You buy stocks when they've hit a bottom price, and you sell stocks when their price peaks. That's how you can generate the highest returns. You buy a stock when the price is very low—say, $50.
The goal of most investors generally is to buy low and sell high. This can result in two quite different approaches to equity investing. One approach is described as "trading." Trading involves following the short-term price fluctuations of different stocks closely and then trying to buy low and sell high.
Key Takeaways
Buy low, sell high is a strategy where you buy stocks or securities at a low price and sell them at a higher price. This strategy can be difficult as prices reflect emotions and psychology and are difficult to predict.
Several studies have shown that it's not so bad to invest at the high point each year (as if you could be so unlucky to invest at the market high every year). Sure, you might earn a little less, but you'll probably do better than the market timers.
The upshot: Like early market trading, the hour before market close from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET is one of the best times to buy and sell stock because of significant price movements, higher trading volume and inexperienced investors placing last-minute trades.
The easiest way to buy stocks is through an online stockbroker. After opening and funding your account, you can buy stocks through the broker's website in a matter of minutes. Other options include using a full-service stockbroker, or buying stock directly from the company.
Pros of Buy Low, Sell High
The benefits of Buy Low & Sell High are pretty obvious: You could generate very high returns, if successful. You're more likely to outperform the market then if you were investing in mutual funds. You could buy a lot of stock for a lower price.
Buying low means trying to determine when stocks have hit bottom price and purchasing shares in the hope of them going up. Conversely, selling high relies on figuring out when the market has hit its peak. Once stocks have hit their maximum value, investors sell their shares and reap the rewards.
Buying a stock is relatively easy, but selling it is usually a more difficult decision to make. If you sell too early and the stock goes higher, you risk leaving gains on the table. If you sell too late and the stock plunges, you've probably missed your opportunity.
To calculate the gain or loss on an investment, simply take the price at which the stock was purchased and subtract it from the current market price. To find the percent increase or decrease, take the price difference, divide it by the original purchase price and then multiply the resulting number by 100.
The primary reason that investors own stock is to earn a return on their investment. That return generally comes in two possible ways: The stock's price appreciates, which means it goes up. You can then sell the stock for a profit if you'd like.
The opening 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Eastern time (ET) period is often one of the best hours of the day for day trading, offering the biggest moves in the shortest amount of time. A lot of professional day traders stop trading around 11:30 a.m. because that is when volatility and volume tend to taper off.
There's no minimum to get started investing, however you likely need at least $200 — $1,000 to really get started right. If you're starting with less than $1,000, it's fine to buy just one stock and add more positions over time.
Day Trade. If you're a nimble and proficient trader, probably the “easiest” way to make fast money in the stock market is to become a day trader. A day trader moves in and out of a stock rapidly within a single day, sometimes making multiple transactions in the same security on the same day.
There is no minimum investment required as you can even buy 1 share of a company. So if you buy a stock with a market price of Rs. 100/- and you just buy 1 share then you just need to invest Rs. 100.
It's not always easy to become a stock market millionaire, but it is possible. While you don't need to be wealthy to make a lot of money by investing, you do need the right strategy. Strategy is key to building wealth in the stock market, and it's simpler than you might think to generate wealth.
Investing has the potential to generate much higher returns than savings accounts, but that benefit comes with risk, especially over shorter time frames. If you are saving up for a short-term goal and will need to withdraw the funds in the near future, you're probably better off parking the money in a savings account.
It's important to check them every so often, and more importantly, you should keep yourself updated with the company's latest quarterly results and other news to make sure your reasons for buying in the first place still apply. But you shouldn't necessarily check your stocks every day.
How long should you hold? Here's a specific rule to help boost your prospects for long-term stock investing success: Once your stock has broken out, take most of your profits when they reach 20% to 25%. If market conditions are choppy and decent gains are hard to come by, then you could exit the entire position.
You can only withdraw cash from your brokerage account. If you want to withdraw more than you have available as cash, you'll need to sell stocks or other investments first. Keep in mind that after you sell stocks, you must wait for the trade to settle before you can withdraw money from your brokerage account.
A dividend is usually a cash payment from earnings that companies pay to their investors. Dividends are typically paid on a quarterly basis, though some pay annually, and a small few pay monthly.
The big money tends to be made in the first year or two. In most cases, profits should be taken when a stock rises 20% to 25% past a proper buy point. Then there are times to hold out longer, like when a stock jumps more than 20% from a breakout point in three weeks or less.
If a stock goes up 100 percent, it's doubled in value. That's also reflected in the relative increase in your two investments. Your 200 shares of the first stock each increased by $5, giving you a 200 * $5 = $1,000 gain, while your 100 shares of the second stock each increased by $8, giving you a 100 * $8 = $800 gain.
In most situations and at most brokers, the trade will settle — meaning the cash from the sale will land in your account — two business days after the date the order executes.