Real-time quotes are a precise snapshot of market value for securities at that exact moment in time.
They're extremely valuable information to active traders.
If you are an active trader, you need to know where your stocks stand minute-by-minute. This is because fluctuations up and down happen unpredictably and suddenly. The difference of a few cents could really make or break a trade.
Real-time quotes show the instantaneous price and volume for a security, including the best bid and ask price.
On the other hand, delayed quotes can be up to 10 to 15 minutes behind the instantaneous price posting.
This could mean you're making decisions based on inaccurate data. You could lose out on micro-shifts in a security’s value, which could be costly!
Some financial platforms offer delayed data as a standard service. Others charge a price for real-time data.
Webull is a commission-free trading app that offers real-time data both for free and with a paid subscription, depending on what market data you are looking for.
Here's everything you need to know about Webull's real-time market data!
Webull is a trading platform very well-known for the data they supply for more advanced traders.
They offer investors the ability to study real-time market data for U.S. markets free of charge. This is good information to have at your fingertips, especially if you are an active or day trader.
The data is available free for only U.S. markets. If you are looking for real-time data for the global market, you'll need to pay Webull a monthly subscription.
As a passive investor, real-time stock data becomes less crucial; with passive investing, you're not the rabbit, you're the turtle. Slow and steady (and the correct investment strategy) wins.
Passive investors have a long-term portfolio of stocks and they don’t have a plan to buy or sell immediately. They can rely on delayed data to follow their portfolio because they give an overall ballpark on how their investments are trending.
Day trading, in which investors buy and sell many times in one day, is very risky. The most successful investors rely on data and facts to make decisions, and keep emotions out of the equation. When you make fast moves, you might be falling into impulse decisions.
Delayed quotes are usually enough information for a casual investor who isn’t looking to time the market. For example, if a trader has a long-term portfolio of stocks and they don’t intend to sell immediately, they won't need up-to-the-second price information.
Webull offers real-time US market data free of charge. This data is more useful to active or day traders who are looking for up-to-the-minute quotations.
However, you don’t need to be taking risks like a day trader in order to gain value and potential profit from using Webull’s free real-time quotes.
You may have heard of the adage “buying the dip” - when a stock dips below its regular assumed value, you can buy it at a discount, hoping to sell it for more value later.
While most of these more passive investment strategies use these quotes to buy the dip, the real-time information provides different insights for each.
Dollar Cost Averaging: Dollar-cost averaging is a long-term investment strategy that involves investing a fixed amount of money in a stock or portfolio of stocks at regular intervals. Real-time quotes can help investors determine when to make their periodic investments and potentially take advantage of buying opportunities when stock prices dip.
Swing Trading: Swing trading is a more active form of trading that involves holding stocks for several days or weeks. Swing traders aim to capture gains from price movements within a trend, using technical analysis and chart patterns to identify entry and exit points. Real-time quotes can help swing traders monitor price movements and adjust their positions accordingly. Swing trading has a reputation for being a riskier investing strategy, much like its day trading counterpart.
Dividend Investing: Dividend investing is a strategy that involves investing in stocks that pay dividends, which are regular payments to shareholders. Real-time quotes can help dividend investors monitor the dividend yield of these stocks and potentially take advantage of buying opportunities when stock prices dip and dividend yields increase.
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