5 Common Stock Trading Errors for Beginners and How to Avoid Them

While the market this past year was not kind to most investors, investing for the long term is still the best bet for growing your wealth.

If you are starting to invest, it is important to learn from the mistakes that others have made. As they say, the best way to learn is by other people’s mistakes. Saving yourself some unnecessary pain as an investor means identifying common stock trading errors and avoiding them.

Let’s take a look at the most common stock trading errors for beginners you should avoid. Read on!

1. Failing to Research the Company Before Investing

To minimize the risk of making the wrong decision, research the company thoroughly. This includes reading its investor information and any analyst reports in circulation.

Also, look into past performance and recent trends, staying aware of any news events which could potentially affect the company’s market value. If spending time researching investments isn’t for you, consider diversifying by investing in mutual funds or ETFs that target the sector you’re interested in.

2. Overlooking Risk Management Strategies

It is imperative that beginner traders understand the risks associated with each type of stock and properly manage them in order to maximize profits and minimize potential losses. Risk management strategies include:

• Stop-loss orders
• Setting a maximum capacity for certain positions
• Limiting exposure to volatile trades
• Diversifying your portfolio

Beginners should also limit leverage when it comes to trading stocks due to the higher potential for risky investments. With these strategies, beginners can learn to become smarter traders while avoiding the common errors that many beginners succumb to.

3. Not Diversifying Trade Portfolios

When an investor fails to diversify, they become far more likely to suffer a significant loss. By investing in equities from multiple industries and sectors, even if the stock of one company decreases in value, others may increase. It allows a more balanced portfolio.

It’s also advised investing in different types of stocks, including larger established companies and smaller, riskier ones. Creating a well-diversified portfolio can reduce stock trading risks, minimize loss and provide a more predictable rate of return.

4. Ignoring Market Indicators

Market indicators provide valuable insight into the stock market. It can be used to identify trends and forecast future price movements. When trading stocks, it’s essential to pay attention to the following types of market indicators:

• Moving averages
• Bollinger Bands
• RSI

Each indicator provides different information. But tracking their fluctuations can help traders understand the direction and strength of a trend.

5. Underestimating Transaction Costs

Underestimating transaction costs is just one of many stock trading errors for beginners. These costs can include:

• Brokerage commissions
• Federal and state taxes
• Transfer or service fees 

These costs can cut into potential stock trading profits, so it’s important to understand them and include them in a beginner’s own calculations.

A good way of avoiding underestimating these costs is to research the associated fees with the specific broker or platform, as well as check the tier levels or markups which can apply.

Avoid These Stock Trading Errors for Beginners Today

One of the most important things to remember when trading common stock is to not be too hasty. Beginners should get educated on trading strategies and avoid heeding advice from inexperienced traders.

Taking the time to learn the proper practices and procedures is essential for trading and avoiding common errors. Investing in common stock can be highly profitable, but it’s important to beware of stock trading errors for beginners that can cost you in the long run.