You may not have paid a lot of attention to the stock market before you decided to start investing. Now that you have invested or are seriously considering getting involved, stocks take on a whole new allure. Stocks can be checked through a broker, online and in print. Once you choose the method that works best for you, you can keep track of the stocks you are most interested in purchasing, as well as the ones you may already own.
Step 1
Check your brokerage statement. According to USA Today, many investors don't take the time to check their statement each month and then are surprised to discover some of their stocks have plummeted, changed hands or grown. Taking a few minutes to look the statement over is a good way to check a stock that is already owned.
Step 2
Call your broker. If you employ the services of a professional broker, her job entails more than buying and selling your stocks. She should also be willing to take the occasional call from you to ask how your stocks are faring. She should also be willing to discuss other stocks, so you can determine whether you want to purchase them.
Step 3
Read the newspaper. Most metropolitan newspapers contain a business section that is devoted in part to the stock market. You can purchase the paper, subscribe or get on the paper's website to check the stocks of interest.
Step 4
Use the stock exchange site. The New York Stock Exchange, the Toronto Stock Exchange and others have online sites that allow investors and potential investors to watch stock activity.
Step 5
Get educated. It is important to know the meanings of various buzzwords and symbols when you check your stocks. Some companies have different symbols for different stocks within the same corporation. Be sure to check the stock symbol that correlates with the stock you are interested in checking.
References
Resources
Tips
- Get a notebook and record the daily activity of the stocks that interest you to determine whether you want to make a purchase.
Warnings
- Be careful not to base decisions on a single day's activity, as the stock market always fluctuates.
Writer Bio
Candace Webb has been writing professionally since 1989. She has worked as a full-time journalist as well as contributed to metropolitan newspapers including the "Tennessean." She has also worked on staff as an associate editor at the "Nashville Parent" magazine. Webb holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism with a minor in business from San Jose State University.