An online stock broker is an investor’s means of buying and selling shares via the Internet, just like a regular stock broker, wherein an individual or a brokerage firm acts as one’s link to the stock exchange. Are such services necessary? Is it, after all, not true that anyone can engage in
online trading today, and that it is possible to invest in stocks with one’s own computer?
The fact is, only a registered (SEBI)
stock broker can buy and sell shares in the stock market. Such an individual is registered on one or many stock exchanges and is authorized to transact on behalf of others. Apart from that, an online stock broker is very valuable to investors who are not technically inclined and have no or little prior knowledge of stock trading. Such investors can use their own online stock trading accounts to obtain necessary information and place online trades at any time of the day. Others, however, still require a human interface - a real person who will place trades on their behalf.
An online stock broker’s (online service of stock broker) services definitely transcend the traditional format of trading in stocks personally or via the telephone. By using an online stock broker, the investor no longer faces the constraints of location and busy telephone lines. Information technology has made stock market software reliable means of trading in stock on the Internet, and an online stock broker uses this on his client’s behalf. An online stock broker requires considerable working knowledge of the stock market to help investors trade in stocks. Though they are independent of established brokerage firms, they are still bound by the same SEBI regulations that govern offline as well as online stock firms. They have in-depth experience in dealing with actively traded commodities and stocks.
By using such a stock broker, one gains greater access and can also save money on stock trades. Because of this, there are now many investors in the stock market than there have ever been previously. There are now any number of investment choices available, and online brokers can leverage these by the power of the Internet coupled with their own expertise and experience. There can be occasional hiccups while using the services of one’s online stock broker. For instance, the accelerated growth of online trading can cause busy servers at certain times of the day. This makes it difficult to log on to one’s broker’s website. This is not a serious limitation, and invariably applies only to the first and last thirty minutes of a stock market day. Even this limitation will become history as online trading matures. The most successful traders often have as many as four or five brokers, though a single reliable broker suffices for those who only trade occasionally.
