How to trade Penny Stock?

The terms “micro cap” stock and “penny stock” have been used to describe a particular segment of the securities market. As both terms suggest, these stocks are generally low-priced securities issued by small companies. A penny stock is generally a security that is priced at less than $5 per share and is not traded on Nasdaq or listed on a stock exchange. “Micro cap” stock generally describes a low market capitalization of less than 5 million when the number of shares is multiplied by the stocks price. Commonly Penny Stocks are also called Pink Sheets.  Pink Sheets is an electronic quotation system for a number of over the counter (OTC) securities. The name is derived from the color of the paper on which the quotes were originally printed. The Pink Sheets of today are published on the internet and the bulk of those listings are the so-called penny stocks.

It is possible that penny stocks can be traded on the regular stock exchanges, the companies that typically list in the Pink Sheets are the ones that are unable to meet the requirements of larger exchanges such as the Nasdaq and NYSE. The Pink Sheets do not have any listing requirements, allowing any company, even a company with no financial history, to be listed.

Due to the nature of the Pink Sheets, being an unregulated exchange, there is generally more of a risk to investors than stocks that are on the larger exchanges such as AMEX.

Advantages of Penny Stocks
Investing in penny stocks provides traders with the opportunity to dramatically increase their profits, however, it also provides an equal opportunity to lose your trading capital quickly. The low cost of Pink Sheet securities is the primary advantage that they offer. Investors who wish to get in on a new company at the onset can pick up stock for literally pennies. If a company does well and grows that initial investment can grow from pennies to much large dividends.

Pink Sheets do pose more of a risk for investors, though. A company may simply vanish, leaving worthless stock issues in its wake. If you invest in penny stocks, you should be prepared to lose it all. Because of this risk, Pink Sheet investments should only represent a small percentage of your investment portfolio.

A lack of liquidity is another risk to investors of Pink Sheet listings. The volume is usually very low and it can be very difficult to find a buyer for the stock. The seller may have to settle for a price that is much lower than initially anticipated just to be able to unload his or her shares.

There are some tips to help the penny stock trader avoid making costly mistakes.

Due Diligence
Stocks listed on the Pink Sheets don’t have to file annual or quarterly statements. This makes starting your due diligence difficult. Often, the information is sketchy at best, and typically, its biased. You should expect a shareholder to say good things about the company. If the company didn’t have potential, they wouldn’t be holding it. Or, they might be hoping to unload their shares and hope to talk you into buying.

Stocks listed on the OTC BB file annual and quarterly statements. This provides some measure of financial success. You’ll find most penny stocks lose money, whether through managerial incompetence, or research and development. The key is to identify the companies whose management has a record of consistently making money, or at the very least, delivering on their business plan, and decreasing expenses.

Check the voloume.  If the trading volume is less it will be difficult to unload the shares.

Do your homework, don’t believe the hype, and protect your capital.