Thomas Jefferson

Many financial news programs feature stock market updates that describe the current market trends. These programs may provide stock predictions based on financial news.

Some programs have financial experts who offer explanations of the current stock prices and how things may change in the future. The expert may not say that a specific stock is expected to reach a certain price, but the expert might provide insight into how an economic sector or company is expected to perform.

If a company is doing very well and has promising projections, it is likely to expect the stock to increase in value. At the same time, the stock trader may learn that financial news affects the stock based on how traders perceive the news. For example, bad news for a company even if the company may be expected to rally can cause stock prices to drop considerably if the traders panic and sell due to the bad news.

The traders may choose to let such information influence their decisions in stock trading. Some traders use news and stock predictions from experts as a main source of information when deciding on stock trades.

Stock predictions can be in the form of trading signals that are purchased from a company. There are many companies that offer trading signals. These companies notify the traders by email or text message if they detect a good stock trade and predict a change in price.

Candlestick patterns are used to predict stock movement. The traders who use candlestick patterns looks for shapes of candles or patterns in candlestick charts for a stock.

The patterns and shapes each have different meanings based on how the stock price has moved in the past after such a pattern has appeared. Some patterns are considered more reliable than others in predicting stock price movement.

Traders can use a variety of other stock price indicators to try to predict stock prices. Many traders have their favorite tools that they use in conjunction with stock charts to determine which direction the stock price is likely to move.

A trader can develop a trading strategy for predicting stock market prices by choosing which tools the trader will continue to use and how the trader will use them. New traders may want to practice using many tools before deciding which ones they like most and which provide the most accurate results.

Though there are no fail-proof ways to predict the prices of a stock in the future, traders do their own forms of predicting when they make trades. An expert may not want to make specific stock market predictions, but traders can use financial news to gain an understanding of how the stocks may behave.

Before buying the stock, the traders should have a general idea of how long they would want to own the stock provided that there are no unexpected changes in the stock or the company. Once a trader has bought the stock, the trader needs to be able to make decisions about selling the stock.

Some stock investors choose to hold onto a stock for a long period of time. If the stock was purchased at a good price and the investor has confidence in the company, holding the stock for an extended period of time may be ideal.

Investors may have personal reasons to sell a stock. If the investor is happy with the stock investment and wants to hold the stock but needs money, the investor may have to sell to obtain the cash.

The stock market experiences fluctuations just like the individuals stocks do. If the stock market is doing very well but the performance of the stock is not, some traders will sell that stock.

If the investor bought the stock at a good price and the price of the stock has skyrocketed in a short period of time, the investor may want to sell to bank some profit in case a sharp correction is ahead. When a stock price soars in a short timeframe, a bubble may have been created which often leads to a sharp, fast decline in the price.

Changes in the company that issued the stock may prompt traders to sell. The trader should consider the effect that the changes may have on the company’s long-term income, assets, and debt. If the company is in serious trouble, the trader may be right to consider selling the stock.

Traders may find out that they made a mistake in their calculations that led them to purchase the stock. If the stock no longer looks like a good investment after correcting an error, the trader may want to sell.

If a stock is declining in price, some traders will continue to hold the stock if they expect the company to have better earnings in the future. Traders also may consider selling a stock at a loss to prevent further loss and to use up to three thousand dollars of the loss to offset income for tax purposes.

Selling a stock is an integral part of stock investing. Even though not much information about investing in stocks is written about selling stocks, the decision to sell can be even more difficult than deciding to buy a stock.

Stocks make a good short-term investing vehicle, because the investor can easily liquidate the stock holdings when cash is needed. The risk of stock investing makes this short-term investment different from putting the cash in a savings account.

In addition to the risk, stocks are much different than savings accounts by the profit potential. A savings account offers very little in interest payment for the amount deposited, while stocks can possibly generate much greater profit.

However, a savings account is completely safe while stock investments carry considerable risk. Using a variety of indicators, following a strategy, and getting help from a mentor who is an experienced investor are a few of the ways that an investor can reduce the risks of stock trading.

For investors who do not want to manage the risk of stocks, there are other types of short-term investments. People who are not comfortable with risk may consider certificates of deposit (CDs) to be the best short-term investment.

With a CD, the investor knows how much money will be made in interest on the deposit that the investor makes. The CDs can be for varying timeframes with more interest usually given to longer deposits.

