Learn stock trading for beginners.

Stock market basics for beginners

What is trading?

Trading means buying and selling assets such as stocks or cryptocurrencies. A stock represents ownership in a company. A cryptocurrency is a digital asset. Prices can move up or down, and a profitable practice session does not predict future results.

Start by learning the difference between price, shares, available cash and total portfolio value. If you buy two shares at $50 each, you spend $100. If those shares later trade at $45, their combined value is $90. That is a $10 unrealized loss until you sell, before any fees.

Trading and investing

Trading often focuses on shorter-term price changes. Investing generally focuses on holding assets over longer periods. Both involve risk. Learning the vocabulary and understanding how losses happen is more useful than trying to find a guaranteed winning strategy.

Paper trading for beginners

What is paper trading?

Paper trading is practice using virtual funds rather than real money. It lets beginners explore orders, track holdings and review decisions without depositing money into a brokerage account.

100x starts you with $10,000 in virtual funds. Stock prices in the simulator are fictional training prices; cryptocurrency quotes come from Coinbase. TradingView charts use separate market data that may be delayed. Simulated trades do not reproduce every real-world cost, execution delay or liquidity constraint.

What you can learn on 100x

• How buying affects available cash and holdings.
• How price changes affect portfolio value and profit or loss.
• How a watchlist helps you follow assets before making a decision.
• How a trade plan and journal help you review your reasoning.

Free stock trading simulator with free virtual money

If you want to practice stock trading with virtual money, 100x gives you $10,000 in free practice funds to explore buying, selling and portfolio tracking. You do not need to deposit real money or connect a bank account to use the simulator.

What does “free money” mean on 100x?

The free money is simulated cash for learning. It cannot be withdrawn, transferred to a bank or exchanged for real money. Practice gains and losses change your virtual balance only.

A stock market practice account without a deposit

Choose guest mode to practice in your browser with just your birthday and city. Choose a saved account if you want your practice portfolio to follow you across devices. Both start with virtual funds.

Learn buying and selling with a trading demo

Use the simulator to see how order size affects available cash, how holdings change after a fill and how a watchlist helps you organize assets. Stock prices are fictional training prices, so use this demo to understand mechanics rather than predict live stock prices.

How to learn stock trading: your first practice trade

1. Learn the terms. Understand shares, order types, volatility and profit or loss before placing a practice trade.
2. Choose one asset to study. Read about the company or cryptocurrency and distinguish market data from simulated prices.
3. Write a practice plan. Record why you are considering a trade, what could go wrong and what would make you exit.
4. Place a small virtual trade. Observe how your cash and holdings change. Market, limit and stop orders have different behavior; an order being placed does not always mean it has filled.
5. Review the outcome. Compare your plan with what happened. Keep notes on mistakes and uncertainty as well as gains.

Understand risk before using real money

A concentrated portfolio can move sharply when a single asset changes price. Diversification can reduce concentration risk, but it cannot prevent all losses. A stop order does not guarantee a particular execution price in live markets. Practice is a way to learn mechanics, not proof that a strategy will make money.

Common beginner questions

Is 100x free to try?

You can use guest practice with virtual funds without depositing real money. Guest setup asks for birthday and city, and progress stays in that browser. Creating a saved account lets you restore progress across devices.

Can I trade real money on 100x?

No. 100x is an educational simulator. Its funds, orders and trades are virtual, and it is not a brokerage.

Do I need an account to read this guide?

No. This guide is public and works without signing in. The practice simulator offers both guest mode and saved accounts.

Will paper trading make me profitable?

There is no guarantee. Live trading adds financial risk, emotions and execution conditions that practice may not reproduce. Treat simulator results as learning feedback.