However, it`s not so much the improvements in trading technologies that have contributed to the popularity of this exciting investment trait...but rather the explosive increase in free online stock trading information.

Let`s face it... whether you`re an experienced online stock trader or a complete novice, you`ll know all too well that while trading techniques and disciplines are important, knowledge is everything! Especially when the vast majority of that knowledge` is completely one hundred percent free!

Where On The Internet Can You Find Free Online Stock Trading Information?

Over the years, I`ve narrowed down my sites of choice` to just two: MSN.com and BigCharts.com. We`ll look MSN.com for the sake of this article, but I strongly recommend you take the time to check out BigCharts.com as well.

Ok, for MSN.com...

Go to the Home Page. Click on Money in the alphabetical links. Then, click on Investing in the navigation bar. This will bring you to a page that is chock a block full of valuable free online stock trading information!

To actually check out a specific stock, enter its stock symbol into the symbol box located near the top right of the screen. Play around with the drop down menu next to it and decide whether you want to get a quote, a chart, or do some hardcore research.

NB: While writing this article I checked out Bill Gates piggy bank` by entering his company`s symbol MSFT into the symbol box...clicking on Go...and studying the data that was presented to me...

Ouch!...that stock is not looking well right now!

Another interesting link found at the bottom of the stock information box on any given stock info page within this site is the Stock Scouter Rating. It`s based on a 1 being the worst possible forecast outcome for a stock, and a 10 being the best. For the record, MSFT, Microsoft, has a current rating of 5.

Immediately to the right of the Stock Scouter Rating figure you`ll find a link entitled: What do these terms mean? Click on it and you`ll see a new window appear to the right of your screen... totally packed with free online stock trading terminologies and definitions. For newbies`, it`s a goldmine of valuable information!

Another helpful tool on this page is the Expected Risk Return indicator. Here you`ll find that Risk is estimated by the expected volatility of the stock`s price that is, how much it goes up and down. Return is how much money you might make if you owned the stock. The ideal investment would have very low risk and very high return. Call me a cynic, but I doubt such investments actually exist in the real world. Personally, I love volatility.

Other Recommended Links And Info Sources On MSN.com

Jubak`s Journal is always worth a read. Plus, you can see at a glance how the three main indices are doing i.e. Dow, Nasdaq and S and P. You can research stocks and funds, get market reports, check out the latest IPO`s, get the expert`s picks, see the latest news on stocks and world markets, check out the charts, SEC filings, company reports, interest rate and currency reports... and you know what? You can even get a birds eye view of what the executives at the helm of your chosen company have been doing with their own shares!

I must admit, I tend to feel all warm and fuzzy inside when I see that executives of any company I hold stock in are buying up like crazy. It`s not a fail proof indicator, but it`s mighty reassuring all the same.

So there you have it... ample proof that the internet is bursting at the cyber walls with free online stock trading information.

In fact, when you type in the key phrase free online stock trading information into Google search, you`ll see that there are over 54,200,000 results, i.e. web pages featuring some form of free online stock trading in formation, ...

Incredibly, all the information contained in this article comes from less than 10 of them!