The financial and stock markets have grown in immense popularity over the last few years. So many people wager on them each day that the stock exchange surpassed sports betting and casino gambling in 2020.
The problem for most looking to get into this form of gambling is knowing where to begin. It can be a complicated market that harnesses chaos at the best of times, but it’s also something that can make you pretty damn rich if your judgments are right. That’s why we’ve covered all the need-to-know basics in this guide below.
What Stock Market Financials Can You Bet On?
Trading stocks is one of the first things that most people think of when it comes to betting on financials. This is likely due to the fact that most people make their money this way. However, there are many ways you can place real money wagers and see returns on your bets. Here are some of the best and most lucrative markets to invest in if you want to get started with the world of financial betting.
Traditional Stock Markets
Stocks – Particularly when you’re starting out, wagering on stocks is one of the best ways to ease yourself into the different markets. You can make a profit by betting on penny stocks, or trade blue-chip stocks such as Amazon or Facebook. Blue-chip stocks are great if you’re a bit more risk-averse, as the huge market value makes them less prone to economic downturns.
Commodities – Commodities include everything from coffee, flour, and cotton to gold, oil, and gas. Trading commodities is another great way to invest in financials. This allows you to buy something at a specific price, then sell it once it’s increased in price to make a profit. When it comes to betting, you can place a futures bet that will pay out if the price and timing you predicted are correct.
Forex – Forex betting isn’t really advisable for people new to financial betting. Trading currencies can be a highly complex and risky market if you don’t know what you’re doing. With the right knowledge and experience, however, you can get rich exceptionally quickly with forex trading. This is how some of the world’s wealthiest gamblers have made their fortunes in the past.
Alternative Financial Markets
Bitcoin – Cryptocurrency betting is another market that has gained massive traction since its birth in 2009. In late 2017, Bitcoin skyrocketed up to over $19,000, but came crashing down again to just $7,000 in April 2020. Don’t let that put you off toying with the idea of betting on it though, because as of November 23, renewed interest rates caused it to increase by another 150%! Cryptocurrencies like Ethereum are also good ones to keep your eye on.
These are just a few ways in which you can bet on financial markets. It’s a complex and wide-ranging form of betting you can take on. But there are many ways to profit from the different fluctuations in each market.
How to Bet on Financial Markets
Now, what kind of bets can you place on stocks and the other financial markets? There are multiple betting systems you can choose from. But as the options are quite broad, we’ll just list the most common and easiest ones you can explore below.
Betting – There are some sportsbooks and online gambling websites that host stock market betting. This is normally located under the “financials” section of the website, where you’ll be able to view the end prices for stock markets that you can bet on in the US. Some of these sites may also have options for individual stock bets and the real-time price of Bitcoin.
Options – Options bets can be profiting but it’s certainly not a good starting point for beginners. A typical options contract gives you 100 shares of a company in exchange for a premium. This can be as little as $10-$500. Before the contract expires, you can then cash out the difference between the price you got it for and the real price.
Spread Betting – Spread betting is popular in most sports. It’s also hugely popular in the UK’s financial markets. You can literally place wagers on everything, and the prices are arranged in points. This allows you to bet a tailored amount per point for the price to increase or decrease in size. Let’s say you bet $20 per point that the Dow Jones Industrial Average will increase. You would then make $10 for every point it goes up, and lose $10 for every point it goes down — or until you reach your stop-loss limit.
Tips for Betting on Stocks
You can only bet that the price on stocks and other financials will either go up or down. This makes it much easier than other forms of gambling. And there are still patterns and rules that you can rely on to make it easier, and to help you map out your bets.
Looks at Quarterly Earnings – Prices of stock will near enough always go up when analysts predict that it will perform well in the earnings season. Keep an eye on the prices a week or so before the releases and you’ll see an obvious uptick. This is a safe bet because others will also be doing the same thing.
Learn About Market Patterns – Everything is connected in the financial market, and anything that takes place in one area can have a huge effect on everything else. Once you come to terms with how these patterns and connections work in the financial markets, you’ll be able to make an absolute killing with your bets. This won’t be easy though, and it takes most people years to build up the skills that accurately recognize patterns.
Get Yourself a Reliable Source of Information – Regardless of whether you’re looking to place bets on a sports event or wager on shares of the stock exchange, there is information and resources available for both that can help you place your bets more efficiently. Serious financial gamblers pay thousands of dollars to get the first announcements on the action. This is because news and world events can drastically shift the markets. So it pays to make sure you’re always basing your bets off reliable media sources and tipsters.
Final Thoughts
Playing casino games and sports betting can be extremely fun and rewarding. And if you can learn how to play the stock and financial markets — you can end up pretty stinkin’ rich if you get good at it. Good luck!
