3. Penny Stocks
According to the SEC, penny stocks are usually issued by very small companies that trade for less than $5 per share. In common Wall Street parlance, however, a penny stock is one that trades for less than $1 per share. Penny stocks capture the imaginations of many investors because they are cheap and the smallest move can translate into a huge percentage gain. For example, if you buy a penny stock at 50 cents and it climbs just 10 cents per share, that’s a 20% gain.
Why Penny Stocks Are Toxic
There’s a reason penny stocks trade at such low prices, and it’s usually because the company behind them is losing money and might be on its way to bankruptcy. Penny stocks are always a gamble because there’s so much manipulation in the market. Stock promoters publish articles about how XYZ penny stock is “the next Microsoft” or “the next Apple,” trying to pump the share price up so they can sell out at a profit. At best, penny stocks are a speculation, but they’re also subject to market manipulation, making them toxic investments.
