StocksToTrade was established back in 2009, as a trading platform by traders, for traders like yourself. It’s important to think of StocksToTrade as a trading platform, since it’s not a brokerage. This powerful trading platform uses proprietary technology to scan stocks in real time, freeing up your time to simply execute trades at your leisure.
I was particularly impressed with a feature of StocksToTrade, appropriately known as ORACLE. I’ll be getting to this powerful function much later on in this review of StocksToTrade. For now, it’s important to understand precisely what separates this trading platform from the competition.
If you’ve been hunting for a stocks trading platform, you’ve probably come across many options in the past. In this fiercely competitive industry, you will be bombarded with platforms to choose from. Many of the high-profile companies offer ‘social trading’ options where you can follow traders in your community, and mimic their trades.
StocksToTrade is not one of those options. It presents itself as an all-encompassing solution for all of your stocks trading needs. Rather than defer to other amateurs or seasoned traders, traders like you and I are presented with all of the tools and resources needed to make intelligent trading decisions. In other words, you get a real education in financial instruments, market movements, pricing mechanisms, and comparative analysis.
It’s definitely a lot to take in at once, but everything is broken down into easy-to-understand components for your trading pleasure. As a case in point, an in-house algorithm automatically scans the financial markets, and tens of thousands of equities in real time. You don’t need to worry about conducting research on your own – it’s all done for you as part of the StocksToTrade service.
That’s really what sets this platform apart, and it goes to the heart of what ORACLE is all about. Beyond the basics, you are presented with an in-depth analysis of the stock market. The NASDAQ, the Dow Jones, the S&P 500, and others are the world’s premier stock exchanges. The equities listed on these exchanges are presented to you with detailed analytics made simple.
PS. I trade on my Mac (iMac) and it’s really easy to open the STT app on my system and instantly start trading equities. The platform is also fully compatible with Windows OS, with detailed tech specs recommended for optimal functionality.
Example of Trading Platform in Action: McDonald’s Corporation (MCD:NYSE)
Your STT trading platform allows you to open multiple tabs at the top of your screen. Simply click on the (+) to get started. Next, input the ticker – that’s the stock symbol you’re interested in. In this case, I input McDonald’s Corporation, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The ticker is MCD. The trading platform allows you to view the current stock price, and past price movements as you see fit.
A timestamp on the top left corner indicates the date and time associated with the stock price. You will notice the Open, Close, High, Low, and Volume of MCD, or any other stock you are interested in trading. Naturally, the open price is the price the stock opened at the day, the closing price is the price that it closed at the previous day.
The Bid and Ask prices are important when it comes to trading, as they determine whether your trades will execute or not. To better understand price movements, attention must be paid to the red and green bars in the above chart. Everywhere you see green indicates bullish (rising) price movements. Everywhere you see red indicates bearish (falling) price movements.
To make this clearer, I adjusted the time intervals to display a 30 minute window, with one-minute price fluctuations. The result is markedly different from what you see above. Take a look below at the StocksToTrade chart for MCD:
The high for the interval is clearly displayed at $218.22, which would change if I extended the time to, say 4 Hours, where you will see a high of $219. 48, and a low of $216.90.
It’s definitely in your best interests to play around with the timeframes to get a much better perspective on the stock’s performance (including micro-price performance) during the day. As a trader, you can set your timeframe to your preferences. For example, a 1 hour window with 5 minute time intervals presents differently for trading purposes.
The timeline (displayed above) is a great visual aid for determining trends. A quick glance at the bar graph shows declining pricing and volume as the afternoon wears on. Whatever stocks you pick, you can rest assured that all of these powerful visual aids (charts and graphs) are readily available to you at the click of a few buttons.
The technical analysis certainly gets ramped up a lot when you scroll down the page towards the section labelled BASICS. Here you will see valuable information about the stock, including the price/earnings ratio, earnings per share, market capitalization, float, number of shares, average share volume over 60 days, high and low 52-week pricing et cetera. Use these as part of your stocks trading toolkit at StocksToTrade – they are extremely beneficial.