A problem with using CDs for a short-term investment is that there is usually a penalty for withdrawing the money early if the need to do so arises. So, if the investor is looking for a short-term investing option for fear of needing cash soon, a CD is not a practical choice.

Some investors feel more comfortable investing in mutual funds than individual stocks. Investing in a mutual fund is like buying into a collection of stocks.

A good mutual fund may be the best short-term investment, because the investors can convert their investments into cash at any time. Also, the fund is professionally managed, so it can be a way for a new stock trader to begin to build the portfolio while learning to trade individual stocks.

Mutual funds can provide instant diversification. Some mutual funds are highly specialized and focus on one sector while others include stocks from many different sectors.

Even for short-term investments, diversification can be important. Any investors who buy mutual funds that are highly specialized in the same sector may be putting their money at unnecessary risk.

Whether stocks or mutual funds are the best investments depends on the investors comfort level with risk and experience in trading stocks. Both are potentially good short-term investments since they both can be sold easily and relatively fast.

Though many people know that stocks are shares of a company that are traded on a stock market, new traders often get stuck not knowing which stocks to buy. Selecting a stock to buy depends on the trader’s investment goals and strategy.

The basic principle for investing in stocks is to buy low and sell high in order to make a profit. Some investors will buy the stock of a strong company and hold it for a significant period of time before selling. Buying and holding stock often is viewed as a safer way to trade stocks.

Day traders might buy and sell many stocks throughout the day. However, some brokers do not allow day trading or may charge higher fees for such short-term trades. If the trade costs more, the day trader has to generate more profit on the trade just to break even.

When deciding how to pick stocks, the new trader may want to try different indicators such as the moving averages convergence/divergence (MACD) and Fibonacci ratios. These indicators are used in conjunction with the stock price chart.

Some traders prefer to look for patterns in candlestick charts that predict a particular movement. There are several candlestick patterns that indicate that the stock is likely to move in a predictable way after the pattern appears.

Traders who look at how the price of the stock is moving to decide whether or not to trade the stock are using price action trading strategies. Another type of strategy considers how much the stock is worth.

Value investors calculate how much the company is worth considering the company’s debt, income, and assets. This number is then divided by how many shares the company has issued. The result is an estimate of the value per share.

Then, value investors will by the stock if the current price is a percentage less than their estimated value for share. The percentage discount that the value investors use provide a margin of error in case their estimate is not completely accurate.

By buying based on how much stock is worth, the value investor believes that the stock is currently undervalued and will return to at least the actual value. Investors who use this strategy also may look for other signs that the stock is currently undervalued.

A new trader may want to practice various tools and strategies for picking stocks before deciding what strategy the trader wants to adopt. The practice and mastery of several tools can provide options for picking stock in the trader’s stock investing career.

People who buy bonds receive interest payments from the entity that sold the bonds to them. The bonds are known as fixed-income securities, because investors know the money that they will make with the bonds if held until maturity.

Corporate bonds are issued by companies. Bonds do not often exceed stocks based on return, but there are years when bonds outperform stocks.

Bonds have a face value or principal which is the amount the investor will receive when the bond matures. Bonds may trade for prices that are above or below the face value of the bond.

If a bond is selling at a price that is below the face value, the bond is referred to as being sold at a discount. A bond sold at a premium has a price higher than the face value.

The face value of bonds varies. A typical face value for a corporate bond is one thousand dollars.

A bond’s coupon is the interest rate that determines the payment that the investors will receive. The coupon or interest rate multiplied by the face value is how much the investor will make each year.

The U.S. Treasury Department issues savings bonds to investors. These savings bonds used to be available in paper form, but now only electronic bonds are sold. The only way to get paper bonds now is to purchase them through the Internal Revenue Service with money from a tax refund.

Though bonds generally are considered less risky than stocks, it is possible to lose money with bond investing. Inflation can cause a loss in money if the rate of inflation is higher than the interest rate on the bonds that the investor owns.

Trading bonds has risks just like trading stocks. The prices of bonds fall when interest rates go up. A trader who isn’t aware of a recent or impending interest rate increase can easily lose money when trading bonds.

High-yield bonds are riskier bonds that may offer higher returns. These bonds are referred to as junk bonds. Some investors choose junk bonds for the chance at the higher return even though there is a higher risk that the company will default and the investor will lose their money.

When deciding whether or not to invest in bonds, the investors need to consider if they are willing to have their money be tied up in the investment until the bond matures. The maturation of the bond varies, but a bond may mature as long as twenty years or more after it is issued.

