Anyone trade stocks online?

[IronFist]

Like Ameritrade or E*Trade or anything?

[Mr Punch]

My fiancee, but it's a Japanese site, and she's either losing money or squirreling it away in a private offshore account, so probably ropey advice at best.

[FuXnDajenariht]

i tried the E*Trade game a couple times. i sucked at it.

[Royal Dragon]

I traded Futures in the mid 90's. I did it through a regular broker though. I just don't feel right about tradeing "online". I want to talk to the guy who's in the hot seat. Sometimes they know things you don't, and can tell you what the market conditions are at the moment as they have a direct line to the floor.

[MasterKiller]

I have a brick-and-mortar broker, too. I just don't know that much about how the markets work. My broker seems to have a pretty good handle on it and I'm very happy with the returns I see.

[rogue]

I trade online. Doing better then I did with brokers who were mostly following the herd.

[Royal Dragon]

I just like to have a warning incase. Have my own system that does ok. I have more wins than losses. I have a self directed account though, and I'm not paying for a brokers advice. But it's nice to have someone to bounce an idea off once and a while.

With futures, following the heard is generally a good thing. You know, the "Trend is your Freind" and all that. Timming the entry, and exits is where it's at.

[shaolintim]

I trede the forex (currency) markets online. Its a great way to make moneyon the net. But you can also lose your shirt, very quickly if you don't know what you're doing.

[Royal Dragon]

I had a freind try to get me into that. he's Biker who knws nothing about it, just that his buddy did it and made alot of $$. God, he was bent on selling me on it though.

I looked into it and decided I really didn't understand it enogh to trade. I like to do simple stuff, commodities like corn, soybeans, oil etc...

I prefer to stay in huge markets so technical tradeing is fairly accurate.

Tell me a bit about Forex? can you describe some fundementals of it? The concept of tradeing money never made sense to me really.

[FuXnDajenariht]

i can't wait till i 'get' to 'trade' my social security online.. :)

[mortal]

I traded futures on the Mercantile floor. The trend is your friend and going with the herd are to completely different philosophies. Traders say don't follow the heard. Or you will go with them to the slaughter. I suggest picking up market wizards before you lose some serious money.

[rogue]

I don't buy the "hot" stocks but try to find the ones people are missing. I also set out with the idea to make money not become rich by playing the market. So I'll sell a stock before it peaks, take my earnings and buy something else. If I at least make more on a stock then my money would make sitting in the bank I'm happy. Greed will kill you in the market.

[Royal Dragon]

I trade off of chart patterns, "Head and Shoulders", "123 top and Bottoms and such".

I have predetermined confirmations for both entry and exits.

[mortal]

"Bulls make money bears make money hogs get slaughtered"

"Don't drink and trade"

[SevenStar]

to avoid any further loss of street cred, I won't post here...

[Serpent]

Originally posted by SevenStar
to avoid any further loss of street cred, I won't post here... Why not? You don't have any cred left to lose, so you might as well go for it. ;)

[joedoe]

Originally posted by Royal Dragon
I had a freind try to get me into that. he's Biker who knws nothing about it, just that his buddy did it and made alot of $$. God, he was bent on selling me on it though.

I looked into it and decided I really didn't understand it enogh to trade. I like to do simple stuff, commodities like corn, soybeans, oil etc...

I prefer to stay in huge markets so technical tradeing is fairly accurate.

Tell me a bit about Forex? can you describe some fundementals of it? The concept of tradeing money never made sense to me really.

It is basically the same as trading stocks, except that instead of 'betting' that the stock price will go up, you 'bet' that the currency you have bought will rise in value relative to one or more other currencies you deal in.

IMO forex and derivatives are the riskiest investments, though they also have the potential to yield massive returns. Just look at Nick Leeson and what he did to Barings bank.

[rogue]

Originally posted by SevenStar
to avoid any further loss of street cred, I won't post here... It's OK 7, stocks are good for the cred. It's all about the Benjamins. :D And like Serpent said, what have you got left to lose?

[IronFist]

What about Scottrade (http://www.scottrade.com/frame_brokers.asp). It seems to be the best deal online; cheap trades and NO MINUMUM ACCOUNT OR ACTIVITY BALANCE. If I want to buy and hold, I don't want to be billed $50 per quarter for it.