Here is "the good stuff." (and I use that term loosely) The rest is a giant sales pitch. I tried to upload this as a file, but I don't have Word, and ET won't let me upload a Wordpad file.
Trading Tip #1: Historical Data
Estimates are important because we value stock based on what we think will happen in the future. But don't ignore the past. Historical data can do much to shed light on the believability of published growth projections.
Trading Tip #2: If your only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
Someone (possibly a financial planner) with a very limited selection of products will naturally try to jam you into those which s/he sells. These may be less suitable than other products not carried.
Trading Tip #3: Don't rush into an investment.
If someone tells you that the opportunity is closing, filling up fast, or in any other way suggests a time pressure, be very leery.
Trading Tip #4: Very low priced stocks require special treatment.
Risks are substantial, bid/asked spreads are large, prices are volatile, and commissions are relatively high. You need a broker who knows how to purchase these stocks and dicker for a good price.
Trading Tip #5: PATIENCE
If there is one thing you must learn, it's patience. Good things come to those who wait, be it low buy prices or high sell prices. Sometimes if you had only waited, you could have sold higher or bought lower. Have patience, it's without a doubt one of the golden keys to making money in the stock market.
Trading Tip #6: REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY
If patience if the golden key to trading, then the silver key is doing things opposite from the rest of the market. You want to buy when the average investor is selling and driving the price down. And when wonderful news is driving a stocks price higher, you want to sell your shares at the over inflated price. Buying when stocks are falling and selling when they are moving into higher ground is one of the hardest things to learn [and do] when you first start trading. We don't have the luxury of holding our stocks for years to help iron out the little highs and lows. We live off the little highs and lows. Buy when there is blood in the streets!
Trading Tip #7: EMOTIONS
The stock market is very good at playing on your emotions. In order to be a good trader, you must look at the market in a cold, hard way. When the masses are selling in a panic, you must stand fast or step up and buy. Remember that the market is made up of emotional sheep buying and selling in waves - you must be the cold, cunning and calculating wolf looking over the heard for your kill. Don't panic sell and don't buy on hysteria.
Trading Tip #8: BID/ASK
If you aren't aware that stocks are sold to you at one price and bought back at a slightly lower price, the difference being the spread, then you may be in for a very big surprise when you go to make your first trade! Trade on stocks with small relative spreads, and spreads that are well controlled (such as on the NYSE board).
Trading Tip #9: MARKET ORDERS
Don't use them unless you have to, and DON'T EVER place a market order for a stock at the opening of the market, or when a stock is making new ground fast (such as during a positive mention on CNBC). Putting in a market order in the first 10 minutes of the market is a sure way of paying the highest possible price for your stock, because as all the built up orders from the previous day go through, it lifts the stock prices for a few minutes. You can be pretty sure that you order will go off at the high of the day this way (but keep in mind it's sometimes handy to sell during this time).
Trading Tip #10: STOP LOSSES
These are almost as bad as market orders. Stop losses are a sure way of selling at a loss. We only recommend using them when you are "in the money" and would normally sell your stock, but want to retain a slight possibility that it might continue to go higher. Stops can also be used to sell your stock a little quicker in volatile markets, as stops seem to taken a little more seriously than market and limit orders when bid prices are being changed rapidly.
Trading Tip #11: BUYING LOW
Sometimes the best way to buy low is to put in a limit order for a stock at "a price you'd love to own the stock at". Let's assume for amoment that the stock you want is trading at 20 dollars, try putting in an order at 18 1/2 and wait it out, what do you have to loose? You never know when you might hit the low for the day that way. It's far better than putting your limit order at 19 7/8, only to find it crashed past that, filled your order and continued down to 18 3/8. You'd be surprised what an effective way this can be to both buy and sell. When you get your "dream" price, it's a great feeling.
Trading Tip #12: SELLING
Selling is actually harder than buying in many ways. If you are trading a stock, then decide what price you want to sell your stock at as soon as you buy it, so when that price does come along, you'll be ready to move. Using a GTC order ( good till cancel) is also a good way to sell stocks once you own them, since many times a stock will move up for just seconds - not even enough time to get to the phone, let alone place your order. But if it's "on the books" when the stock makes a quick run up, you'll be right there selling it. A good way to calculate your sale price is based on how much you'd like to make for the day. $500, $1000, $5000, etc. Then calculate back the price you need to sell at and stick to it.
Trading Tip #13: FREE LUNCH
If there is a free lunch in day trading, it's picking stocks that are making new medium trend highs to trade with. That way if you do get in at the wrong point, there's a much better chance that your high buy will turn into the next low buy as the stock moves higher in its overall trend. This is one of the only safety nets you have in day trading, when combined with patience and some extra cash reserves.
Trading Tip #14: IF YOU ARE WRONG
Then you are wrong. Don't try to justify a bad trade by convincing yourself it will turn into a good trade. If you buy on the high side, then sell at break even and buy back in on the low side. Talking yourself into believing that your mistakes are actually wise moves in disguise is very costly. Be professional enough to spot your mistakes and move on - think of it as day trader insurance.
Trading Tip #15: PROFITS AREN'T AS IMPORTANT
As your capital. If you miss out on some profits, that's okay, you can always find another stock to buy. However, if you lose a big chunk of your trading money then the game is over. Protecting your trading capital is your number one mission, followed, of course by increasing it.
Trading Tip #16: DON'T GET GREEDY
Greed and fear drive the markets and for the most part drive the average investor to making mistakes. Sell with good profits, but don't get too greedy. A savvy trader once said, "Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered".
Trading Tip #17: BIG SWINGS
Big moves up are sometimes followed by big moves down and visa versa. Sell on abnormally large moves to the upside and buy on abnormally moves to the down side. They are generally out of character of the stock and can many times be followed by a "snap back" on the stock. Knowing your stock's trading habits can be very helpful.
Trading Tip #18: HOT STOCKS
Stocks that are hot move great, but nothing lasts for ever. If you buy a stock for a big, quick gain and find that the stock has "lost its heat", don't allow your money to be dead (unless you are looking for an investment). Sell and move on, don't justify your mistakes - it tends to be a costly justification process in the long run. Others in the stock for the hot ride will start to bail out when as the stock cools off and looks like it's not capable of making "hot moves".
Trading Tip #19: JUSTIFICATION IS COSTLY
Don't hold a losing stock to justify your original purchase. If you make an incorrect buy or end up with a stock that is falling when you thought it would climb, handle those mistakes quickly - do not be tolerant of stocks that are costing you time and money - get rid of them!
Trading Tip #20: SUDDEN MOVES UP
Be very careful buying stocks that have just made sudden moves up. Many times they are following very closely with sudden profit taking.