How to Choose Stocks for Online Trading

Stock picking isn’t a science, but it can be far less daunting to navigate if you know how to choose stocks for online trading.  

Online trading is most comparable to day trading, given that it isn’t focused on investing but rather trading stocks within seconds, hours, or days of purchasing a stock.  

Unlike traditional long-term investing, which enables time to rectify any fluctuations in your portfolio and eventually works to be profitable, online trading isn’t as forgiving.  

Consider Your Risk Appetite and Capital 

Your position — risk tolerance and how much capital you can invest — will shape how you can trade stocks.  

Although you may have considerable ambitions, be mindful of your limitations. 

Begin by creating a budget. Think of online trading like you would gambling. Initially, the money you use to trade stocks online should be discretionary funds until you become comfortable trading — and potentially losing — large amounts.  

Knowing how much you can afford to lose will help you determine where to place your money. A good rule for newbie traders is to split your positions 60/40.  

Sixty percent of your trades should go to more stable stocks, while 40 percent should go to volatile stocks. 

Conduct Research on all Your Picks  

Research is the foundation of any trading strategy. To trade successfully, you should understand the company you’re trading’s primary business, the dates and events most significant to the stock price, and current affairs relating to the company and industry in general. In addition, understanding what others are thinking about the company’s stock in the short term or anticipating significant events that could affect the stock price will inform your decision.  

Avoid Inserting Emotions  

Emotion can be detrimental to your trading ambitions, whether positive or negative. Although trading focuses on dozens of microtransactions, you should still connect a long-term vision to these shorter-term trades.  

Emotions interfere with those long-term objectives, making you short-sighted and unable to make logical trades.  

Consider the Stock’s Trading History  

Stocks can plummet or rise for any number of reasons. But, assessing their trading history allows you to determine how much a stock can fluctuate. Diving into the stock’s history, you can also see if a stock is in a downward trend or on an upward trajectory. Ideally, you want to find a stock on its way up, so you should be looking for recovery — the beginning of an upward climb after an extensive downturn.  

Doing this manually isn’t advisable. Instead, you require instruments that examine trades for you and help you ascertain when you’ll buy at the bottom.  

Diversify Your Portfolio  

It’s essential that your portfolio not only have dozens of stocks but also stocks from all types of companies and industries.  

It should include companies of investment-grade and junk status ratings — non-investment grade speculative stocks — indices, metals, and currencies.  

Assess the Tax Implications 

Like many newcomer traders, you’ll possibly overlook the downside of successful online trading. If you decide to cash out your trading victories, you’ll often be on the hook for more taxes than you would be otherwise.  

Therefore, realizing losses or cashing out wins should also be considered through the lens of how it would affect your tax obligations.  

Although joining subreddits can be tempting, forming your own trading philosophy rather than relying on what others think is critical. Subreddits can be like vacuums, allowing one dominant opinion to take hold.  

While you’re still new to online stock trading, these dominant opinions could stunt your growth and make developing independent thought challenging.  

Remember, the advice given on these subreddits doesn’t come with any warranties. If you lose because of these philosophies, you only have yourself to blame. If that’s the case, why not rely on your convictions?