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Many people interested in investing wonder: how much can you make in the stock market? Depending on the approach, the stock market can become either an additional or main source of income. To make money on the stock market, an investor must have a lot of knowledge and develop his own strategy, but also have a bit of luck.
How much can you make in the stock market?
Most people who start investing in the stock market have their expectations strongly raised. A big incentive to invest their money, is information about very high profits, achieved by others. That it is possible to make a lot on the stock market and in an easy way, can also be inferred from advertisements for mutual funds. They present income of several tens of percent per year.
So how much can you make in the stock market? Achieving a very high rate of return is of course possible, but not so easy to achieve. In fact, a lot depends on luck, which is beyond anyone’s control. Investment risk is also inherent in investing in the stock market. However, there are ways to minimize it and thus increase the chance of profit.
How to make money in the stock market?
Successful investment in the stock market is considered to be relatively difficult. In order for an investor to make a profit, he has to sell shares of some companies at the right time and buy others instead. Then the question arises – when is the best time to sell and when to buy? It’s hard to establish a one-size-fits-all answer to the question – how much can you make on the stock market and how to make money on the stock market?
Using different strategies and investment techniques, you can get the highest possible results from your investments. The key is to develop your own investment strategy. However, it can only be developed over time, until the investor gains experience and sees which techniques work best for him. It is important to know that there is no one-size-fits-all investment strategy that will work best for everyone. Everyone is different and reacts differently to different situations.
How to reduce investment risk?
Investing in the stock market requires, first of all, to have the right knowledge. Before investing in the stock market yourself, it is advisable to gain as much knowledge as possible, which relates to the strategy of investing in the stock market. This helps avoid mistakes that could lead the investor to high financial losses. In addition, in the stock market you should never invest all your savings or funds that are not financial surplus.
Diversify your investments
When investing in the stock market, it is important, as with any type of investment, to diversify the funds that are allocated for investment. The term diversification means dividing the financial resources you have and investing them in different assets.
This makes it possible to choose such financial instruments that have different levels of investment risk. This is of considerable importance in the context of reducing investments with too high a level of risk. It is also possible to choose to invest in companies from many different industries or companies that have diversified financial prospects.
Diversification can also refer to deciding to invest in a variety of assets, which includes over-the-counter investments. If you do so, you can significantly reduce the risks that are associated with financial losses associated with sudden changes in the financial market. How much can you make in the stock market largely depends precisely on the proper diversification of your portfolio.
Investing on your own
Deciding to invest on one’s own requires, in particular, matching the method of investing with one’s knowledge of time. If an investor wants to realize higher returns in the short term, it is necessary to have a considerable amount of time for short-term investments.
In this case, market control must be carried out systematically every day. On the other hand, if an investor wants to invest over a longer period of time, much less time can be spent on such investments. Investments can be controlled on selected dates, making it possible to control the market situation on a monthly or weekly basis.
Investments in funds
If an investor does not feel like investing in the stock market himself, he can choose to invest through equity funds. The advantage of this type of investment, is that you can benefit from investments with the help of specialized companies, where investments are made by specialists in stock market investments.
Strategies for investing in the stock market
Many investors trade on the stock market without a chosen strategy, and as a result they suffer high losses. They open positions without thinking, very often based on unsubstantiated advice from others.
The result is an inadequately diversified and useless portfolio, in which losses cannot be controlled and profits are not made in a timely manner. Successfully investing in the stock market involves, in particular, the structure and integrity of business strategies. An investor should have a specific investment plan that will form the backbone of his trading.
How much can you make in the stock market? Much depends on the investment strategy chosen and its effectiveness. There are a great many possible strategies. The following are 7 noteworthy strategies.
Dividend strategy
It is based on the assumption that companies that pay high dividends on their own shares are attractive not only because of the amount of dividends. If they do this, it means that they are solid, and this translates into their stability. Otherwise, they would not be able to systematically pay such high dividends.
Investing in the stock market based on a dividend strategy, can be beneficial especially during uncertain periods in the stock market. During times of strong economic growth, as well as a vigorous growth trend, companies increase profits. Also, they are unlikely to seek to raise dividends, but rather to see the market value of their shares rise.
In this value investing strategy, the investor selects stocks of companies that are valuable in the sense that the value of the stock is very favorable relative to the company’s market value. For this reason, the aggregate market price of all the shares of a company is compared with the company’s total assets.
If the book value of the company is higher than the value of the shares issued, the investor is dealing with an undervalued company with a high probability of growth in the near future.
