Penny stocks (aka small cap stocks) are a specific area of the stock market that is concerned with stocks that are available at a lower price. Generally speaking they should be less than $5 each, although many of them are less than a dollar – hence the name ‘penny stocks’ or shares.

Their main potential lies in the fact that there is always the possibility they will rise and become more valuable. Obviously if you had $2,000 to spend you would be able to buy more shares that were worth just 35 cents each than you would if they were worth $19.50 each. And this is why so many people are attracted to them. Not only can you buy more for your money, you can also look forward to a huge profit if the company responsible for those shares ever hit the big time.

But while there is plenty of potential in the penny stocks market it would be foolhardy to suggest that huge amounts are made every day by lots of traders. In fact this is one area of the stock market where you can lose a lot of money if you don’t know what you are doing.

So how much of the world of small cap stocks is purely speculative in nature? Well, all kinds of trades made daily in the stock market are speculative. You buy at what you hope is a low point, only to sell later on (in hours, days or months – perhaps even years) at a higher point. But if you are going to focus on penny stocks you need to have some background on the company you are considering buying into.

Because there is no regulation of penny shares, it is even more important than usual to research them. You want to find the companies with the most potential and reading news stories, press releases and other information from other penny stock traders will all help you make what could turn out to be the right decision.

Of course everyone wants to find that one small cap stock that will turn into a household name. Everyone wishes they had bought into IBM, Microsoft or Coca Cola when they first started out. But that is the essence of penny stock trading. And as such you should always make sure you are comfortable with the amount you are investing – in case you should pick the wrong company and lose the lot.

There are also few industries whose fates are as directly linked to Uncle Sam. Healthcare, biotech, and medical stocks live and die by Federal health budgets, and with Obamas official health plan released to the public not so long ago, millions of investors are wondering just how the plan will affect shares of their favorite companies.

In the penny stock realm, it gets even more interesting

In President Obamas budget, he outlined three areas where public dollars will be used to fuel sales at private companies: the implementation of health IT, medical research, and Medicare spending.
Health IT was a hot topic during the election, and it continues to draw Federal dollars now that Obamas in office. We will make sure that every doctors office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year, said the President.

Hes following up on that by providing $19 billion in tax dollars to help hospitals go digital.

And in kind, companies that provide electronic medical record technologies (most of whom are small-caps) are seeing increased interest from investors. Two small-cap stocks that have benefited from that interest include Quality Systems (NASDAQ: QSII), up 33% in the last month, and Patriot Scientific (PTSC.OB), up 20% in the last three weeks.

Medical research is another area where small-cap stocks are seeing a resurgence of interest. There are scores of pharmaceutical penny stocks that are researching and developing the latest drug treatments for everything that ails us, and theyre poised to tap into the $1.1 billion in government funding for researching medical treatment effectiveness.

Over at Penny Stock Fortunes, subscribers are seeing the effects of that money first hand. Today, they had the chance to unload shares of Dendreon (NASDAQ: DNDN) for 255% gains.

While DNDN may have been one of the bigger gainers, a number of other tiny pharmaceuticals have been up double digits this year as well.

Medicare is the final place where Uncle Sams health dollars could trickle down to your portfolio. You see, most private healthcare and health insurance companies bill Medicare for services provided to patients it covers. Included in the mix are a number of small-cap names WellCare (NYSE: WCG) and Amerigroup (NYSE: AGP), for example.

When the government commits to expand Medicare funding, it means big things for these Medicare contractors. Not only do they have the chance to increase volume by admitting more government-sponsored patients, but they become ripe targets for acquisitions by larger health insurers like UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH).

Want to make money on healthcare stocks? Invest your money where the governments spending theirs, and your chances of profiting from penny stocks are unquestionably higher.

About the Author:
Jonas Elmerraji is the editor of the Rhino Stock Report and a contributor to The Penny Sleuth, which offers unbiased commentary from expert analysts and authors on hot penny stocks.

Summary: Penny stocks trading refers to companies that trade for less than a dollar, but investors must be careful when trading penny stocks because of fraud. Find out how to contact the manager or trader of a specific fund when buying penny stocks with help from a portfolio manager in this free video on penny stocks and investments.

Have you ever heard of penny stocks? It is a way for people to make real money with very little investment. A lot of people become interested in the whole investment and stock trading game, but really have no clue as to how to go about pursuing real stock trading.

Unfortunately some people choose investments that actually empty their resources instead of adding to them. What generally keeps people from making investments is not being able to do the kind of research they should.