Side Note: I had to take some time to learn the definitions of different acronyms such as VWAP, MKT CAP, FLOAT, AV 60D, EPS, P/E, #MM’s, and BID, but once you know these terms it’s a cakewalk.
As a general rule, remember that everywhere you see green, prices are rising, volume is rising, or demand is rising. This is bullish sentiment. Everywhere you see red, prices are falling, volume is decreasing, or demand is falling. Grey typically indicates neutral activity.
What I really like about the StocksToTrade Platform
I have already shared many of the powerful tools, resources, and features available to everyday traders like you or I. However, I’d like to emphasize some other features which are really worthwhile. If you enjoy learning about different stocks you may be interested in buying and selling, there is a useful section on the bottom right corner of your page.
It includes news, SEC filings and, events. You can choose your live news period over the past day, 2 days, 3 days, 4 days, or 2 weeks. As a trader, it comes as no surprise that a live news feed can really push or pull the price of stocks dramatically. This information is particularly beneficial to traders who like to trade the news. The SEC Filings (Securities & Exchange Commission) can be downloaded in an HTML, DOC, or PDF format for your added convenience.
The ORACLE function is an amazing resource. To get started with this function, you will have to open up a new tab by clicking on the ‘+’ button. Now, click on the pyramid symbol with the ‘eye’ and that will open ORACLE.
ORACLE is an algorithm which automatically shows you the top performing equities at the time. It is proprietary technology which is really a wunderkind to behold. You don’t need to spend all your time researching which stocks are showing the biggest movements on the day, which stocks are hot performers, or which stocks are bullish or bearish. It’s all laid out clear as day. But to better understand ORACLE, I have quoted StocksToTrade definition of precisely what this function is – it’s that important to get it right:
“Oracle is a prediction algorithm scanner that finds stocks that have potential for movement in the market during the trading day. It gives Support and Resistance indicators for the stock and suggested signals to watch out for buying or selling. You will also have Oracle Levels for each of the selected stocks that establishes resistance and support levels in order to quickly evaluate a security’s potential for momentum throughout the trading session.“
When you are trading, or learning to trade, there is no substitute for this proprietary scanner. It shows you where the greatest price movements are likely to come from, and this is exactly how you make money with trading.
Is StocksToTrade Legit with My Broker in My Country?
StocksToTrade is a trading platform, not a brokerage. You can use it with a long list of brokers anywhere in the world. This company has been in operation since 2009, and it has a physical presence at 135 S. State College Boulevard, STE, 200 BRE, California, 92821 USA. In short, it is 100% legit across multiple countries and jurisdictions. The list of supported brokers is pretty extensive, and includes the likes of: Tradier Brokerage Inc, E*Trade (Soon), Interactive Brokers (IB), TradeStation, RobinHood, TD Ameritrade and others in the wings. So, you simply need it to be paired up with your broker and you are good to go.
How Much Does It Cost to Trade at StocksToTrade?
First off, there are no fees or commissions at StocksToTrade – it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. However, whatever broker you choose will likely levy fees which you will be required to pay. The right plan depends on your preferences. For example, as a retail trader or institutional trader you always have options. At StocksToTrade there are Monthly ($179.95) and Annual Account ($1899.50) options. The Monthly account has unlimited access and a treasure trove of instructional materials for you. The Annual account instantly offers $250 in savings (do the math) and you get uninterrupted service. Either way, you’ve got a $7 free trial and a 14-day trading option to choose from. Pretty good value.
Conclusion – Is it Worth it?
It’s a keeper! With so many different online trading platforms out there, it’s never easy picking one or another. With StocksToTrade I didn’t have any hesitation. A word of advice though: go through the tutorials and instructional videos. It’s going to be a new trading system for you, so you’re definitely going to want to have all the insights you need to make a go of it. With ORACLE and the one-stop trading platform, it’s a sure thing. It’s got everything you need in one place, and it’s packed with some pretty nifty features that make it really enticing to start trading on your own. From penny stocks to blue chip stocks – you can access it all at StocksToTrade. Again – you must put in the time to learn how the platform works to get maximum bang for your buck.