The economic downturn has many people worried about recession, and inflation rates seem to be rising every other week. In light of such uncertain times, have you ever wondered if investing your hard earned dollars into the stock market is the prudent thing to do? Or are you already considering alternative forms of investment? If so, consider online commodity trading, because depending on your knowledge, risk appetite, and the commodities you choose, you have the potential to earn big returns on your investment.

But if you’re a greenhorn at the commodity market, or even at trading for that matter, you might be wondering what commodities trading is all about. Commodities trading is where traders trade contracts for goods, and not for the goods themselves; goods such as food like corn or malt, or metals like gold and silver. The traders don’t have to deliver the goods to some end-consumer at the end of the day, because they don’t have the goods to begin with, and most likely never will have them. A trader would instead buy a contract if he thought that the price for a commodity would be going up in the future. He would then sell the contract if he thought the price would depreciate. Think of it as a kind of insurance plan for the traders and investors; regardless of price fluctuations, both the buyer and the seller are guaranteed the price stated in the contract at the time of trade. Just like any business transaction, there is always a buyer and seller in every trade made, but neither the buyer or the seller is required to own a particular commodity in order for the trade to happen. The only thing that a trader has to do is to deposit enough capital with a brokerage firm to ensure that he would be able to pay for his losses if his trade loses money. This is known as commodity futures trading.

So now that the concept of commodities trading is out of the way, why trade online?

Online commodities trading involves the transmission of orders by customers to either buy or sell a commodity to a commodity exchange via an electronic marketplace. Unlike the traditional offline method of trading, no brokers are required to represent customers. However, having an online broker would cost you less commissions-wise than if you were to have a full-service broker. As such, you stand to be more profitable on your trades than if you were to trade offline.

Trading commodities online also provides you with almost everything you need the moment you log into your trading account. Most online brokers are equipped with real time information, ranging from futures news, price quotes, charts, technical analysis programs, and other research material that are made available for their clients. As such, those who wish to embark on online trading on their own are able to make more informed decisions when trading because the same tools have been made available for them online.

However, despite the apparent advantages of trading commodities online, one would also have to be aware of the pitfalls that are associated with online commodities trading.

For one thing, because you have the freedom to make your own trades online, there is no one watching over your shoulder to guide you along with your trades. Inexperienced traders usually lose money this way, because they think that the tools made available to them through trading online make great substitutes for experience. The fact is that nothing can substitute experience, and having an experienced broker by your side would most likely help you avoid such losses. Treat the broker as a mentor if you’re just starting out; learn by asking questions and having them answered within minutes instead of spending hours or days researching on your own.

Another issue to take note of is over trading. The temptation to be swayed from one’s original plan of holding trades for a period of time rather than ‘capitalizing’ on small breaks in the market trend are usually the cause of traders losing a sum of money, most often the considerable portion of it is by way of commissions. Even though commissions on every trade may be cheap, every commission compounds to every trade made; worse still if the trade results in a loss. So while it might be a good idea to seize a good opportunity when you see one, make sure you have a plan tailored for every trade you intend on making, instead of changing your strategies blindly just because you’re lured by the possibility of making a quick buck.

While online commodities trading may seem like a prudent investment option in these uncertain times, it requires discipline, the right mindset, and a sound trading plan in order for you to succeed in it. For beginners, the best way to trade commodities is through an online broker.

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Online trading, or direct access trading (DAT), of financial instruments has became very popular in the last five years or so. Now almost all financial instruments are available to trade online including stocks, bonds, futures, options, ETFs, forex currencies and mutual funds. Online trading differs in many things from traditional trading practices and different strategies are needed for profiting from the market.
< br />In traditional trading, trades are executed through a broker via phone or via any other communicating method. The broker assist the trader in the whole trading process; and collect and use information for making better trading decisions. In return of this service they charge commissions on traders, which is often very high. The whole process is usually very slow, taking hours to execute a single trade. Long-term investors who do lesser number of trades are the main beneficiaries.

In online trading, trades are executed through an online trading platform (trading software) provided by the online broker. The broker, through their platform offers the trader access to market data, news, charts and alerts. Day traders who want real-time market data are provided level 1.5, level 2 or level 3 market access. All trading decisions are made by the trader himself with regard to the market information he has. Often traders can trade more than one product, one market and/or one ECN with his single account and software. All trades are executed in (near) real-time. In return of their services online brokers charge trading commissions (which is often very low – discount commission schedules) and software usage fees.

Advantages of online trading include, fully automated trading process which is broker independent, informed decision making and access to advanced trading tools, traders have direct control over their trading portfolio, ability to trade multiple markets and/or products, real-time market data, faster trade execution which is crucial in day trading and swing trading, discount commission rates, choice of routing orders to different market makers or specialists, low capital requirements, high leverage offered by brokers for trading on margin, easy to open account and easy to manage account, and no geographical limits. Online trading favors active traders, who want to make quick and frequent trades, who demand lesser commission rates and who trade in bulk on leverage.

But online trading is not here for all traders. The disadvantages of online trading include, need to fulfill specific activity and account minimums as demanded by the broker, greater risk if trades are done extensively on margin, monthly software usage fees, chances of trading loss because of mechanical/platform failures and need of active speedy internet connection. Online traders are fully responsible for their trading decisions and there will be often no one to help them in this process. The fees involved in trading vary considerably with broker, market, ECN and type of trading account and software. Some online brokers may also charge inactivity fees on traders.

