How to buy BlackBerry (BB) stock

By:

James Knight

James is a lead editor for Invezz, where he covers topics from across the financial world, from the stock market, to cryptocurrency, to macroeconomic markets. His ... read more.

Updated: Jul 6, 2023

Listen

---

---

0:00 / 13:48

Ad disclosure

Invezz is an independent platform with the goal of helping users achieve financial freedom. In order to fund our work, we partner with advertisers who compensate us for users that Invezz refers to their services. While our reviews and assessments of each product on the site are independent and unbiased, brands may pay to appear higher up our table rankings or place ads in specific areas of the site. The order in which products and services appear on Invezz does not represent an endorsement from us, and please be aware that there may be other platforms available to you than the products and services that appear on our website. Read more about how we make money >

Get started in minutes with our preferred broker, Skilling.

9/10

82% of retail CFD accounts lose money.

• Save

Visit site

This guide explains what’s happening with BlackBerry and what it’s been up to since being muscled out of the smartphone game. Find out more about how to invest in Blackberry and which stock brokers to use.

Compare the best BlackBerry trading platforms

If you just want to find a place to pick up shares, use one of the brokers below. These are the best platforms around, as chosen by our team of financial experts. If you want to find out more information, then just scroll down to read more about Blackberry.

Most Popular

1

• Save

Min. Deposit

$ 10

Best offer

User Score

10

Up to $240 bonus!

Deposit with ACA, Wire, Pay with my bank

Invest for dividends and get payout on stocks on Ex-Dividend day

Start Trading more info

Payment Methods:

Bank Transfer, Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal, Wire Transfer

Full Regulations:

CySEC, FCA

77% of retail CFD accounts lose money.

How to buy BlackBerry stock, a step-by-step guide

Getting your first share isn’t a complicated process, so don’t worry even if you’re new to stock investing. These are the steps to follow in order to complete your investment:

1. Choose a broker. The first thing you need is an online stock brokerage platform. There are many different options to choose from, each with its own unique benefits and drawbacks. The comparison table above can help you select the right broker for you, and you can head to our comprehensive broker reviews if you’re still unsure.
2. Create an account. Once you’ve selected your broker, simply go to their website and create an account. The steps required for this will vary from platform to platform, but generally, you can expect to have to provide your name, email address, phone number, and some form of photo identification.
3. Deposit funds. Log into your broker account and select the option to deposit funds. Depending on your broker you’ll have a variety of payment options available; most brokers accept bank transfers and debit card payments, but not all accept e-wallets such as PayPal. Select your preferred payment method and deposit the amount of money you wish to invest in BlackBerry shares.
4. Place an order for BB stock. Search for BlackBerry’s ticker symbol (BB) and see the current price at which the stock is trading. If you’re happy with the price, enter the number of shares you wish to buy and place your order.
5. Execute your order. Once you have placed your order, your broker will automatically execute it for you and your BlackBerry shares will be listed in your account. Congratulations, you’ve just bought shares in BlackBerry!

What is BlackBerry? And should I invest?

BlackBerry (NYSE: BB) is best known as a Canadian mobile phone manufacturer. Its BlackBerry devices were once one of the most popular smartphones around but since 2010 it has been tough going for the former giant.

BlackBerry lost the smartphone battle to Apple and the iPhone, to such an extent that it left the handset game entirely in 2016. The new BlackBerry is shifting away from mobile phones towards offering software and services.

Although BlackBerry’s 2021 spikes bear little relation to anything happening at the company, it has been slowly reinventing itself, most notably with a deal with Microsoft to offer secure access to its mobile apps.

Its move towards security software is slow going, but certainly holds a better outlook for BlackBerry than smartphones did. Short sellers were interested in it as far back as 2013, as it was in serious danger after it lost so much of its mobile market share. That seems to have passed, but long term investors might want to hold off until its volatility settles down.

How has the company performed in recent years?

BlackBerry had been slowly trending downwards for years until it was caught in the middle of the WallStreetBets inspired attack on short sellers. 

