Penny stocks, as the name suggests, are shares that are available at extremely cheap rates. Being available literally for pennies, you can purchase such stocks for as low as $2 per share. These stocks are usually of very small companies, which have a market capitalization of less than $500 million. They are not traded at the major stock exchanges like NASDAQ or NYSE, but are listed in the pink sheets or the OTCBB (Over The Counter Bulletin Board), because these stocks are of companies that are unable to meet their listing requirements. They are also referred to by other names such as pink sheet stocks, nano stocks, small caps, micro caps or juniors.
Investing in penny stocks is considered very risky as they are traded without any regulatory or listing requirements, which provide security to shareholders. There are no accounting standards, and the shareholder gets no information about the change of ownership of shares etc. This makes it a potential source of fraud.
However, with proper research, investment in penny stocks can be a tremendous earning potential. Not all companies listed with pink sheet stocks should be considered fraudulent. Some of them represent...