Bottom fishing strategy
Investing in the stock market based on this strategy, involves acquiring shares from the bottom, and then holding them until their price rises. In this case, it is not about small bounces and corrections, but strong support levels, formed in the trend of certain stocks after significant declines.
The basis of the bottom fishing strategy is technical analysis. The investor looks for completed reversal formations on the chart, increasing the likelihood of establishing a new uptrend, which will be long-term. This enables the investor to buy stocks at good levels and remain in their possession over the long or medium term.
Trend following strategy
Stock market investing with this practice, is the best choice by investors. The strategy is based on the assumption that anyone who invests in line with the trend has probability on their side. However, it’s not a matter of opening a position at the lowest price and closing at the highest, because with this strategy you have to be guided by the thesis that you are entering a well-defined trend, which has to form in the first place. So, using this strategy, the trader follows the majority of investors in the market, which has an impact on the price of certain assets.
Swing strategy
Swing trading is based on a combination of trend following and bottom fishing strategies. The trader consistently acts in line with the trend, following only the direction of the dominant trend, and takes advantage of entry opportunities when the price approaches a chart pattern that heralds an interesting entry opportunity.
Momentum strategy
This is a very effective investment strategy that can be used for various types of financial instruments. When a trend becomes strong, investors try to profit from it as much as possible. This means opening long positions on the strongest stocks and short positions on the weakest stocks.
However, investing in the stock market based on this strategy requires a lot of discipline and good experience. It is designed for short-term investing and requires a commitment of time.
Scalping strategy
Scalping is a concept that stands for the shortest of all investment strategies. The trader takes advantage of short-term opportunities, then builds a position and closes when he makes a profit. Traders who use this strategy usually invest a considerable amount of capital. They move particularly in the area of currency and commodity trading, but they also operate in stock markets. A person using this strategy, works only on technical analysis and in the short term.
How much can you make in the stock market? Much also depends on the strategy developed, which is also not so simple and quick to implement. A beginner investor must first check at least a few selected ones and after time determine which one will be suitable for him. He can also develop his own individual strategy.
What are the most common mistakes an investor makes when investing in the stock market?
How to invest in the stock market? First of all, it is worth learning about the most common mistakes made by investors that cause losses.
The main mistake that investors make is to buy stocks that are in a downtrend and rapidly losing value. In such a case, investors think that it is worth buying a cheap stock, as it will surely become more expensive over time. However, this is not always the case, as the reasons for the drop in value are various and it is worth knowing them first. It is best to check whether they are due to information that comes from the company or speculation on the stock.
Another mistake is the so-called downward averaging. It occurs when an investor’s share price is falling, and he buys more shares of the same stock in order to make up for earlier losses on a rebound (if any). This is very illusory, as they may continue to lose value, and the investor in a panic may sell them when they are down.
One should also be wary of investing in the stock market during the so-called sheepish rush. This is a term that means unjustified, rapid buying or selling of stocks, following the current trend. This usually lasts for a short time, and since the new price of a certain stock is not covered by the financial reality of the company, its price will soon be brought down to a rational level, and investors who buy at an inflated price will suffer losses.
How to make money in the stock market over the Internet?
A new investor will not immediately begin to enjoy investing in the stock market. Many, unable to wait for profits, leave the market. A good investor must be a stable person and mentally and emotionally balanced. In addition, it is necessary to master trading techniques, and not every person can do this. Usually, out of 10 novice investors, only 2 people master the rules about the techniques of investing in the stock market and stay in the business.
To start making money, you need to:
- master the theory of investing in the stock market and become familiar with its features, as well as its specifications,
- know how to control yourself and your own emotions, so as not to make decisions while under the influence of emotions,
- use equal trading platforms to gain a lot of experience in trading.
How much can you make in the stock market? Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this. The amount of profits consists of various factors, such as gaining knowledge and its continuous deepening, developing your own strategy, but also a little luck.
Opening an investment account
In order to start trading on the stock market, an investor must open a brokerage account. This is an account that records information about the investor’s stock holdings and transactions made. It allows you to buy and sell shares and other securities that are listed on the stock market yourself.
After transferring the required amount to his investment account, the investor can create an order by specifying the company whose shares he wants to buy, their number and the price he is willing to pay for them. The investor can also modify the settings of the order’s validity period and whether it is to be split into parts or executed in full.
What to pay attention to when choosing a brokerage account?
