Where To Invest

After hour stock quotes and other information pertaining to the stock market are available to traders and investors, thanks mainly to the Internet which provides updated trading activity data, news, analysis and other information that traders and investors need.

After hour trading gives institutional investors and those with high volume the opportunity to trade beyond the usual 9:30 AM-4:00 PM regular market schedule. These investors can participate in late trading through Electronic Communications Networks or ECNs.

According to market observers, activities during after-hour or late trading are good indications of what market activities would be like in the regular hours. In addition, late trading can also give traders the advantage of being privy to trends and movements in markets outside of the United States since these foreign markets open after the regular hours of trading in the U.S. have ended.

However, there are also downsides to this type of trading; one of which is the alleged inferior stocks being offered during these hours as compared with what's available during regular hours. Less liquidity is also said to characterize trading beyond the 4:00 PM regular closing time and prices are likely to move more quickly than what's usual in the regular hour market. These risks have made most after-hour traders use limit orders to lower their chances of incurring losses.

Ticker tape or stock quotes

Ticker tapes pertain to the rolls of paper that contain information such as ticker symbols that represent the stocks and the price and volume of securities being traded. Ticker symbols are a group of letters that identifies the company involved in the trading. The number of letters varies depending on the exchange where the stock is being traded. These ticker symbols and other pertinent data are then relayed to investors. Basically, after-hour ticker tape or stock quotes are such information provided during late trading hours.

There are a number of Web sites that offer online information about stocks that are trading in the after hours; some of these are Nasdaq, CNNMoney, Midnight Trader and Market Watch. Aside from the necessary information needed by investors and traders, these sites also provide data analysis, news and other trends that can affect the trading market.

After hour stock quotes and data are not always up-to-the-minute. NASDAQ.com, for example, has a 15-minute delay in terms of providing stock market updates. However, this has not discouraged traders from participating in late trading, particularly individual traders, mutual fund traders and those with huge volumes of shares to trade.

Author: Dean Forster
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