Penny Stock Investing

For anyone new to investing in penny stocks, you should first be made aware of the differences between these micro-cap stocks and the more conventional blue-chip and mid-cap investments. Unlike buying shares in a large, stable company like Ford or IBM, you are dealing with speculative investments.

Penny stocks literally trade for pennies per share, or for as much as a couple of dollars. The beauty of penny stocks, of course, is that sometimes they 'grow up' and become mid-cap stocks, multiplying in value hundreds of times over and making many people very wealthy.

With penny stocks, also called micro-caps or juniors, you will see much greater price volatility, and thus greater and quicker gains and losses in asset values. It is precisely this volatility which draws investors to the junior markets, as one good pick could make you hundreds of times what you could ever make on the larger markets.

Of course, there is more risk than buying bonds, blue chips or defensive stocks - but this added risk is tempered with the possibility of making the big gains.

Most penny stocks, but not all, are resource or technology companies who initially sold shares in an effort to raise money for exploration or product development programs. Many of the companies have large debt loads and are not necessarily making more money than they are losing.

However, it is the potential of a major, or even minor success in their quest that often incites dramatic price climbs, and this is where their value lies.