Investors who are interested in purchasing precious metals may choose silver over gold because silver is cheaper. These investors may feel that the price of silver may rise considerably.

Gold was a very popular investment in recent years. Many investors predict that the price of gold will gradually decline since it may have been inflated due to the popularity.

Silver investments are generally sold as coins or bars. Silver coins that are legal tender can be treated like currency. The coins are more recognizable than the bars. Therefore, the coins are easier to sell or use.

The disadvantage of silver bars is that people may not recognize them as currency. The bullion bars may have the mark by the mint, but this mark is not necessarily widely known. Bars may be numbered for London Good Delivery (LGD) which make them recognized internationally, but investor still may have more difficulty selling bars than coins.

An assay attests the purity of the silver investment. An assay office tests the silver bullion bars or coins to determine their degree of purity. Assay marks on the metal show the purity of that metal.

Any person who is considering the purchase of silver bullion coins needs to be cautious when choosing which coins to buy. A collector’s or commemorative coin is not the same as a bullion coin even if the company selling a collector’s coin gives claims that the coin contains certain precious metals.

Some past scams have been the sale of coins that the company claimed to contain silver or other precious metals when the coins did not. When considering the purchase of silver bullion from a company, the investor would be wise to check the company’s standing with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Another important thing to consider when buying silver coins is to avoid buying coins with decorative paint or stickers added to them. Though these may be issued by a government mint and contain the stated silver bullion, it can be difficult to sell these coins for their true value since the paint and adhesives add impurities to the surface of the coin.

If an investor is interested in buying silver coins, the investor may want to consider the coins produced by the Royal Canadian Mint, the United States Mint, or Austrian Mint. The Royal Canadian Mint issues a silver bullion coin called the Canadian silver maple leaf.

The silver bullion coin made by the United States Mint is called an American Eagle. The Austrian Mint makes the silver bullion coin called the Austrian silver Philharmonic. Investors may want to purchase silver bullion coins from a government mint to start their silver investing.

To buy silver, the investor may buy physical silver in the form of coins or bars. The investor pays a premium over the current silver price to pay for the cost to make the coins or bars.

The investors may want to consider other costs like shipping and how the silver will be kept. Investors who keep large quantities of silver may be concerned about security to guard against theft.

Another option to own silver is to buy shares in iShares Silver Trust ETF. This exchange traded fund (ETF) is similar to a mutual fund or stocks. The price of these shares reflect the price of silver.

Buying silver can be done through the Perth Mint in Western Australia. The investor receives a certificate for the silver. The mint holds the silver for a storage fee. The Perth Mint requires a minimum initial purchase and regular purchases for the certificate program.

In addition to the Perth Mint Certificate program, investors can purchase gold and silver bullion in bars or coins from the Perth Mint. The mint recommends coins over bars for international trade or if the bullion may be used for legal tender as the coins are more easily recognizable as legal tender.

Do people have reason to fear that the dollar will lose its spending power? It may be already happening. The United States Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner has said that the metal content in pennies and nickels is more valuable than the coins themselves.

There are other world currencies with similar signs of the currency being worth less than the metals to produce them. Some governments are eliminating the lowest valued coins due to the cost of making them exceeding their worth.

While some investors feel that a diversified portfolio in various stocks and cash investments is enough to protect them against deflation, others feel that at least part of the portfolio should be precious metals. Adding precious metals to a portfolio may provide added protection against deflation.

Those who believe currency is in trouble considering the amount of debt acquired by major world powers and the inability to pay this debt may take a more radical approach to buying silver. Some investors are putting a majority of their investments in gold or silver bullion.

Whether the investor primarily invests in silver or adds silver investments to the portfolio, the investor should become familiar with the tax implications of the silver bullion and where the silver will be stored. Investing in silver can provide an investor with a sense of security in times when people lack confidence in flat currency.

Financial news about publically traded companies often is featured on stock market updates. Earnings news and growth projections affect how the public feel about the company’s stock.

Some investors make trades based on financial news about companies. These investors may buy stock if the news about a company seems promising. However, they may also buy if the news about a company is considered bad by many people since the price of the stock will drop if people sell their stock in response to the news.

However, if the news can be viewed as a temporary setback for the company, the investors who trade according to the news may see this as an opportunity to buy as the other traders sell their stock. Traders who invest according to the news are sometimes said to “trade the news.”