When choosing an investment account, you should pay attention to several important issues:
- How much is the annual account fee,
- How much is the commission on orders to buy and sell shares over the Internet – it is worth knowing that the standard commission ranges from 0.2% to 0.5% of the value of a specific transaction,
- Whether the selected account offers access to an information service with opinions and analyses of experts,
- Whether the brokerage account offers access to a platform through which you can track and make transactions in real time,
- How much is the cost of transferring from a brokerage account to another account?
Stock market simulator – is it worth using?
A great training before starting to invest properly, is the virtual stock market. On the Internet you can find many services that allow you to invest several thousand virtual money in any stock on the stock market. The investor can track the change in the value of his investment portfolio and compare the results with other users. This is a good form of testing one’s own abilities and gaining valuable experience, without the risk of losing funds. For a novice investor, this is a very valuable first step, which is a prelude to real investing.
A stock market simulator allows you to gain general knowledge of investing. A large number of such platforms offer high-quality education , in the field of asset management. Some brokers also allow interaction with the online community (read also: Online trading).
A stock market simulator is also a safe space to learn the mechanisms of trading and portfolio construction. The ideal place to make all kinds of mistakes, such as typing stock market symbols incorrectly is where you incur the least possible financial losses. So the lack of fees is an important value that the stock market game offers.
It is also a good place to test new strategies and types of investments. It’s worth trying them out without any risk before applying new strategies to the real investment market.
The stock market simulator will also show the player the importance of keeping emotions in check. Of course, a person who does not invest real money will not be so guided by emotions, but a stock market game also triggers emotions in players (read also: Playing the stock market). The feelings and emotions that will appear in the user while playing the simulator are a preview of what will happen in the case of real investing.
Demo account on an investment platform
A trader can also open a demo account on a trading platform and try his luck there, without risking his own funds. Many brokers that provide investment platforms allow you to use a demo account, so you can also try out the tools available on different platforms and choose the most suitable one for you.
What attitude should a good investor have?
There are many theories that include the qualities that an investor should have. The usual distinctions are composure, the ability to analyze facts and draw conclusions, and self-reliance. What other qualities should every investor possess?
Investing as much as you can lose
The basic step is to set a ceiling, the value of which cannot translate into the investor’s quality of life. Hoping for huge profits, investors are often guided by emotions, and this results in irrational decisions.
Investing in the stock market, especially by beginners, is often treated as a source of high profits. However, it is necessary to use the method of small steps and invest small amounts at the beginning, which, if lost, will not negatively affect the investor’s household budget.
Cool calculation
Unfortunately, being guided by emotions is a sign that the investor is not ready to take rational actions and this means a lack of independent thinking. Keeping a cool head in this area is extremely important and valuable. This allows you to make good decisions.
Realistic expectations
Of course, an investor should try to win as often as possible. However, there is a big difference between trades that are based on rational analysis and the expectation that an investor will win every time. People who are convinced that each of their trades will result in a profit are usually the first to drop out.
Continuous learning
Investing in the stock market involves a lifetime of continuous learning. Successful investors are constantly reading articles and books related to the markets and modifying their own strategies based on the latest data and information. In the financial world, you need to be skillful and savvy if you want to stay in it for the long term.
Familiarity with numbers
This is not about advanced mathematics. We are talking about decent familiarity with quantitative variables in the market. A good trader should be able to quickly calculate the bik-ask spread, as well as pips and other indicators.
Risk management
In finance, this is a fundamental issue. It is about using strategies and tools to minimize risk exposure, that is, the degree of difference between success and failure. A trader should familiarize himself with issues such as risk-to-reward ratio, portfolio diversification, minimum leverage or trading risk. This will help him avoid the excessive risk that comes with investing in the stock market.
Develop a routine
It is said that habit is second nature to man. This applies not only to the private side of life, but also to the professional one. Successful investors have developed habits that accompany them every day. It could be setting charts every day or looking at the economic calendar.
Learning from mistakes
Above all, one should not give up. This is a characteristic inherent in all successful people. The difference between success and failure usually comes down to how many times an investor has managed to pick himself up after something has gone wrong. Wanting to achieve something in a financial market that is at times daunting, an investor should do everything in his power to win. He should constantly remind himself why he is doing this and not let negative experiences kill his passion.
How much can you make in the stock market? Certainly every novice investor asks himself this question.
The amount of profit possible in the stock market is influenced by many factors, including proper diversification of the investment portfolio or choosing and consistently sticking to the right investment strategy. It’s also a good idea to choose a good online investment platform that will allow you to make transactions quickly and conveniently. A bit of luck is also important (read also: Safe investment in the stock market). All this has an impact on what kind of profits an investor will make.
