Ever want to dip your toes in the stock market, but not been sure where to start? In the old says, you had to hire a broker to place your trades for you; needless to say, this was slow and expensive.
These days, however, internet share trading allows everyone to play the market from the privacy of their own homes.
When many people think about trading online, they're really thinking of day trading: making a few (or a lot of) quick trades every day, swooping in to grab a quick profit, retiring in a few weeks off of their own cleverness.
Unfortunately, day trading is a much better way to lose money than it is to make it! Keep in mind that you'd competing against people who do this for a living, have years of experience, and have computers that can react to changing conditions within milliseconds.
It's extremely unlikely that you can beat them! Rather, place the occasional trade based on your own specialized knowledge.
If you follow a particular industry closely, you're likely more aware of the impact that upcoming announcements and news items will have on the value (or perceived value) of companies in your industry than are people whose expertise lies in finance; as a result, you may be able to more quickly evaluate which stocks are worth buying or selling.
The lesser fees from trading online mean that you can make a profit without having millions of dollars to invest, provided you make the right decisions.