The stock market news shows often have analysts participate in discussion about the stock market behavior, the economy, a particular stock, and other related topics. The experts who typically appear on these programs have a variety of backgrounds in business and finance.

These discussions and commentaries can be helpful for investors to see how the events occurring to different businesses, sectors of the economy, or government can affect the stock market. Even natural disasters can cause changes in the stock market.

Predictions may be made either by a visiting expert or when the current market conditions are described. Traders should remember there are no guarantees that such stock market predictions will come to fruition. Investors might take such predictions and use indicators or other tools to verify them before acting on them.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), commonly referred to as the Dow, is often stated during such programs. This index is used by many as a measuring stick to estimate how the market is doing.

Another index that frequently is mentioned is the S & P 500 index. This index is maintained by Standard & Poor’s and consists of stocks from five hundred large-cap companies in the United States.

Changes in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 can give investors an idea of how the market as a whole is behaving. However, if both these indexes saw gains on a given day, it does not mean that all stocks increased in price.

Many of these stock market updates are available on television news channels. Some finance websites offer similar stock market update information to their visitors.

Stock traders need to remember that investing in the stock market always involves risk. The traders use tools to try to reduce the risk, but nothing can completely remove all the risk and guarantee success.

Many scams are aimed at new investors. The new traders can avoid these scams by using a critical eye when reading unbelievable claims of guaranteed wealth from stock investing. Traders also can check the standings of companies with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

A common way that new traders lose money is buying stocks that are low, but selling when the stock decreases in value. If the trader has reason to believe that the stock will rise in value and understands reasons why the stock might currently be down such as a news story about the company, then the best plan of action may be to hold the stock.

When deciding whether to sell or hold a declining stock, many new traders panic for fear of losing more money. The trader should consider the reasons people are selling the stock and if the reasons have an effect on the company’s long-term growth.

Day trading and swing trading are risky endeavors. Not only is the potential profit generally lower for each trade due to the short-term change in price, but many online brokers charge additional fees or even prohibit day trading. The trader who wishes to try day trading should consider the commissions and fees to know how much profit the trader would have to make on the trade just to break even.

Another stock investing tip is that cheap stock is not necessarily a good buy. If the company is deep in debt and has no hope of recovering, the stock may continue to decline and never increase. The new trader needs to consider more than just the price of the stock when deciding which stocks to buy.

Planning for the long-term growth of an investment portfolio means that the traders chooses solid stocks in a variety of sectors and holds those investments. The portfolio can be further diversified with other types of investments.

Learn to use different indicators such as Fibonacci ratio and Bollinger bands. Investors can use these tools to identify a good trade or check the accuracy of a trading signal received from a company.

Many investors use several indicators in their investing strategies to determine if a trade is a good one. New traders who take time and put in effort to learn the charting tools gain these tools to help them make informed decisions.

Price action investing is a strategy that focuses on the movement of the stock price. With this trading strategy, the investor watches the stock price chart for predictable patterns that may indicate that the price will move in a certain direction.

Investors who use price action investing may memorize different patterns and what those patterns may mean for the stock price. Some investors who use this stock investing strategy will verify the pattern with other indicators to determine if the predicted direction is likely.

Another method of using the current price to choose a trade is to look for stocks that are undervalued. A stock trader may use the price to earnings ratio to see if the stock is undervalued.

To calculate the price to earnings ratio (P/E), the investor divides the current stock price by the earnings per share (EPS). Traders may shy away from stocks with a P/E ratio that is not in the bottom ten percent of its sector.

Some investors use the PEG ratio which is the price to earnings divided by the projected growth in earnings for the next year. Ideally, the PEG ratio will be less than one which means that the stock may be undervalued.

Value investors calculate the approximate value of each share by estimating the worth of the company and dividing that by the number of shares. A value investment calculation can be detailed and take into account the company’s debt, income, and assets.

The typical value investment practice includes setting a margin of error commonly around thirty or forty percent. With this strategy, the trader will consider buying a stock with a current price that is more than thirty percent below the calculated value per share.

Growth investment strategies look for stocks that are expected to increase in price. The stocks that are chosen may already be somewhat expensive if the stock is expected to rise considerably.

An investor may choose to use another person’s strategy or that of a company. Some investors opt to receive trading signals from companies that notify traders when a trading opportunity arises. These signals may be generated from a computer program or analyst.

