Set Up a Practice Trading Account Free
If you have ever wanted to learn to trade stocks, but were too afraid to risk any money, you should set up a free practice trading account. It will allow you to build a portfolio of stocks and even options and trade on the exchanges in real time, without losing real money.
Instructions
1. You can open a free simulated trading account at Investopedia.com. Just enter your email address and click "Submit." You will be given $100,000 simulated dollars and will have the opportunity to compete against 350,000 other investors. Buy and short-sell stocks and even purchase stock options. You can compete in existing competitions or create private ones with friends or classmates.
2. Enter a trade. To enter a trade you will need to enter the ticker symbol of the stock that you are interested in and whether you wish to enter a market, stop, or limit order. A market order will buy or sell a stock at whatever price the market is trading at, a stop order will enter a trade once the market has traded through a certain price and a limit order will only enter the trade at a price that you specify. Enter the quantity of stock you wish to purchase, click on "Preview," and then "Submit Order." Your trade will be entered in real time and you will see the purchase in your portfolio.
3. Track your portfolio. Click on "Portfolio" and you will see the quantity of each stock that you own, the price at which you purchased it, the current price, and your profit and loss. If you have used the advanced technique of short selling, where you borrow stock from a broker and profit when its price falls, you will also see those trades here.
4. Get educated.In addition to the trading simulator, Investopedia has lots of free material: hundred of articles on investing, tutorials, a huge financial glossary and even exam preparation modules.
