| With the financial deregulation of the eighties and | | | | time, or at the very least have a short delay of five, |
| nineties, stock ownership was opened to the wider | | | | ten or fifteen minutes. This allows the trader to keep |
| public. Whereas before this buying shares had been | | | | track of prices, letting them buy or sell as close to |
| the preserve of financial institutions and wealthy | | | | their target price as possible. Access to share price |
| individuals, after these reforms it was much easier | | | | histories and other useful market data can be |
| for small-scale private investors to buy and sell | | | | combined with the vast range of information available |
| stocks and shares. One problem that still persisted, | | | | on the world wide web (such as company websites, |
| though, was a lack of easy access to share buying | | | | financial news and information sites, company annual |
| mechanisms: stock brokers still had to be used to | | | | reports, etc) to allow fundamental research into the |
| execute deals to buy or sell shares, and they often | | | | any company the buyer might wish to invest in or sell |
| levied excessive charges for their services. | | | | shares in. Some accounts also offer free software to |
| This has changed with the advent of cheap and easy | | | | assist in the organisation of information gathered. |
| to use online share dealing services. Now anyone can | | | | This speed of online share dealing and its increased |
| deal in shares once they have set up an online | | | | access to information must be combined if an |
| account: the reason for this is that the organisation | | | | effective investment strategy is to be implemented. |
| they have opened the account with acts as broker, | | | | When deciding on investments, any successful |
| with all transactions being carried out automatically. In | | | | strategy must be based on a number of key points: |
| effect, the person trading in shares is their own | | | | - Speed: online share trading allows much quicker |
| broker, with most accounts making available many of | | | | trading. |
| the main operations standard stock brokers are able | | | | - Research: before shares are bought or sold it is |
| to carry out, such as limit orders and stop-loss | | | | essential that comprehensive research is undertaken, |
| orders. Of course the account holder won't have | | | | into the company in question, wider market |
| access to the advice available from a broker offering | | | | conditions and relevant national and international |
| an advisory dealing service, but online share dealing | | | | events. Online accounts boost access to such |
| accounts usually come with a number of informational | | | | information. |
| resources that more than make up for this absence. | | | | - Timing: once effective research has been |
| Indeed, this useful data combined with speed of | | | | undertaken, the speed of online share dealing allows |
| purchase or sale makes it possible for the astute | | | | shares to be bought or sold at exactly the right time, |
| investor to use their online account as an aid in | | | | allowing the maximisation of present or future |
| developing an effective and profitable investment | | | | returns. |
| strategy. The stock prices available are usually real | | | | |