Penny Stocks Program
Gemy Zhou finished second place in the stock division for the United States Investing Competition of 2022. He was among 326 entrants from across the globe who were putting their trading chops to the test during the worst year for stocks since 2008.
Penny Stocks Program
Zhou had a major edge: his knowledge of data science and coding. He entered the competition to put to test a stock-trading computer program he had spent a couple of years developing and tweaking. The program then spent that year executing trades on his behalf automatically and earning him a monstrous 440.4% gain for the year, according to his monthly brokerage statements viewed by Insider. He far outpaced the S&P 500, which fell 19.4%.
Zhou's previous attempt at trading had not been successful. In 2004, he tried trading Chinese stocks on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Back then, he scoured through company data and earnings reports looking for strong fundamentals. It was a costly and time-consuming process, he said. He told Insider he barely broke even with that method. Two years later, he concluded that trading wasn't for him.
Zhou had always been interested in anything that had the potential to make money. And since data science studies the relationships between different data points, the stock market seemed like a good place to test his skills. After all, traders use numerous indicators to try and predict price direction, he said. By 2020, he was experimenting with data and coding programs that could successfully trade.
He told Insider that in the beginning, he gathered stock data by using Python, a general-purpose computer programming language, to scrape 20 years' worth of historical information from places like Yahoo Finance. This resulted in about 20 to 30 data points including things such as moving-day averages for different lengths of time. The data is used to infer the relationship between their features and outcomes. Zhou noted that this process is called model training, and it allows the program to recognize which combinations can determine outcomes, in this case, a stock's price. Today, he uses Interactive Brokers' data service to feed his program real-time stock information that doesn't lag.
But even after building the program, Zhou says he still doesn't know which variables have more weight or impact on the machine's decision to make a trade. However, since he had been a trader in the past, he could make educated assumptions on what variables may be less or more important given the market conditions, he said.
When Zhou first began testing the model in 2020 and 2021, it was breaking even until he made a few adjustments, he said. The main one was reducing the weight that short-term price movement had on the program's decision to execute a trade. He did this by increasing the threshold of time the price must move before the program reacts to avoid triggering a premature trade. This adjustment was especially important in the highly volatile market of 2021. But when the market slowed last year, he reduced the threshold.
The program executes long and short positions. When the first order is placed to enter a position, the second order (closing order) is also placed at the same time at a calculated price. Positions can be held for an hour or until market closing if the right conditions weren't met. At that point, Zhou said he determines whether he's willing to hold the stock overnight, or whether he will manually sell it.
The program trades stocks ranging from pennies priced under $1 a share to large-caps and makes about 20 to 50 trades a day. The number of shares is determined by a preset amount, usually around 1-2% of Zhou's portfolio and the availability of the market supply at the time, or the quantity offered at market bid price.
For example, at 11:32 a.m. on May 22, the program received a price change for Armstrong Flooring Inc., ticker symbol AFI which has since been delisted. It evaluated the value of the function which triggered a buy signal for 7,500 shares. The system immediately placed a buy order at the market ask price of $0.3004 and at the same time, it also placed a opposite closing sell order at the price of $0.3449, which was calculated by several factors such as market volatility and the symbol's historical volatilities. About 20 minutes later, the market price rose and hit the sell order price of $0.3449 and the position closed.
Matt Monaco, a 24-year-old stock trader who made over $1.4 million in two years, says he has seen YouTube videos of people trying to make basic trading programs using artificial intelligence. He was part of the wave of new retail investors that have increasingly flooded the market in the last two years. He believes the combination of retail traders and their use of machines to trade will probably increase as programs like ChatGPT make AI more accessible.
The program is currently set up to perform in less volatile markets, and Zhou says he isn't sure whether it can continue to get these kinds of returns. It depends on how the stock market shifts and whether he can make the appropriate adjustments to his program, he said.
Zhou says the key takeaway from his experience is that regardless of whether you're using a program or you're trading manually, you have to back-test your theory. The second thing he learned is that market conditions are extremely important. As those conditions shift, your strategy should too.
* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk.See Terms of Service here. Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (205) 851-0506 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.
When you day trade, you buy and sell stocks, forex, futures, or options with the expectation of holding your position for less than a day. A typical holding period for a day trading is just a few minutes or until the price has reached its objective, which might just be one or two ticks of price movement. Traders rely on charting to analyze price movements and trading patterns to identify indicators and trends that reveal a potentially profitable trade. Traders also incorporate the psychology of the market and how investors are impacting price changes.
penny stock apps can be a simple way to invest your money with just a minimal financial investment, thus eliminating the heady risk of larger investments. Instead, the best penny stock apps offer a user-friendly way to invest your money with a low startup cost. But where is one to start?
Charles Schwab is a well-known name in the financial world, so it makes sense that it is a trustworthy name in investing and our overall best pick for penny stock apps. It offers a user-friendly app in the form of Schwab Trading Software that is simple to use both domestically and internationally with Charles Schwab's signature service. There are multiple charting options, plus you can integrate with your social media to remain plugged in at all times. It is an app worthy of both the casual and regular investor with a straightforward approach that is user-friendly to even beginner investors. To get started, you will need to open an account. There are no minimum trade requirements, although you will face a flat transaction fee for each trade.
You will need to create a brokerage account to begin trading, but once you do, you're all set to begin investing. There are a ton of investment tools you can use to help with strategy, such as resources for retirement planning and market news to keep you abreast of market changes. It is extra guidance that is incredibly beneficial to investors, especially those novices that are still navigating their way around the market. Commissions are reasonable, allowing you a generous discount when you have 30 or more transactions. It is a benefit that is rarely seen among penny stock apps, saving you money when you are active on the platform. You have the option to conduct either self-directed online or broker-assisted trades, but first, you have to fund the account, which can take a little while, depending on the funding method you choose. However, you do have the option to use the free Transfer Money service, deposit a check, or send a wire transfer. If you need help, there is excellent customer service with 24/7 availability via phone for any help you may need.