BLOG

10 Points to Know Before Making Your First Stock Market Investment

Stock Market Investments are a way through which people can buy shares of any public-listed company. By buying shares of a company, investors entail partial ownership of that company. If the company performs well in the future, the shares of that company may become valuable. Since value is increased, other investors also want to buy them from you at a higher price. That means if you choose to liquidate those shares, you may make a profit.

It sounds simple. Isn’t it? But many things need to be taken care of before buying shares of any company. This article will talk about a few points that can help you know about stock market investments.

Tips on Stock Market Investment

1. Don’t invest blindly

When chatting with your buddies and coworkers, it’s common for the conversation to turn towards the stock market. You may have never bought stocks before, but listening to your friends discuss profits, you decide to do so. If you enter stock markets to keep up with the latest trends, you’ve chosen the incorrect path. One should invest in stock markets after attaining an understanding of them and knowing your financial objectives.

2. Stock markets are not cash machines

You’ve probably heard the tales of numerous investors who earned fortunes with the help of stock market investment. After hearing stories, many people assume that stock markets are a money-generating machine that will quickly make them millionaires. Many investors have indeed profited from the stock market. It became feasible only because they have excellent market expertise, made wise decisions by implementing well-thought-out plans. Many people overlook the fact that many investors have lost their belongings and have been forced to liquidate personal assets to cover market losses.

3. Start learning with the basics

Take your time to understand stock market basics and the different securities that make up the market before you make your first investment. There are many books out there that help you to learn the basics of the stock market investment. Before joining the market, you need to be conversant with the following areas:

  • Should learn fundamental and technical analysis.
  • Become familiar with financial measures and terminology like PEratio, Earning Per Share (EPS), Return on Equity (ROE), and Market Cap.
  • While placing orders, you may experience terms like a market order, limit order, GTT, stop loss, etc. It’s better to know them rather than get confused while placing investment orders.
  • Try to learn the connection between the market and the economy. People lose money in the stock market because they don’t comprehend the market cycles.

4. Invest Only the surplus

The most common error committed by novice investors is investing money they can’t afford to lose. Stock Market investments are subjected to risks. That means you may lose your entire investment in case of a bubble. The stock market, like any other investment, comes with its own set of dangers. Some risks are market-wide systematic hazards that you can’t prevent even through diversifying the portfolio. It would help to determine your risk tolerance based on your financial status,  age, retirement objective, and other factors, and then diversify the risk accordingly.

5. Do not invest leveraged money

Simply put, leverage refers to the utilization of borrowed funds to carry out a stock market plan. Finance Institutions can lend you money for trading using a margin account. It sounds fantastic when stock markets are rising, but learn the downside when the stock market declines or crashes. In such a situation, not only will initial capital be eroded, but you will also be required to pay interest to the broker. As a result, leverage is a tool that is neither beneficial nor harmful. It’s preferable to utilize leverage when you’ve gained some experience in your investment or trading abilities when it comes to trading. As a result, when you’re first starting, keep your risk low to guarantee that you can benefit in the long run.

6. Herd mentality is not good. Avoid it!

It would be best if you avoided herd mentality. You may be influenced by the behaviour of your friends or family without assessing underlying assets, as many investors do. As a result, potential investors are more likely to follow suit if everyone else invests in a stock. However, if you haven’t carefully selected the stock, this technique is sure to backfire in the long run. So, if you don’t have any idea what you’re doing with the stock, don’t do it. It would be best if you learned about a company’s business prior to investing in it. It’s critical to invest solely in firms that are simple to understand. Understand the business before investing.

7. Diversification is essential, but don’t over diversify

Never invest your whole portfolio in a single asset or a stock. Prepare diversified stock portfolios that can help to mitigate risk and prevent you from losses. Do not over diversify. Increasing the number of stocks up to a certain point helps to distribute the risk properly. But beyond that point, your investment may not achieve good returns.

8. Stop timing the market

Stick to a disciplined investing strategy. Many investors try to time the markets. The result might be losing their money. Nobody can continuously and effectively time the market by capturing the tops and bottoms of several businesses or stock market cycles. You may invest modest sums of money over time which results in averaging the market and reaping the benefits during the long run. Methodically investing in the correct stocks over an extended period yields impressive results. As a result, patience, a disciplined investment strategy, and keeping a broad, long-term picture are considered better-investing methods.

9. Set reasonable goals

While hoping for the best returns from your assets is not incorrect, unrealistic goals can affect you. During the last bull market, several stocks have produced more than 100% gains. However, this does not imply that you should constantly anticipate the stock market to provide the same level of return. If you believe that the stocks in your portfolio are overpriced, you should consider switching to other stocks.

10. Don’t allow your emotions to influence the investments

Cut your emotions from any specific stock. Many investors lose in the market because of failing to manage their emotions. Break the cycle of fear & greed. Don’t invest in unknown speculative stock enticed by its prior fantastic return unless you realize the risks involved that may result in a loss. Keep your fear under control in a bear market, and don’t sell your stock at rock-bottom levels.

Fear and greed are the worst emotions to have while investing, and it is best not to let them influence you. Stock market investment is a way through which you can participate in the country’s growth. It also helps to beat inflation. One last thing we would like to suggest is “Always research and read all the rules and instructions before investing in any company. Don’t blindly follow stock tips.”

Leave a Reply