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mage courtesy Eva-Katalin/iStock Although the stock market may seem intimidating, it's actually very easy to start stock market trading. The hardest part is knowing which stocks to invest in and when. Much of this boils down to researching and learning different trading styles and techniques. But mainly. To get started, you must first create a brokerage account.Historically, traders have relied on brokers to transact on their behalf. There are still intermediaries who offer such services to retail investors for a fee. But there are also many commission-free broker account options available today that allow you to sign up online and start buying and selling yourself. brokerage houses like Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade, WeBull, Fidelity and others allow you to set up a free online brokerage account in minutes. stock marketThe process is similar to opening a bank account and requires providing basic information about yourself and verifying your identity.Once that's done, you can link your checking account to your new brokerage account and fund it with the amount you want to invest. How to Buy Your First Stocks Image courtesy of Eva-Katalin/iStock Once you're ready to trade, it's time to decide which companies to invest in. For example, let's say you've already decided to invest in Apple stock. To place an order, simply enter the name or the Apple symbol (AAPL) into the search tab of your brokerage account. The following is information about Apple along with a chart showing how the company's stock price has fluctuated over different time periods and what is the average price it is currently trading.Also, you can now see the sale and sale prices of the shares. A ask is the lowest possible price at which the seller is currently willing to sell the stock,
while a bid is the highest possible price another investor is willing to pay. The difference between the two prices is called the "spread" and sometimes fluctuates more than others. You can place your bid using a "limit order" that will only be filled if the buyer is willing to sell for the same price as you are willing to pay. You can also place a "market order" which will usually be executed immediately at the best possible price.Once you've made your choice, simply click the buy button and congratulate yourself on your first stock purchase. Sales works in a very similar way. If you want to sell stocks from your portfolio, all you have to do is select them in your brokerage account, choose whether you want to sell at market price or at a certain limit price and click
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