Over eight years between 2012 and 2020, BB stock was down 30%. At the beginning of 2021, driven by WallStreetBets and retail investors, it jumped more than 120% in five days to its highest point in a decade.

The rollercoaster ride didn’t end there. After brokers like Robinhood placed questionable trading restrictions on BB stock, it fell 40% in a single day on January 28th 2021. That’s unlikely to be the end of it, as the WallStreetBets traders line up for another attempt at a short squeeze.

Is it a good time to buy BlackBerry shares now?

It depends on what your goals are and the time frame for seeing returns. BlackBerry has been volatile of late because of the interest from Reddit investors, while the likelihood of a real bounceback in terms of its underlying performance looks a long way off.

That means that before you do anything you should make sure you understand the risks, particularly if you want to trade contracts for difference (CFDs) or any other method that uses leverage to make big bets on the stock market. You can look at using stop-loss orders to protect against extreme swings.

Another thing to consider is the actions of your broker, as BlackBerry is one of the stocks that had restrictions placed on it that prevented traders from buying stock. Decisions like that can have major implications for the price and need to be factored in. You can follow all the latest BB news and price moves below.

Buying, selling and trading BlackBerry shares for beginners

What to do before buying shares

You should always take the time to research a stock fully before investing your money, especially if you haven’t bought shares before. The more knowledge you have, the better your chances of making a wise investment. 

With that in mind, here’s a checklist to run through first:

1. Research the company. You should always examine the fundamentals of a company first. What is BlackBerry? How did the company get its start? How did it grow? Is BlackBerry’s revenue and profit growth picking up? Is the company innovating? The more you know about BlackBerry, the better positioned you’ll be to make smart investment decisions.
2. Make sure you understand the basics of stock investing. Before buying stocks, make sure you have an understanding of how it works. This will ensure that you have more clearly defined goals and have thought through how you will achieve them.
3. Decide between share dealing and CFD trading. Choose the type of investment strategy you want to pursue, and make sure you have carried out the necessary fundamental or technical analysis for share dealing and CFD trading respectively.
4. Set the size of your budget. The golden rule of investing is never to risk more than you can afford to lose. Not every investment you make will result in a profit, so it is important to set a budget that not only allows good potential for capital growth, but also protects against overly damaging losses.
5. Find the right broker. Individual brokers each have their own pros and cons. Some will have low fees but have a user interface you struggle to understand, whereas others may be a bit more expensive but come with a range of features that you want to take advantage of. Our broker reviews can help you find the right platform for you.
6. Examine broader market conditions. No stock exists in a vacuum, and it’s always important to analyse the general trends of the stock market as a whole before investing. If a bear market is setting in and stock prices are falling, it’s best to wait it out and invest your money later when the stock is cheaper. If, however, the market is looking bearish, you’ll want to make your investment quickly to get the maximum benefit from rising stock prices. Track the latest news to make sure you understand what’s happening in the markets.

What is the difference between buying, selling, and trading shares?

If you’re new to stock investing, then it’s important to understand the basics of how to buy, sell, and trade BlackBerry shares. Here’s a quick run-through of what’s involved in each.

Buying BlackBerry

This process involves finding a broker and placing an order for BlackBerry stock, as outlined in the steps further up this page. Ideally, you want to time your investment when the stock’s price is low so that you can profit by selling the shares after they increase in value.

Selling BlackBerry

When you sell any BlackBerry shares, you’ll want to do so at a higher price than the one at which you bought to earn a profit. 

When you sell is up to you. You might decide to be a long term investor, hoping to benefit from the company growing steadily throughout. Or, if you see that BlackBerry’s stock is already up a lot compared to the price you bought it and you’ve noticed that the stock market is starting to fall, it might make sense to sell and take your profits to invest elsewhere. Equally, if the stock has fallen since you bought it and looks set to fall further, it might be a good idea to cut your losses by selling your shares.

Trading BlackBerry

Trading is the same process, it’s just done over shorter periods of time with the aim to make small profits on a regular basis. This means that you can make money faster and spend your profits in your day-to-day life – however, on the other side it means you can lose money faster as well. For inexperienced investors, we generally recommend making investments for at least 6 months to a year instead of making trades in quick succession.