The investors may devise their own stock investing strategies with stock indicators and theories used alone or in conjunction with other tools. When experienced traders are deciding whether or not to make a trade, they may use a combination of strategies or indicators.

A customizable stock chart allows the user to select which stocks to view. The charts typically allow the user to select whether to view a bar, line, or candlestick chart.

People who have online brokers usually have access to a free stock chart at any time. The trader simply logs into the account and selects the information they wish to see. The software used to view the charts and make trades is called the trading platform.

Charting tools like various indicators are available to help the traders make decisions about stock purchases. Several tools may be used while a trader is considering a trade. A trader often develops a trading strategy with their favorite tools to use.

Some free charts provide only the basic information of stock quotes rather than a real-time chart. These charts might provide information about the price, volume, and change in price. Whether the display is a quote or a graph, the trader should check how old the data is.

Finance websites and some other Internet sources for a free stock chart may show stock price information that is outdated. No matter what strategy the trader is using, traders should check current, real-time data before making a trade.

Charting software can be purchased if the trader wants more features. While the charts from the broker’s websites may only allow one chart to be displayed at once, several charting software programs allow up to four charts to be displayed at one time.

Having multiple charts might be helpful for some traders who prefer to be able to compare the stock movement or watching different stocks that are owned. However, many investors may find using more than one chart at a time to be confusing.

Mobile technology has helped people to be able to communicate and be productive when they are away from a computer. There are mobile applications that provide stock charts so that investors can stay informed about their stocks even while on the go.

Several online brokers offer mobile platforms which allow their investors to check charts and make trades from mobile devices. If this is an important feature for an investor, the investor should check the availability of mobile platforms when choosing an online broker.

Many investing strategies depend heavily on the movement of the stock’s price. The trader needs to be able to access this information quickly and reliably. Whether obtained from a website or mobile application, free stock charts can be a valuable source of information.

Stock prices are not ignored. The value investor is still looking for a bargain stock price, but the trader looks for a price that is lower than what a share of the company is worth.

Instead of looking only at the current stock price to decide whether or not to buy a stock, the value investor considers the financial status of the company. This is in contrast to a price action trader who concentrates on the current price and patterns created in the price charts to identify a good time to trade.

A stock value investment considers that stocks may become oversold and have decreasing prices based on how the shareholders react to news about the company. If the news does not affect the long-term income or growth of the company, the value investment trader may consider the stock to be a good choice to buy.

Some investors who take this approach to analyzing stocks will make detailed calculations about the assets, income, growth, and debt of the company before buying that company’s stock. An investor might only be concerned with the value of the assets and current earnings.

Once the investor has estimated the value of the company, the investor divides that amount by the number of shares. There are websites on the Internet that calculate the share value of a company, but it’s common for investors to want to do their own calculations.

Many investors who use the value investment approach are looking for the stock price to be well below the estimated value. The investor may have a strategy of only buying stock at a price that is at least a certain percentage below the value of the share.

The percentage that the investor decides will be the amount the stock has to be undervalued becomes part of the investor’s strategy. Traders who are investing in this manner may look for other factors such a history of strong earnings growth.

This should not be confused with growth investing. The primary concern of growth investors is whether the company issuing the stock is expected to see growth. The main concern of traders using a value investment strategy is if the price is considerably less than the value of the stock.

When the investors follow their value investment strategy and have bought stock at a percentage lower than the estimated value of a share, the percentage gives the investors a margin of error. However, if the investor has carefully calculated the value per share, then many traders who take this approach feel confident of their calculations and continue to buy if the stock price decreases rather than panicking and selling the stock.

A broker buys and sells shares through an exchange. The trades are executed electronically or on the trading floor of the exchange.

Brokers often offer bonuses for new investors. Though a broker’s offer may be attractive, the trader should consider other factors when choosing an online broker.

Investing online in stocks is done through secure computer programs on brokers’ websites. The computer programs are referred to as platforms. These programs allow the investor to view charts and information about the stock as well as buy and sell stocks.

The stock trader can place different types of stock orders with the use of a platform. A limit order is one in which the trader designates a maximum price to pay for a stock or minimum price to sell a stock that is owned.

An all-or-none order prevents the order from being partially filled. This type of stock order is used if the trader wants a specific number of shares of that stock or none at all and wants the stock trade to occur in only one transaction. Three hundred shares is the minimum for an all-or-none order.

