If you are a novice investor, you may have heard that the stock market is corrupted against smaller investors. But this does not have to be the case if you know how.
There are several strategies you can employ to combat this disadvantage and eventually earn more money in the long run.
Professional Institutional Investors
Recent surveys reveal that many would-be stock investors have been burned by the market, and a majority of Americans believe that there is an unjust system in place that favors larger investors. But this is not true in all instances.
Investment in stocks is typically done by private individuals with 401(k) or college savings funds, who trade through an investment bank or broker. These investors, known as retail investors, possess much less knowledge of the market than professional institutional investors do.
The primary distinction between institutional investors and retail investors lies in size: Institutional investors, such as pension funds or mutual funds, possess substantial sums of money to invest. This allows them to purchase a wider variety of securities and exert significant influence over the market as a whole.
Another distinguishing factor between retail investors and institutional investors is access: Retail investors typically lack resources, while institutional investors usually have access to many financial instruments that are unavailable to the general public. This gives them an edge when making investments, as well as opening doors to more lucrative opportunities in the market which might otherwise go overlooked by average investors.
These investors have access to investment research, data and analysis that the average retail investor does not. This enables them to make better decisions regarding their investments, ultimately leading to greater profits in the long run.
However, this can present challenges for small investors who cannot compete with institutional investors due to their larger assets and trading volumes. In certain instances, institutional buyers may manipulate the market by buying large amounts of a particular stock at once, potentially damaging smaller individual shareholders.
These investors enjoy less regulatory restrictions than their retail counterparts, allowing them to take on greater risks. This flexibility enables them to diversify their portfolios and contribute to improving economic conditions overall. It also permits them to be more involved as shareholders – which can be beneficial for companies and financial markets alike.
High-Frequency Traders
The stock market is composed of multiple exchanges where stocks are traded. The NYSE is the biggest exchange, but there are other notable ones such as NASDAQ and American Stock Exchange (AMEX). High-frequency traders monitor these exchanges to look for price anomalies that could provide them with profitable opportunities.
These trading strategies employ computer algorithms running at incredible speeds to execute trades in a fraction of a second. They employ various strategies like statistical arbitrage and event arbitrage to achieve this extreme speed, making them highly sought-after by investors.
High-frequency traders use these tactics to purchase shares of stocks at a lower price on one exchange while simultaneously selling them at a higher cost on another. While the profit may seem small, this process can be repeated repeatedly in order to generate large sums of money.
But is this type of trade really fair and beneficial for the stock market?
High-frequency traders need to find a way of decreasing the time it takes for transactions to be sent and completed. That requires them to be faster than everyone else, which requires investing heavily in technology and infrastructure.
They must be able to connect to the exchanges within a fraction of a second, which requires superfast connections. They can do this by connecting directly from stock exchange data centers or by positioning their computers close enough to the exchange or on the shortest line between them and the exchange (see Spread Networks).
Furthermore, exchanges must utilize powerful computers to process data quickly. These machines are capable of processing orders as soon as they come through the exchange, giving them time to react to market shifts in real-time.
This ability to act rapidly on market information can have numerous detrimental consequences for investors. Chief among them is that it may cause price manipulation in stocks.
Additionally, high-frequency traders can create artificial demand and supply on exchanges, damaging the health of the market. This is particularly true for stocks with low liquidity.
Market Timing
Market timing is an investing strategy that involves timing when to enter and exit the stock market. Those who take this approach hope to outpace average market performance, though there may be downsides that investors should be aware of.
The primary disadvantage of market timing is its constant focus on securities, funds and asset classes. This can be time-consuming and draining. Furthermore, it carries high transaction costs and commissions with it; furthermore, there could be significant missed opportunities due to inattention.
Another disadvantage of market timing is that it may not be the best strategy for everyday investors. In fact, if you try to time the market, chances are good that you will be competing against experienced investors who make timely buying and selling decisions in order to outperform the markets.
Due to its unpredictable nature, stock markets can be highly volatile. Predicting a security’s future high or low points may prove challenging, leading you to miss out on some of the highest gains possible.
Additionally, the efficient market hypothesis states that asset prices reflect all available information; thus, it is impossible to consistently “beat the market”.
Despite its drawbacks, some investors still opt for market timing strategies. These individuals may use technical analysis or other forms of research to determine when it is a good time to buy or sell assets.
These techniques may be based on fundamental analysis, a type of research that examines a company’s financial statements to make investment decisions. Investors may also use moving averages to detect long-term trends in the market.
Market timing has its advantages and can be beneficial to some investors. However, it should only be used with extreme caution and only as a last resort.
Investors and technical analysts often employ the 200-day moving average as a strategy for market timing. This signal can be taken as an indication that the market may shift direction soon.
“Painting the Tape”
Painting the Tape is a form of market manipulation that takes advantage of investors’ tendency to focus on certain prices, such as the closing rate. This practice may be initiated by traders, brokers and investment professionals during late-night trading sessions.
Traders who “paint the tape” attempt to manipulate the price of a security by buying and selling it among themselves in order to create the illusion of high trading activity. This may attract investors who could purchase the stock, allowing the traders to profit.
This strategy is often employed with penny stocks, as it’s easier to manipulate thinly traded securities that do not see much trading activity. A group of financial professionals might select a small penny stock and begin buying and selling among themselves. This generates an abundance of trading activity, often leading to higher prices due to increased demand.
Therefore, the group of manipulators could sell their holdings at a higher price than what they originally purchased them for, leaving them with an impressive profit and fueling further growth in the stock.
Another common tactic used by manipulators is purchasing a large volume of stock just before the market closes. This gives the impression that investors value the stock highly, giving an advantage to those behind the scenes.
Day traders should be wary of this practice, as it can be a dangerous way to manipulate the stock market. Additionally, it’s essential to monitor recent trading data to spot suspicious patterns.
Many day traders may be tempted to follow an increase in trade volume, but this can be a dangerous mistake. This may occur for several reasons; one of them being that manipulators attempt to make their stock appear more popular by drawing more investors.
This practice can be highly risky and illegal, as it could result in substantial losses for traders. Furthermore, it’s a criminal offense that should be reported to the police; those found guilty could face jail time.