Should you hold penny stocks?
Penny stocks come with high risks and the potential for above-average returns, and investing in them requires care and caution. Because of their inherent risks, few full-service brokerages even offer penny stocks to their clients.
Penny stocks are among the market's most dangerous stocks, so you may pay a much greater price than you first expect, including potentially losing all of your investment. Here's what a penny stock is and why it's so risky to investors looking to grow their wealth.
While it's possible to make a lot of money, it's also very possible to lose a significant portion of your investment. The potential returns from penny stocks can vary widely, with some investors experiencing substantial gains while others lose everything.
With penny stocks, investors can expect the unexpected. Carvana (NYSE:CVNA) stock was trading at $4.7 in the beginning of 2023. In just over a year, CVNA stock has surged by 15x. Of course, not all bullish stories among penny stocks will deliver 10x to 20x returns in quick time.
Although there is nothing inherently wrong with low-priced stocks, they are considered speculative, high-risk investments because they experience higher volatility and lower liquidity. For example, if you buy a penny stock and then decide you want to sell it, it could be more difficult for you to find a buyer.
Due to their low liquidity and small market capitalisation, they are susceptible to price manipulation, fraud, and sudden declines. Investors may experience substantial losses, and some penny stocks may even become worthless.
Still, penny stocks have their risks — over 90% fail. But the stocks that do well can yield respectable returns for investors.
It's rare for a penny stock to be a long-term buy-and-hold investment. The sector is built on short-term trades. If you notch a sizeable gain over a short period, book it now rather than waiting for bigger profits that may never materialize.
Penny stocks are high-risk securities with small market capitalizations that trade for a low price outside major market exchanges. A lack of history and information, as well as low liquidity, make penny stocks riskier.
| Sl. No | Company Name | 52 Week High |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Unitech Ltd | 19.8 |
| 2. | IFCI Ltd | 65.40 |
| 3. | Suzlon Energy Limited | 50.60 |
| 4. | Ansal Housing Ltd | 22.72 |
Was Amazon ever a penny stock?
Some companies, such as Amazon (AMZN) originated as penny stocks but later grew into sizable blue-chip companies.
Before they made it big, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, and Tesla all started as penny stocks. You could have bought stock for pennies and sold it for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars per share.
Some professionals recommend that you devote no more than 10% of your individual stock holdings to penny stocks. It's also important to understand your risk tolerance. Generally speaking, the higher your risk tolerance, the more equipped you are to take on the risk that can come with investing in penny stocks.
Investors who like penny stocks perceive them as having several attractive features: the low stock price, which allows investors to buy a relatively large number of shares, and the potential for quick gains." Some penny stock investors may buy tens of thousands of shares for a relatively low amount of money, hoping ...
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Penny stock investing can be precarious and isn't for everyone. But those who are willing to stomach the risk should first find a broker, fund an account, and pay vigilant attention to pricing moves. Careful investors who steer clear of fraudulent deals may see substantial profits in the future.
Once you find the stocks you want, buy where you think other traders will enter, know when to sell penny stocks, take quick profits, and adjust the stops for small gains that add up over time. You may get lucky and have a big win on occasion, but most of your money will come from these smaller trades.
A Risky Proposition
They tend to be volatile, and they trade in low volumes, which means they're subject to price fluctuations from even relatively small trades. The low trading volume of these securities also can make them hard to sell due to a potential lack of buyers.
In a best-case scenario, a penny stock has likely significantly underperformed the expectations of company management or it wouldn't be trading at such a low share price in the first place. These types of companies can always rebound, but an underperforming company isn't an ideal investment.
Still, the potential to make large returns is a strong allure, driving risk-taking investors into taking positions in these securities. Though many penny stocks go bust, if an investor exercises careful fundamental analysis and picks sound management teams, they could find the coveted diamond in the rough.
What happens if a penny stock goes to zero?
A drop in price to zero means the investor loses his or her entire investment: a return of -100%. To summarize, yes, a stock can lose its entire value. However, depending on the investor's position, the drop to worthlessness can be either good (short positions) or bad (long positions).
With a $10,000 account, a good day might bring in a five percent gain, which is $500. However, day traders also need to consider fixed costs such as commissions charged by brokers. These commissions can eat into profits, and day traders need to earn enough to overcome these fees [2].
One of the biggest drawbacks to shorting penny stocks is there has to be shares available to short, meaning it can't be hard-to-borrow (HTB). Since most people do not hold penny stocks long term in a margin account, there may not always be shares to borrow and if there is it could be expensive to borrow them.
- UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 104. Quarterly Revenue Growth: 14.10% ...
- JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 109. ...
- Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) ...
- Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) ...
- Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)
Stock bashers disseminate misinformation in the hopes that investors will believe the false claims and sell their stock before the price drops. These individuals often target low-priced companies that have little to no available information on the market and may have positions in assets whose prices fall.
