Many people are now engaged in the online buying and selling of stocks. Historically there have been American stock markets from the 1700s. In Philadelphia an exchange for trading currency was established to enable business owners to support their business and to grow the economy.

The Philadelphia exchange was replaced in the early 1800s by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The initial New York Stock Exchange was comprised of a group of business people who met on a daily basis on Wall St to trade their stocks or bonds. This initial trading was all done outside until the Exchange moved indoors in the early 1900s. Whilst the traditional formula of trading from a physical exchange has served its purpose admirably, there has been a substantial movement away from this approach to trading with the increased use of online services. Trading no longer requires you to be in Wall St.

How the New York Stock Exchange works is similar to an auction. If a company is listed on the stock exchange, they have a post in Wall St whereby trades are listed and a specialist is employed as an "auctioneer" to oversee the bidding on each trade. This form of stock trading keeps an accurate balance between supply and demand in the stock market so the price of the shares is kept in check.

These days, it is far easier to get involved in trading stocks. In traditional stock trading, you engage a stock broker to take and place your order for you. You phone your broker to take the order and then there can be a delay in the order being executed. Now you no longer need to worry about using a stock broker to act on your behalf. If buying or selling stocks online you can place your order with the click of a mouse. Conveniently, trading this way is also a time saver.

There are many reputable companies through which you can set up an account to engage in buying and selling stocks online. These online companies provide access to a wide range of services that were previously only available via a traditional stock broking service. Setting up an online account gives you access to a variety of services including: up to the minute stock quotes, detailed historic performances of individual stocks, as well as detailed information about the companies, directors, busines structure and so on.

One of the most common reasons investors like buying and selling stocks online compared with traditional brokerage is price. There are much lower brokerage fees for buying and selling stocks online than there are through buying and selling stocks at a traditional brokerage house.An important advantage of using an online brokerage service to trade stocks online is the significant price saving in brokerage fees. Access to gathering relevant information needed to make sound trading decesions is also far more immediate. Many investors also like the independence associated with buying and selling shares online. Many traditional brokerage houses would try to influence your decisions when buying and selling shares, but an online account means all the decisions you make are fully your own.

As mentioned earlier, online brokerage sites are not just about buying and selling shares online. They also contain a wealth of information which can help influence your buying and selling decisions, by giving you access to extensive information about particular shares. Many online brokerage sites will also provide courses designed to help you learn the tips and tricks of buying and selling online. Instead of having to find all your stock certificates or calling your brokerage house ou can also get immediate access to your portfolio.

In our globalised and interconnected society and economy, the reason that the economy has continued to grow is its ability to keep pace with increases in technology. The ability to trade stocks online becomes a reflection of the economy adapting to meet the abilities of new technology head on. Investors logging in to their portfolio from anywhere in the world to trade shares online gives them the chance to take a greater role in securing their own financial future.