Knowing How Penny Stocks, Pink Sheets and Micro Caps Differ Can Be A Profitable Journey
Its extremely important that investors know how to distinguish between terms like pink sheet and penny stock, bulletin board and micro cap. The differences can mean making a winning or losing trade.
One way to educate yourself about the true definition of these terms is to use word association. Think of an aspect of the term and come up with a commonality with the actual name.
Whether you consider a penny stock as one that trades under $1 or one that trades under $5 really doesnt matter. Although the universe of stocks to choose from will definitely expand as the stock price rises.
If you want to short or buy a penny stock on margin, make sure you know whom youre doing business with. Some brokerages will not allow shorting of any stock under $5; others dont place a limit. So, choose wisely.
Its also generally true that penny stocks tend to be a pink sheet or a bulletin board stock (see below), though its imperative to understand that many exchange-listed stocks are also penny stocks. These low-priced exchange-listed stocks have at some point met the same requirements as some of the worlds highest-priced stocks. The low share price may be a temporary situation, not to mention an incredible investment opportunity. The size of the company (market cap) or its exchange has nothing to do with determining whether its a penny stock or not.
You may have been told to steer clear of pink sheet stocks because they often hold the most risk. Maintained by Pink OTC Markets Inc., some of them dont deserve their bad reputation.
Some foreign stocks choose to list their equities in the U.S. market, but for technical or logistic reasons cant list their stock with one of the exchanges or the bulletin board system. That doesnt make the investment any less credible though. The size of the company (or market cap) is irrelevant.
If viewing weekly financial statements of a company is a deal breaker for you, then stay away from pink sheet stocks. The majority of them dont disclose audited accounting statements because they arent required to do so.
However, if a stock isnt listed on the NYSE or AMEX but rather the OTC market or as an OTCBB stock, it still means it has met SEC reporting/disclosure requirements and is considered to be of fully reporting status.
Why is it errant to describe the bulletin board system as the over-the-counter market? Because its not the only one. The pink sheet market is also an OTC market, and technically speaking, so is the NASDAQ system.
Share price doesnt play a direct role in determining if an equity is listed as a bulletin board stock or an exchange-listed stock either. However, the exchanges (or the NASDAQ) have certain market cap requirements that may not be yet met by a bulletin board company.
Some bulletin board stock can be stronger and more productive than many exchange-listed stocks, so dont inherently steer clear of bulletin board names, or necessarily have blind faith in the stability of any exchange-listed stock.
Micro Cap " The standard definition of a micro cap company is any company with a market cap (issued shares multiplied by share price) of $250 million or less, though the number isnt set in stone. Note that share price has nothing to do with the determination; there are plenty of micro cap stocks with share prices well over $5.00.
A micro cap status also has nothing to do with where or how a stock trades. The New York Stock Exchanges minimum market cap requirement is only $25 million, so qualifying for an NYSE listing isnt necessarily a sign of great size or strength.
A Quadruple Summary
Penny stock, pink sheet, bulletin board, and micro cap four terms that are tossed around quite a bit as if they all meant the same thing. Theyre all quite unique though. If an investor chooses to overlook a particular stock because its not an attractive investment, thats fine. However, overlooking a stock simply because of a semantic misunderstanding could be a regrettable decision. Knowledge is power.
Theres only one website you need to bookmark for all your trading needs: www.smallcapnetwork.com. We find the information thats key to uncovering the best of the best stocks. Sign up for the free e-newsletter today. - 23162
One way to educate yourself about the true definition of these terms is to use word association. Think of an aspect of the term and come up with a commonality with the actual name.
Whether you consider a penny stock as one that trades under $1 or one that trades under $5 really doesnt matter. Although the universe of stocks to choose from will definitely expand as the stock price rises.
If you want to short or buy a penny stock on margin, make sure you know whom youre doing business with. Some brokerages will not allow shorting of any stock under $5; others dont place a limit. So, choose wisely.
Its also generally true that penny stocks tend to be a pink sheet or a bulletin board stock (see below), though its imperative to understand that many exchange-listed stocks are also penny stocks. These low-priced exchange-listed stocks have at some point met the same requirements as some of the worlds highest-priced stocks. The low share price may be a temporary situation, not to mention an incredible investment opportunity. The size of the company (market cap) or its exchange has nothing to do with determining whether its a penny stock or not.
You may have been told to steer clear of pink sheet stocks because they often hold the most risk. Maintained by Pink OTC Markets Inc., some of them dont deserve their bad reputation.
Some foreign stocks choose to list their equities in the U.S. market, but for technical or logistic reasons cant list their stock with one of the exchanges or the bulletin board system. That doesnt make the investment any less credible though. The size of the company (or market cap) is irrelevant.
If viewing weekly financial statements of a company is a deal breaker for you, then stay away from pink sheet stocks. The majority of them dont disclose audited accounting statements because they arent required to do so.
However, if a stock isnt listed on the NYSE or AMEX but rather the OTC market or as an OTCBB stock, it still means it has met SEC reporting/disclosure requirements and is considered to be of fully reporting status.
Why is it errant to describe the bulletin board system as the over-the-counter market? Because its not the only one. The pink sheet market is also an OTC market, and technically speaking, so is the NASDAQ system.
Share price doesnt play a direct role in determining if an equity is listed as a bulletin board stock or an exchange-listed stock either. However, the exchanges (or the NASDAQ) have certain market cap requirements that may not be yet met by a bulletin board company.
Some bulletin board stock can be stronger and more productive than many exchange-listed stocks, so dont inherently steer clear of bulletin board names, or necessarily have blind faith in the stability of any exchange-listed stock.
Micro Cap " The standard definition of a micro cap company is any company with a market cap (issued shares multiplied by share price) of $250 million or less, though the number isnt set in stone. Note that share price has nothing to do with the determination; there are plenty of micro cap stocks with share prices well over $5.00.
A micro cap status also has nothing to do with where or how a stock trades. The New York Stock Exchanges minimum market cap requirement is only $25 million, so qualifying for an NYSE listing isnt necessarily a sign of great size or strength.
A Quadruple Summary
Penny stock, pink sheet, bulletin board, and micro cap four terms that are tossed around quite a bit as if they all meant the same thing. Theyre all quite unique though. If an investor chooses to overlook a particular stock because its not an attractive investment, thats fine. However, overlooking a stock simply because of a semantic misunderstanding could be a regrettable decision. Knowledge is power.
Theres only one website you need to bookmark for all your trading needs: www.smallcapnetwork.com. We find the information thats key to uncovering the best of the best stocks. Sign up for the free e-newsletter today. - 23162
About the Author:
James Brumley is an expert in the small stock arena covering penny stocks and small cap stocks for over 10 years now. Investing in penny stocks can be very risky and it is recommended you gain access to the limited amount of information available to investors. The Small Cap Network's free newsletter is one source sure to provide valuable insight and ideas.
posted by X - Men @ 4:39 AM
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