What precautions must one take before investing in the secondary stock markets?
- Here are some useful pointers to bear in mind before you invest in the markets:
- Make sure your broker is registered with SEBI and the exchanges and do not deal with unregistered intermediaries.
- Ensure that you receive contract notes for all your transactions from your broker within one working day of execution of the trades
- All investments carry risk of some kind. Investors should always know the risk that they are taking and invest in a manner that matches their risk tolerance.
- Do not be misled by market rumours, luring advertisement or ‘hot tips’ of the day.
- Take informed decisions by studying the fundamentals of the company. Find out the business the company is into, its future prospects, quality of management, past track record etc
- Do not be attracted by announcements of fantastic results/news reports, about a company. Do your own research before investing in any stock.
- Do not be attracted to stocks based on what an internet website promotes, unless you have done adequate study of the company.
- Investing in very low priced stocks or what are known as penny stocks does not guarantee high returns.
- Be cautious about stocks, which show a sudden spurt in price or trading activity.