We live in an “on demand” culture and most of us simply don’t want to take the time to do run-downs on everyone and everything we interact with. However there are some simple items you can check for before deciding to invest in stock.

Find out who owns and runs the company you are considering. Is this person a professional in this area? Does he or she have the background, knowledge and experience to run this company?

It might surprise you to learn how easy it is for someone to start up a new company with little or no actual experience in that area. Check the company’s portfolio if you can. What exactly is it the company does?

How successful are they at making their investments? Arming yourself with knowledge about how a company performs can work to your benefit in the long run. It will give you clues on when to invest to make the most profit.

When deciding to invest in a stock always research a little about what you are investing in. Look over how the stock itself has performed in the past. This can give you a good indication as to the highs and lows a particular stock may go through. This information would be very helpful to have when deciding when to invest.

Want to know where to find penny stocks?

Even if they sell primarily at one dollar, the shares might put up for sale for up to ten dollars depending on endorsement and announcement. They are typically traded in small exchanges and over-the-counter markets through over the counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) and pink sheets

There are two major habits on how to buy penny stocks. These are either online or through brokerages.

With Stock Brokers

Lots of stock buyers depend on agents or stock brokers to act on their behalf. They allow them be aware of how many stocks they would like, as of which company, the ticker symbol in addition to the market the stock is trading on. A number of agents don`t command any commissions. They make their funds depending on the variance between the offer and the asking value. This difference is called the spread. The higher the spread, the additional cash both the buyer and his agent make.

The picking of a high-quality stock broker is fundamental. Some brokers simply want to get rid of the stock with no concerned much for the shopper. One should consider a trustworthy stockbroker and their fees. An alternative factor to consider is how much one wishes to open an account by them. Various brokers also charge for dormant accounts. It is advisable to also find out if the stock broker you choose has any benefits for you. Some banks in addition offer the service of buying and selling stocks.

Buying Penny Stocks Online

An additional method on how to buy penny stocks is over the internet. The advantage of trade penny stocks online is that you have quick access when you need to either buy or sell. This way the buyer takes the revenue fast more exactly than calling an agent over the telephone and asking them to close the transaction on your behalf.

In order to buy and sell online, one needs to sign up and open a trading account. This account needs to be funded from the account holder’s bank. Once the account has money, the purchaser then goes to the internet and stays on the look out for trading penny stocks. This can be completed by joining forums or looking out for latest sites with the purpose of publish penny stock trading.

Testing and Explore

Ahead of exchange stocks, buyers want to study on the corporation they want to buy stock from. They have to uncover out the market capitalization. This can be prepared by multiplying the amount per share by the number of shares in the market. This be supposed to additionally reveal how many penny stocks to purchase. The more one buys, the more study one has to perform on the companies.

Once a buyer understands the system of how to purchase penny stocks, they know how to generate a lot of cash just by trading in the penny stock market.

By: Stien Stein

Stein Stien has a site that make you understand How to Buy Penny Stocks with tips that can make you a lot of money.

Before you become too excited about the hype involved with buying penny stocks, you need to understand why this hype persists: fraud. Long before the Internet, penny stocks were ripe with fraud and the Internet has only made the propagation of such fraud more widespread and persuasive.

Penny stocks are particularly susceptible to scams because they are traded on over-the-counter (OTC) exchanges like the OTCBB (Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board) and Pink Sheets. These exchanges do not exercise the same restrictions as the major exchanges like the NASDAQ and NYSE (New York Stock Exchange). Additionally, these quotation services do not require the share poster to provide as much detail on the stock, so you often do not have the same level of data as you’re provided by default on a major exchange.

Furthermore, the companies traded as penny stocks tend to be much newer and smaller entities. This means it is more difficult to find and validated substantial data on the corporate structure, history and road map forward.

There are a number of different scams oriented around exploiting inexperienced stock investors. These scammers prey on these new investors because they are easily fooled into thinking a stock called a “penny” stock somehow involves less risk. Unfortunately, it is just the opposite.

From the pump and dump to the chop stock, these scams have been refined for decades, and even though they have existed for a long time, they still work. So next time you see a ton of hype about making a lot of money fast with microcap stocks, you should really exercise a healthy amount of skepticism before you act.

You can still make a ton of money buying penny stocks if you know how to steer clear of all the scams. Learn the specific penny stock scams and how they work: visit Buying Penny Stocks.

