Day Trading Penny Stocks - Here's How People Make Money

By Sam Lockwood

Since the 19th century, penny stocks have been part of the American investment world. This is where the stocks got their names, since modern penny stocks almost never cost a penny. They're usually more like ten cents to five dollars. Now, let's look at the risks of working with penny stocks, then the opportunities they can provide.

Penny stocks are share offerings to investors made by companies either too new or too small to be listed in major stock exchange listings. There's a big potential for growth for relatively small investments initially, but pump and dump schemes are a real risk in this area. Just like anything else that has to do with the OTC (over-the-counter) market, buyers should remember to beware.

Choosing penny stocks reasonably means that you need to have an independent appraisal of the company's business model. Much like buying shares of any other kind of publicly traded company, it's necessary to understand everything about the company. That means knowing what they do, what they make, what products are offered, how their business model works and who their major competitors are.

One of the most appealing things about penny stocks is that the majority of businesses offering them are quite simply put together. One typical type is that of a mining company, which will only be profitable when the price of the material it mines reaches a certain level. There are also some oil exploration stocks which use this kind of valuation.

Penny stocks are rated as a high risk vehicle by the Securities and Exchange commission. Some of the risks you'll encounter when dealing with these stocks include incomplete and indirect financial reporting, limited liquidity and even complete fraud. People who are playing with a day trading strategy will find that sudden demands for penny stock creates enormous volatility. Penny stocks are hard to short sell for this reason.

The financial reporting guidelines on penny stocks are actually pretty loose. Unlike the national exchanges, not much is required of companies that list this way - in fact, sometimes these stocks will just de list for a few days! In the investment type called Pink Sheets, penny stocks have nearly no regulatory requirements at all, including few to no minimum accounting standards or reporting guidelines.

Because there are no generally accepted standards or standardization for penny stocks, they're an area that's extremely vulnerable to fraud and manipulation. People can pose as independent observers, then run up the price of penny stocks. All they have to do then is de list it, leaving buyer with nothing in what's classically called a pump and dump scheme.

Of course, that doesn't mean you should never invest in penny stocks. There are lots of real, legitimate startup companies out there, and they need to have a good place to get up and running. If you're able to pick a winner, you'll get an impressive return.

If you're able to spot a company with lots of promise, you could get an enormous payday. Even if you lose four out of five of your picks, the single winner you get will give you enough to forget about the other losses. - 32163

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