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Want to make money trading stocks online? If you follow these five simple tips, you’ll be way ahead of the pack.

1) Listen to the charts

You may have found a great stock, and it could have the best fundamentals in the world, but here’s the truth– that’s not enough! Even if a stock has a million fundamental reasons to go up, it’s not going anywhere unless people are buying it. People don’t always act rationally, so you can’t assume that a stock will behave as it should. That’s where technical analysis (chart reading) comes in. By learning to read charts, you can spot stocks that are poised to move up, or conversely, stocks hopelessly headed down. Reading stock charts will allow you to find stocks which actually will move up, not just stocks you think should move up.

2) Use stop losses

No one is ever right 100% of the time. That’s just the nature of the game. Even the best stock pickers sometimes pick lemons, but that’s not necessarily a problem. Picking losers, which is inevitable, is only a problem if you let them kill your account. You absolutely must set stop loss orders every time you make a trade, otherwise you may wake up and find your entire account decimated. Remember, to make money trading stocks online, you don’t always have to pick winners– your winners just have to be bigger than your losers. You accomplish this by always cutting your losers early, and then letting your winners run.

3) Don’t step in front of a speeding train

One of the biggest myths about making money by trading stocks online is that you have to buy low and sell high. That’s a very dangerous way of thinking. Why? Because people, searching for stocks to buy low, eagerly buy stocks which are spiraling downward. They hope, often falsely, that soon after they buy the stock, it will turn around, go higher, and then they can sell for a profit. But ask any experienced trader and he’ll tell you that stocks which drop precipitously tend to keep dropping. Don’t step in front of a speeding train. Instead, find stocks which are healthily moving up and will keep moving up. Think of it not as “buy low and sell high,” but “buy high and sell higher.”

4) Ignore the people on TV

There is no shortage of media personalities who love to recommend stocks. Follow their advice and you’ll become rich, right? Wrong. If you could make millions by following the guy on TV, everyone would be rich. You’ve got to do your own homework. You see, it’s not necessarily that the people in the media don’t know what they’re talking about. They often do. It’s that by the time that information reaches you, it’s too late! Think about it…there are professionals who spend all day looking for the next great stock to buy. Do you really think that by the time a stock pick reaches the general public on TV, the smart money hasn’t already bought it? Of course it has, and by the time the little guy buys himself, he’s left holding the bag. If you want to make money trading online, you’ve got to think independently. Otherwise, you’ll be behind the curve.

5) Don’t overpay on commissions

Let’s say you start trading stocks online with one thousand dollars. Now let’s say you’re paying ten dollars per trade. And finally, let’s assume you make thirty trades per month. If you do the math, you’ll see that you’re doomed regardless of how good your stock picks are! People often get so excited about trading stocks online, they forget about all the money wasted on commissions. If you want to be successful over the long term, you have to find a broker with low enough commissions for your trading style. With some brokers charging as low as one penny per share, there’s no reason to waste all of your money in fees. In this way, researching online brokers is just as important as researching stocks.

Keep in mind these five tips and you’ve already set yourself up for success in trading stocks online. Good luck!

Article written by Ethan Lux

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Stock Picks – Day Trade

It is already known that we live in a very fast-paced society. There couldn’t be any truer saying than “time is gold” especially for those who keep the ball rolling in the industry. In the trading business, double the meaning of the old saying and add money in the equation such as time plus money equals life then we turn to the solution of having an online stock broker.

Next problem is how to choose from dozens or even hundreds of stock brokers online?

Your Money

In the trading business, the most important is your money and other assets. It is crucial that every cent lost is worth the gain. Therefore, choose an online broker that will charge you with the best value for their services. Brokers get commissions according to how many trades they do for you. However, each trade costs less if the broker handles a lot of trades. It’s like getting a discount for bulk trades. Some brokers also ask for account handling charges but rates depend on the cash management account. Compare broker rates and choose what best suits your need.

It is important that traders know what happens to the money shelled out. Have your online stock broker report financial statements to be able to keep track of your money. This helps avoid inconsistencies in tax reports or even fraud.

Be sure to check and read carefully the terms and conditions of your working relationship with a broker. Take note of interest rates, minimum account balances, terms of charges to your account and if there could be additional charges at specific circumstances. Also check for the broker’s trading platform and whether you are going to be charged for the download, installation and upgrades of their software on your computer.

Your Time

What’s good about an online stock broker is that information and orders could be relayed in one click, real-time, wherever you are. It is important that your broker is available whenever you need something to be done on your account. Check for an online broker’s availability. Online brokers should have zero technical problems especially on their trading platforms. Aside from internet access, an online broker should also be reachable on phone. Make sure you do not get any problems with your broker being out of the country or you being put on hold for a long time. In a fast-paced world of trading, a second could mean several hundred dollars.

Your Life

It is not also bad to ask around with some friends or colleagues for an online broker that they’ve had experience with. Remember that a broker handles important assets to you that if possible, you’d rather handle on your own. Ask around for a reliable and honest broker. You’d hear if there are issues that a broker is having troubles with or if there is a potential issue in account handling. There could also be a lot of fraudulent brokers online so do not forget to look into the legitimacy of an online stock broker.

A successful businessman always has a dependable partner to work with. Compare and choose carefully.

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For more information about Online Stock Brokers visit http://www.yourbrokerguide.com