Despite the issues associated with penny stocks, several investors intend to invest in penny stocks, since they believe many of today’s blue-chip stocks, such as, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Wal Mart (NYSE: WMT) were once penny stocks. However, the share prices of these companies were almost never trading for pennies, however it appears that way when one looks at the price adjusted for stock splits. Many investors ignore this fact.

Since many penny stocks are traded on the pink sheets and are not scrutinized by the SEC, you will find it more difficult to find credible information about them.

Penny stocks often lack liquidity, which means investors would find it difficult to buy or sell. A lack of liquidity often helps fraudulent investors to manipulate the share prices. The SEC itself in Schedule 15G states “Investors in penny stock should be prepared for the possibility that they may lose their whole investment”.

A penny stock traded on the over-the-counter exchange has a higher chance of being delisted for lack of compliance. If the particular company is unable to list its stock on another exchange or become re-instated, you may lose 100% of your investment. You should consider this seriously, if you intend to take long positions in a penny stock.

Several new investors are attracted to penny stocks, given their low price and potential for substantial gains. There have been instances where penny stocks rose more than 1000% in a few days in the past, but this is extremely rare and often the price is not sustained. There are historical evidences that most penny stocks lose their entire value. If you are a new investor, you need to be aware of the risks involved.

If you still want to invest in penny stocks, do the relevant research into the company’s fundamentals and ignore the pre-conceived theories about the successes of the penny stocks in the past.

About The Author:

Joel Arberman is the Managing Member of Stock Aware, LLC. We publish a free stock research and analysis newsletter. Learn more at www.StockAware.com

It is quite common to see a penny stock rise and, often, double or triple in value. Penny stocks are sometimes called the best investments to be found in the market.

This is especially true if you can find the ones set on a profitable trend. These penny stocks will differentiate from the rest and gain value.

Now you may be asking, how do I pick those penny stocks? Here are some tips to help you find the most profitable penny stocks.

The best way to pick penny stocks is to use an analytical program. These programs are specifically designed to target potentially profitable penny stocks.

There are a number of programs available which target these stocks specifically and do all the analytical work for you. Then all you have to do is take the projections into consideration and then move forward with purchasing the penny stocks that are right for you.

These programs are instructed to first scour, or look over, the market. When they are scouring, they are searching for profitable trading opportunities.

From this, they identify what is profitable and can find which stocks are set to go on profitable trends. They do this by comparing real time market data to the past market data.

This is important because often the market repeats itself, or has similar trends, every couple years. By identifying similarities between the past and the present, programs can put together remarkably accurate depictions of the results of purchasing a penny stock.

So, to reiterate, if you want to know how to pick penny stocks, the best suggestion is to use an effective stock picking program. They do all of the analytical work on your behalf so all you have to do is purchase the ones you have money for and feel good about.

Once you have purchased some penny stocks you can trade them with other penny stock holders. Knowing good penny stock trading procedures can give you a huge advantage when you are attempting to make a profit by trading penny stocks with other penny stock holders.

You don’t want to become a penny stock speculator or gambler, to decrease the risk before you start trading. As you research, you can gain the knowledge and understanding that will help you make trades with confidence and precision.

First, good penny stocks procedures encourage you to become as educated in the various techniques and strategies that people have been using to make money with penny stocks. To get this information in full you should consult a number of different resources including penny stock newsletters, websites, hot lists, and online forums.

It may also help to network and develop some relationships with other penny stock traders who have been successful. Networking is something that many novice traders skip doing because they think that they can learn everything themselves without any sort of additional council.

By networking you will put yourself ahead of the curve, especially if you are a novice. Finding a few traders that can give you solid information will help you gain knowledge from their success and failures.

You should also come up with a solid plan and goals for your penny stock trading business. You want to make an established plan so you don’t arbitrarily make a few trades.

Without a plan or knowledge of the industry you will be using the methodology of penny stock gamblers and speculators. Penny stock gamblers and speculators are often intrigued by risk and less concerned with the financial outcome of their investments.

Instead of being a gambler or speculator, you should form a correct plan for your money that can aid you with your financial endeavors. This planned approach, will help you avoid suffering major losses and it will also allow you to push your business forward when you are making a good profit.

Lastly you should always make sure to take advantage of all the best penny stock trading platforms that may be on the market. They often don’t cost that much to use and will create greater success for many traders.

If you are aware of the best ways to find and trade penny stocks you will do better in the industry. To be truly successful become educated, network, and buy penny stocks that will work for you.

About the Author:

Jack R. Landry has worked since the early 90s in the stock market as a broker selling stock. He has written hundreds of articles about penny stocks and investing.