How to Learn Stock Trading - Information and Useful Tips for New Stock Traders & Beginners (2024)

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Lady Rain works as a daytime stock trader and writes about crafts and hobbies. She likes travelling and making papercraft models.

Have you always wanted to invest your money in stocks and learn to trade but don't know how or where to begin? Here are some helpful ideas on getting started and how to trade stocks.

Open an online trading account

Find a reputable online stockbroker. Find out what services they offer, learn how to trade online on their trading platform and ask them if they can help you fulfil your trading requirements. Learn the free trading tools they provide to clients and learn how to use them in your trading. Some brokers offer trading tools for new traders and students to practise virtual trading online before the newbies attempt to use real money for trading.

Knowledge is power

Information and knowledge is very important in the trading world. Read all the books you can find on trading. Many investors enter the market without any knowledge on trading, only to find out the stock market is not a place for easy money with the lack of knowledge. Most people do not realise stock trading is actually hard work if you really want to be successful. There are many books on the stock market and trading techniques. Take your time to understand the basics of stock trading before you put your hard earned money on the market that shows no mercy for uneducated investors. To learn how to become a stock trader, you should read some of the recommended trading ebooks listed below.

Find a trading mentor

If you have family members who have been trading the stock market for at least a decade, have a firm understanding of how the stock market operates and are making a living out of profitable gains, they can probably give you some advice and be your trading mentor. However, if they tell you that they got 'lucky' with every transaction they have made, that actually shows that they have been taking a gamble each time they trade! You will be better off getting advice from good trading books. Your trading mentor can also be someone who had written best selling books on trading and had inspired many traders to follow their trading techniques. One good example is the legendary stock trader Jesse Livermore, and there are many more great mentors out there if you have read enough trading books.

Make use of the internet

The internet is a great place to begin your search for stock trading resources and information. There are numerous websites with free information for stock traders. Visit as many websites as possible and you will find useful information on trading for beginners to experienced traders.

Join the stock market forums

There are online stock forums for traders to discuss their trading issues and you can find some helpful advice from some popular forums that are run by experienced stock traders. But bear in mind, not all information or other people's opinions are helpful; you will have to be able to judge for yourself what is right and what is wrong.

Watch the financial news

The first task I religiously do every morning is to check the finance news on TV and on the internet. That will give me an update of what has been happening around the world overnight so that I have an idea of what to expect when the local stock market begins trading on that day. A brief summary on the market news is more than sufficient to plan my trading day because I don't want to be flooded with irrelevant information that will distract my attention on trading.

Attend seminars and expos

Some stock brokers offer seminars throughout the year for new investors and existing clients. Most seminars are free and they cover all aspects of investments that are related to their trading services. Another exciting place to gather information on trading is at a trading/investing expo, usually held annually in major cities. For a nominal admission fee, the expos are worth attending because there will be free seminars, workshops and lots of information for the avid investor, all available at one venue. This is a great opportunity to meet up with the stock market gurus and ask them lots of questions.