You can trade BlackBerry shares through buying and selling shares, or by trading with CFDs. These allow investors to speculate on stock prices and trade with leverage in pursuit of bigger gains. CFDs trading is explained further in the next section, but it is worth noting that beginners should avoid trading with leverage. It comes with large risks and is best left to experienced investors.

Share dealing vs CFD trading

When it comes to investing in any stock, the two options you have are share dealing and trading. Which one of these methods to opt for largely depends on your investment timeline, with investors thinking long term tending to go for share dealing, and those looking for short term gains pursuing a more aggressive trading strategy.

Here’s a quick summary of the two approaches, and the pros and cons of each.

Share dealing 

Share dealing refers to the practice of buying and holding shares in a particular company over the long term. When investing like this, you’re seeking to profit either from dividend payments or an increase in the stock’s price over time.

It is important to do a fundamental analysis of the company in which you are investing. You want to put your money in a stock you believe will trend upwards over time, even if there is some market volatility along the way, rather than get distracted by shorter term peaks and troughs.

Pros

• Can build wealth over time to achieve financial goals
• Don’t need to be very reactive to short-term market movements
• Some stocks will give you an income through regular dividend payments

Cons

• Takes a long time to realise any profits
• Your capital is tied up in stocks and cannot be used for other investments

CFD Trading 

If your aim is to generate profits in the short term, then you might be better off trading shares than holding them in your portfolio. Stock trades like this are executed using CFDs (contracts for difference), which allow investors to trade against the value of a stock without having to take ownership of it. When CFD trading, investors are looking to move stocks fast to profit from short-term fluctuations in value.

One aspect of CFD trading that many investors find attractive is that they allow you to trade with leverage. This means you can place large trades while only putting up a fraction of the value yourself – for instance, if a platform offered leverage of 1:10, you could put £10 into BB shares and be able to trade £100 worth. This can maximise profits if the market moves in your favour, but be careful as it can also lead to heavy losses.

When trading using CFDs, it is key to be skilled at technical analysis and reading stock price charts. As you’re trading stocks quickly and frequently, the fundamental strength of the company in which you’re investing isn’t as important as being able to predict how its stock price will rise and fall minute-by-minute.

Pros

• Can generate fast profits if you read the market right 
• Some platforms allow you to trade with leverage
• Prevents your capital being tied up so you can take advantage of investment opportunities

Cons

• Trading with leverage is risky and can lead to big losses
• Doesn’t necessarily generate growth over the long term

Consider which approach suits you best and craft an investment strategy that works for you. If you need more information, we have trading courses on all sorts of stock market strategies, and read our guide to CFD trading to get you up to speed. 

How to choose a broker

With the wide variety of online brokers available these days, it can be hard to figure out which is the best service to go with and how to pick the winning stocks. Our comparison table and in-depth reviews can help you cut through the noise, but by and large these are the aspects you should be considering when selecting a broker:

• Range of stocks available. The most important thing is that you can actually use the broker to find the shares you’re looking for. Some brokers offer more stocks than others, and many will allow you to trade other assets, such as forex and commodities.
• Fees and commissions. You want to keep as large a chunk of your profits as you can, so it’s important to make sure your broker doesn’t charge high fees that can eat into your profits.
• Regulation. You should only use regulated brokers to place trades. Unregulated brokers can be risky and offer little to no protection if the business were to fail while you had funds in your account.
• Payment methods available. You might want to get BlackBerry shares using a specific payment method, such as PayPal. Not all brokers accept every payment method, but using our comparisons you can search only the brokers that support the option you’re looking for.
• Reputation. One of the strongest indicators of a broker’s reliability is the reputation it has with the customers who have used it. Brokers are online businesses, and as such many user experiences can be found online. You can check these out in addition to our reviews to make sure you choose the right platform.
• Customer service. As you’re going to be investing your money using the platform, you want to check that the broker offers good customer service in case you have a query or something goes wrong.