- Ready to take a position in Twitter stock?
- Want to get exposure to tech industry growth?
- Compare online brokers and learn about different types of trades.
Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) is a microblogging social network with more than 350 million monthly active users. Allowing users to speak their mind in 280 characters or less, the company generates revenues through advertising that shows up in user feeds.
TWTR presents traders with excellent profit opportunities, especially when reports of subscriber growth are released.
This guide gives you everything you need to know about buying Twitter stock.
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Company overview
Founded in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, Noah Glass, and Evan Williams, Twitter rose to dominance as one of the main social networks. Competitors include Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Pinterest (NYSE: PINS), and Instagram. Social media and its usage has seen significant disruption from apps like Whatsapp, Tiktok, Slack, Discord, Telegram, and Clubhouse.
Twitter launched its IPO in November 2013, listing at $44.90 per share. Twitter generated revenues of $3.7 billion in 2020, up 7% from the year prior.
Where to buy Twitter stock
On website
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Pros
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On website
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- Get up to $300 of free stock when you create an account. Terms and Conditions apply.
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On website
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- Trade blue-chip stocks in US, HK and SG Markets.
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Find a trading platform with no commission and access to US markets.
Step 1: Open a brokerage account
To buy Twitter stock, you'll need to sign up with a broker, giving you the tools and infrastructure to execute trades. Here are the top features to look out for when comparing options.
Commission-free trading
The days of having to pay a fee to trade are long gone, which means you can generate a return on your investment faster. Commission-free trading is now taken for granted.
Fractional share trading
Twitter is an expensive stock. Fractional shares let you take a smaller stake in the company, thereby reducing your risk profile and making it possible to diversify your portfolio.
Low account fees
Compare the fee schedules between trading platforms to find the best deal. Look at the difference in inactivity fees, transaction fees, and monthly account fees.
Margin trading
Some brokers offer the choice of a cash or margin account. With cash accounts, you can only trade the funds available in your broker account. You'll also have to wait for 48 hours for trades to clear, and you may not be able to access your buying power during this period.
With a margin account, the broker lends you funds to trade with. Margin accounts offer you leverage, for example 6:1, which means you can trade $1,800 worth of stock with a $300 account. However, leverage can be very risky because if the price falls, you will need to deposit more funds to cover the loss.
Real-time data and charts
Your broker issues you with charts as part of your trading platform. However, these charts typically don't come with live quotes, and the data feed can lag by up to 15 minutes. If you want instant quotes, you'll need to pay the broker or a charting company for a subscription to live market data.
Step 2: Fund your account
After choosing your broker, you'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer or a debit card deposit. Credit cards are not accepted at some brokers.
It may take a few working days for funds to clear into a new broker account. After your first deposit, further transfers will take from 24 to 72 hours to process.
Step 3: Decide how much you want to invest
How much can you afford to put in your trading account? Most newcomers start off with a small balance.
Trading is a skill, and it takes time to build your knowledge and experience. During the first few months of trading, make sure you understand the risk you're comfortable with taking in the market.
Step 4: Choose between stocks or ETFs
You can invest in Twitter with individual shares or as part of an ETF. An exchange-traded fund is a weighted basket of stocks controlled and managed by a professional asset manager. ETFs are not as volatile as individual stocks, so the price action is easier to manage.
Although you won't see the kind of volatility you need to rake in profits as a day trader, it's the better choice for swing trading and long-term investing.
ETFs with exposure to Twitter include Cathie Wood's ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW), Global X Social Media ETF (SOCL), and Invesco Dynamic Media ETF (PBS).
Step 5: Set up your order
After choosing between Twitter stock or an ETF, it's time to place your order using one of the following order types.
Market order
The market order lets you buy Twitter stock at the next price available. However, you might click the buy button at $50, but the broker fills you at $53. The extra $3 above your intended order price is what the broker calls "slippage."
Limit order
The limit order helps traders avoid slippage that can increase trading costs and ruin your trading plan. You set your order to buy at $50, and the broker fills you at that price. However, if the market moves fast, you might get a partial or no fill on your order.
Stop limit
The stop limit lets you cash out of your position when a specific price target has been met. If you enter at $50 and submit a stop limit order for an intended price target of $60, the broker will automatically sell your position when the price reaches this level.
Stop loss
The stop loss is a critical risk management tool for traders. If you bought at $50, you could set your stop loss at $45 or lower, depending on your risk tolerance. If it drops below this price, the broker executes a sell order.
Step 6: Place the order
Once you understand the different order types, it's time to put that knowledge to work and order some Twitter stock.
Open your trading platform, and enter the TWTR ticker. Complete the rest of the data fields with your limit order price, the number of shares you want to buy, and your order type.
Click the buy button to take a position in Twitter.
Step 7: Monitor performance
Twitter stock moves based on earnings and new subscriber growth. Typically, subscriber growth is the more important factor, but there are times the stock will move because of company actions. In January 2021, Twitter banned former President Trump and the stock fell 6%. 1
You'll see the best price volatility around press releases, earnings reports, and market announcements, so watch out for these trading days.
Article source
1 CNBC. "Twitter shares close down more than 6% first trading day after Trump ban, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/11/twitter-shares-drop-in-first-trading-day-after-trump-ban.html". January 11, 2021.
