A Stock Trader's Thanksgiving

A Stock Trader's Thanksgiving

I am thankful that I live in the technology age, where I can use a small electronic box called a computer to analyze my stocks and trading techniques on something called a spreadsheet.

I am thankful that I live in the information age, where I can get stock quotes instantly without having to call a broker, and I can get all kinds of financial data and up-to-the-second news about stocks I am interested in.

I am thankful that I live in the communication age, where I can connect with my brokerage firm and fellow traders in numerous ways, such as instant messaging, texting, tweeting, and chat-rooming.

I am thankful that I pay less than $10 per trade for commissions, unlike the old days, when I was subject to minimums of $35 to $100, plus add-ons depending on the number of shares.

I am thankful for the bid and asked spreads narrowing to as little as one cent, unlike the old days when it used to be one quarter of a dollar, or occasionally one eighth of a dollar.

I am thankful that I can easily trade internationally, with the ability to buy most major publicly traded companies around the world, and still pay the same low commission.

I am thankful that I can now easily trade a type of mutual fund called an Exchange Traded Fund, which I can buy and sell several times in one day.

I am thankful that I can buy bearish funds through an ETF, which allows me to diversity with a short position without the unlimited risk of shorting a stock.

I am thankful that I can buy funds through an ETF that can give me double and triple leverage, without having the risk of margin calls.

I am thankful that there is so much free instantaneous adjustable charting software available, unlike the old days when we had to wait for our outdated daily and weekly chart books to arrive in the mail.

I am thankful that the commissions on options are so low, allowing me to do spreads that could only have been profitable to market makers back in the old days.

I am thankful for all the option software currently available for free through my brokerage firm that helps me analyze and choose the best collars, iron condors, and other option trading strategies.

I am thankful that I can have money transferred from my brokerage account to my bank account without a fee and quickly, sometimes in as little as 24 hours, unlike the old days, when I had to wait for a check to be sent across country and arrive in my mailbox.

I am thankful that I live in a free enterprise country that allows me to trade stocks freely.

By Fred Fuld III at Stockerblog.com