If the madness with Gamestop and AMC stocks has you interested in investing your money in the stock market, you’re not alone. But the movement Redditors were able to garner isn’t the status quo for the average investor, so it’s not something you’ll find on a regular basis.
However, just because you missed the AMC movement doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dabble in the stock market. It just means you’ll have to grow your earnings over a more extended period. But before you decide to grow your money by investing, you should first understand what happened with the AMC Entertainment stock.
What Happened With AMC?
A large number of investors bet that the AMC stock would decrease in value, but a group of day traders collaborated to buy large amounts of the stock, which caused the price to increase. If the day traders didn’t sell the stock and bring down the price, the investors who bet the AMC stock price would decrease were going to lose large amounts of money on the deal.
The day traders who shorted their shares, or bet on a decrease, then had to buy their shares back at some point. And because the stock price was high, it forced them to pay a premium on the stock, which was good news for the other investors but bad news for them. Hedge funds lost a lot of money when it happened.
How It Changes Investing
Although large investors frequently manipulate the market in this way, keeping smaller investor gains to a minimum, this move by the day traders may have leveled the playing field to an extent. If everyone can coordinate, choose a target, and manipulate the market, significant leaps in stock values can occur at any time. The impact on the stock market’s future is unknown because these particular moves by this level of investors aren’t a usual occurrence.
For now, since the little guy can make big impacts in the stock market, it might be time to dip your toe in the pool to see what you can do. But before you can invest your money, you have to find the extra cash to grow.
Get Your Finances Ready to Jump In
With the coronavirus still bearing down on the United States and unemployment at all-time highs, finding extra money in your budget to invest in the stock market might seem impossible. And while it’s true that increasing your income at this point might be a challenge, you can at least go through your expenses to see if you can reduce or eliminate some of them to free up cash.
If you hold credit card debt, that’s the perfect place to start cutting, and you can do so by using debt consolidation. The right financial agency can look at your eligible debt and roll those balances into a single loan with one monthly payment. Having only one bill instead of many for your debts can give you the flexibility to use the extra money for investing.
Take Out A Loan
The stock market is constantly changing. One minute a stock is worth pennies and the next its value increases exponentially. If there’s an investment you can’t afford to pass up on, you could use bad credit loans to get started. These are short-term loans for borrowers with poor credit histories. You can receive a deposit of up to $2,000 to invest in stocks. Just ensure that you borrow responsibly and repay the loan in a timely fashion to avoid financial consequences down the road.
Beware of the Risks
Once you decide to invest in stocks, keep in mind that doing so doesn’t come without risk. It’s essential to do your research before jumping into a stock, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you should seek out a professional. The last thing you want to do is lose the money you invest, so a financial advisor can help you diversify your portfolio and tailor your choices to your goals.
Grow Your Holdings
Taking the free cash in your budget and putting it to work in the stock market is exciting, but don’t get caught up in the AMC hype because that’s not always going to happen. Instead, invest in companies you believe in, take advice from the pros, and minimize your risk as much as possible when you are starting out. That way, you can have fun and grow without adding unnecessary risk to your bottom line.