Good-till-cancelled orders are orders that remains opened until the orders are filled or until sixty calendar days have passed since the orders were made. A trader also can cancel a good-till-cancelled order. A stop order becomes a market order to sell a stock if the stock price declines to the amount set by the trader.

As with any endeavor that requires planning and strategy, the investor may want to set goals for the type of investing and desired outcome. Some investors want to add a solid stock investment to their investment portfolio.

Investors wanting to diversify their portfolios with stocks may not be interested in the fluctuations in price as much as the sound company growth and long-term outlook. These long-term investors may use value investing, choosing stocks based on the profits, debt, and number of shares that the company has outstanding.

Other investors may be looking to make quick trades to try to generate as much profit as possible in a short period of time. These investors may use price action trading strategies to capitalize on patterns in the price movement.

Stocks are not the only type of investing that can be done online. Online investing can include stock options, the foreign exchange market (forex), certificates of deposit (CDs), retirement accounts, bonds, and even gold.

One of the distinct advantages of trading stocks online is the convenience. A trader can place a trade from any computer or mobile device.

Traders should make sure that the broker offers trading platform software for the type of computer or mobile device that they want to use. Most online brokers offer software for a variety of mobile devices, but some may not have software for mobile devices or only have it available for smartphones.

Another advantage of online trading is that the trader can watch stock charts with real-time data. This allows the trader to use current stock prices for technical analysis.

The disadvantages of online stock investing is that the investment products that can be acquired through the Internet is more limited than a brick-and-mortar broker. For many investors, the available stocks through the Internet are satisfactory.

Some investors may prefer to have the option of going to a branch office of the broker to open the account or place certain transactions. In that case, the investor should select an online broker who has a local branch office.

Brokers may avoid giving advice about trades, but they often will answer general questions and explain components of investing in stocks. A disadvantage of investing through an online broker is the lack of personal attention or guidance that a trader could get at a broker’s office.

If a trader using an online broker has a question, there may be several ways to contact customer service for the online broker. However, the type of information that can be gathered through customer service may be limited to questions about the account or technical problems and not trading advice.

Online trading is easy, and some may think that perhaps it is too easy. An inexperienced trader may rush to open an account and place trades before learning how to analyze stock prices and choose potentially profitable trades.

New investors can fall into another trap of trying to learn too much before placing any trades. While it is a great idea to become educated about stocks and analysis, some traders become paralyzed there with the desire to know everything and being afraid to start to trade.

Balance may be the key for new traders. The trader can take advantage of the ease of online stock trading and place some small trades to gain experience after learning the basics of stock analysis and putting those tools to practice. Every new trader must remember that with even the best tools, stock investment still has its risks.

It is not uncommon for investors to have their favorite tools for technical analysis and trading. Some traders use several stock trading programs to place trades, test strategies, and analyze the stock prices.

Stock market software can help the trader to create and test a trading strategy. A strategy software program uses historical data to determine how well the strategy would work under various market conditions. These software programs are sometimes called back-testing programs.

Online brokers have trading platforms. The investors use these software programs to check stock prices, view charts, and place trades.

Different platforms are used among online brokers and for different computer systems and mobile devices. If a trader needs to have a mobile trading platform, the trader should make sure that they choose a broker who offers that stock market software.

Some online brokers charge subscription fees for the trading platforms. Other brokers offer this software for free. The investor should check the broker’s fees before opening an account.

Trade signal software alerts the trader when the software system has identified a recommended trade. There are no guarantees that these trades will be profitable. Some traders use other indicators to check the accuracy of a trade signal before making a trade.

Automated software places orders for trades on behalf of the investor. The software may execute trades based on the investor’s input or execute trades for the investor based on the suggestions of an expert trader or software.

Charting software may offer a wider selection of charts than the trading platform has. Types of charting software may allow the trader to view several charts at once and use various tools to identify trades with profit potential.

Stock market software may have combined services. One program may take the place of several programs that each only had one function.

A combination program may include trading alerts, charting, historical data, and offer the trader the option to place automatic trades. Companies that sell combination stock software might charge extra fees for some of their services.

Some combination programs sold by subscription have different membership levels. These levels may include different components of the software.

Other than free software from brokers, software for stock trading may be sold by companies for a one-time fee or require an ongoing subscription fee. When deciding whether or not to purchase or subscribe to stock trading software, the trader may want to read some customer reviews to determine if the software has been truly helpful to other traders.