The lure of big money has continued to throw investors in the lap of stock markets. However, it is quite easy to understand that making money from equities is not an easy task. It requires patience, discipline, sound understanding, and lots of research of the market among others. Additionally, the volatility of the market that has been around for several years has left many investors in a state of confusion.
They remain in a dilemma whether to sell, hold, or invest in such a scenario. You need to know that the main purpose of stocks is to make a fool of as many people as possible. If you are an investor, it is necessary to understand that the system of trading in stocks is always working in its favor. If you want success in stock market investing, you need to work several principles that millions of successful investors have been using for many years.
Setting long-term goals
Before making an investment, you need to understand your target and time limit you want to get back what you invested and put it on the desired task. If you would like to get back your investment after a few years, you need to put your investment somewhere else because the stock market has the volatility that does not promise to avail your capital when needed.
By knowing your future capital requirements and the exact time you will need it, you will be able to calculate the amount you need to invest and the return you require so as to meet your requirements. The idea is that you need to start making early savings in the stocks so that you get the highest possible return as per the philosophy of risk.
Understand your risk tolerance
Risk tolerance is a psychological trait based on genetics, but gets positive influence from income, wealth, education, and negatively by age. Your risk tolerance is the degree of anxiety or how you feel in the presence of risk. Psychologically, you can refer to risk as the extent to which an individual chooses to risk experiencing a less satisfactory outcome of pursuing a more favorable outcome. All human being vary in this trait, and there is no balance.
Tolerance in stock market investing is also affected by the way you perceive risk. In investing, the idea of having a perception is crucial. As you continue gaining knowledge about investing in stocks, you will learn the dynamics of price change, buying and selling stocks, and the ease or difficulty of liquidating an investment. You need to consider investing in stocks to have fewer risks before making the first purchase. Your anxiety will be less intensive as a result of your unchanged risk tolerance and evolved risk perception.
When you understand your risk tolerance, you are likely to avoid investments that will make you anxious. You do not have to make an investment that will deny you sleep at night and peace during the day. Anxiety will stimulate fear that will trigger emotional responses to the stressor.
Diversify your investment
Experienced investors eschew stock diversification with the confidence that they have carried out necessary research to quantify and identify their risk. They are comfortable that they can identify the potential risk that can endanger their position, and will liquidate their investment before incurring a catastrophic loss.
When engaging in stock market investing, the most populous method you can use to manage your risk is by diversifying your exposure. Many investors own stock of various companies in different companies and countries. They have an expectation that no single adverse event will affect all their investments to a similar extent.
It is safe to have stocks in five different companies so that you are sure at least two companies will have good profit margins, two will have small profit margins, and one might dissolve to pay its debts and investors. Diversification will allow you to recover from losing the whole of your investment by the small gains you make from the stocks.
Avoid leverage
Leverage means using borrowed money to create your stock market strategy. When you have a margin account, financial institutions like banks and Sacco will give you loans to invest in the stock market. Using borrowed money exaggerates the movement of price. This activity will sound great if the stock moves up but what if it moves the other side? You might end up losing your investment plus the levers money. Leverage is neither a right nor wrong tool, but you can consider using it if you have enough experience and confidence in your abilities to make decisions.
Control your emotions
The biggest obstacle to making profits when in stock market investing is the capacity to make logical decisions and control emotions. In the short-term, the companies’ prices will reflect combined emotions of the whole investment community. When many investors are worried about a particular company, its stocks will decline, but when they feel positive about the future of the firm, the tendency of the stock rising in price is high.
An individual that feel negative about the market is known as a bear while the positive one is the bull. During market hours, the ongoing battle between bulls and bears can be seen from the continuous change in the price of securities. Such short-time movement gains their driving power from rumours, hopes, emotions, and speculation, other than using the management, prospects, and assets of the company.
When the stocks perform well, you will have questions about whether to take your profit out or not. These issues will be constant especially if you are price conscious and when you want to make a decision about an action. Since emotions will act as your primary action driver, you might end up making wrong decisions.
Conclusion
From history, stock market investments have been enjoying a significant return on other investments and proving complete visibility, easy liquidity, and existing regulation to provide a fair playing ground for all participants. Investing in stocks is an opportunity to create significant asset values for individuals that are consistent savers. The younger you begin to invest in this market, the greater the results you will have at the end of your projected period.