Who am I buying stocks from?

Asked by: Anjali Bradtke  |  Last update: February 9, 2022
Score: 4.9/5 (20 votes)

So when you buy a share of stock on the stock market, you are not buying it from the company, you are buying it from some other existing shareholder. Likewise, when you sell your shares, you do not sell them back to the company—rather you sell them to some other investor.

Who buys the stock when you sell it?

A stock sale happens between two parties (people). So when you sell, there is somebody at that exact instant buying your stock. The price you offer to sell it at sits in the brokers system until its matched to a price somebody is willing to pay.

Do you have to find someone to buy your stocks?

A broker is not required to buy from you if you want to sell shares and there is no one willing to buy. A broker won't lose money when a stock goes down in a bear market because the broker is usually nothing more than an agent acting on the seller's behalf when they find somebody else who wants to buy the shares.

Where does the public usually buy stocks from?

You'll usually buy stocks online through the stock market, which anyone can access with a brokerage account, robo-advisor or employee retirement plan.

How do beginners buy stocks?

Here are five steps to help you buy your first stock:
  1. Select an online stockbroker. The easiest way to buy stocks is through an online stockbroker. ...
  2. Research the stocks you want to buy. ...
  3. Decide how many shares to buy. ...
  4. Choose your stock order type. ...
  5. Optimize your stock portfolio.

How I Pick My Stocks: Investing for Beginners

31 related questions found

How do you earn money from stocks?

Collecting dividends—Many stocks pay dividends, a distribution of the company's profits per share. Typically issued each quarter, they're an extra reward for shareholders, usually paid in cash but sometimes in additional shares of stock.

What if no one buys my stock?

If there are no buyers for your stock, you simply won't be able to encash the stock. Stocks like this typically hit “lower circuit” (i.e. 5 or 20% down from their previous day's closing price), but still don't find any buyers at the exchange (and they typically continue falling subsequent days as well).

Can a company run out of stock?

Companies don't run out of stock because they only sell it once. A company only sells stock during an IPO (initial public offering). Before an IPO, a company will still have investors, but their company is private.

When I sell a stock where does the money go?

If you sell stock, the money for the shares should be in your brokerage firm on the third business day after the trade date. For example, if you sell the stock on Wednesday, the money should be in the account on Monday.

Will someone always buy my stocks when I sell them?

The answer is basically that, yes, there is always someone who will buy or sell a given stock that is listed on an exchange. These are known as market makers and they will always buy at the listed asking price or sell at the listed offer price.

How quickly can you sell a stock?

You can sell a stock right after you buy it, but there are limitations. In a regular retail brokerage account, you can not execute more than three same-day trades within five business days.

Can I sell stock anytime?

Market Trading Hours

You can generally only sell stock while the market is open. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are open between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. If you have an urge to sell stock on the weekend, you have to wait until the market opens on Monday.

Can you cash out stocks?

There are several different ways to cash out on stocks by placing sell orders. The most common types are market orders, limit orders, stop orders and buy stop orders. Once you cash out the stocks, the monies may be deposited into your account; this can take several days.

Do I have to pay taxes on stocks?

Generally, any profit you make on the sale of a stock is taxable at either 0%, 15% or 20% if you held the shares for more than a year or at your ordinary tax rate if you held the shares for less than a year. Also, any dividends you receive from a stock are usually taxable.

How do you lock a stock gain?

There are many ways to lock in the paper gains your stock has experienced. These gains can be captures by buying a "protective put," creating a "costless collar," entering a "trailing stop order," or selling your shares.

Can I owe money on a stock?

So can you owe money on stocks? Yes, if you use leverage by borrowing money from your broker with a margin account, then you can end up owing more than the stock is worth.

What happens if a stock goes to zero?

A drop in price to zero means the investor loses his or her entire investment – a return of -100%. ... Because the stock is worthless, the investor holding a short position does not have to buy back the shares and return them to the lender (usually a broker), which means the short position gains a 100% return.

How reliable is Robinhood?

YES–Robinhood is absolutely safe. Your funds on Robinhood are protected up to $500,000 for securities and $250,000 for cash claims because they are a member of the SIPC. Furthermore, Robinhood is a securities brokerage and as such, securities brokerages are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Why can't I sell my stock on Robinhood?

You may receive this message if you have an outstanding pending order for the shares of stock you'd like to sell. You'll need to cancel any outstanding orders before you can sell the shares. To view your pending orders in your mobile app: Tap the Account icon in the bottom right corner of your home screen.

How do you make money when a stock goes down?

One way to make money on stocks for which the price is falling is called short selling (also known as "going short" or "shorting"). Short selling sounds like a fairly simple concept in theory—an investor borrows a stock, sells the stock, and then buys the stock back to return it to the lender.

Why can't I sell my shares?

You can sell it only after it has been delivered to your demat account. If you have pledged your shares (to get extra margin against your shares), then you will not be able to sell these shares until they are unpledged. Your shares might get locked due to regulatory reasons.

Can you get rich of stocks?

Can a Person Become Rich by Investing in the Stock Market? Yes, you can become rich by investing in the stock market. Investing in the stock market is one of the most reliable ways to grow your wealth over time.

How often do you get paid for stocks?

In most cases, stock dividends are paid four times per year, or quarterly. There are exceptions, as each company's board of directors determines when and if it will pay a dividend, but the vast majority of companies that pay a dividend do so quarterly.

Can you make money investing 1 dollar in stocks?

But you don't need a ton of money to buy into the stock market. In some cases, you can get started with as little as $1. Stocks and exchange-traded funds can only be bought in whole units at many brokers. Depending on the company or fund, that could mean thousands of dollars for a single share.

What is the 3 day rule in stocks?

In short, the 3-day rule dictates that following a substantial drop in a stock's share price — typically high single digits or more in terms of percent change — investors should wait 3 days to buy.