How to buy Twitter shares (TWTR)

By:

Charlie Hancox

Charlie is a Financial Writer for Invezz. He covers commodities, cryptocurrencies, and breaking news. Prior to joining Invezz he… read more.

Updated: Sep 13, 2022

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Compare the best Twitter trading platforms

Choose one of the links in the table below to sign up with a top Twitter broker. We’ve tested each option extensively to make sure they provide a service you can trust. For those who want to learn more before investing, simply scroll down this page.

Most Popular

1

Min. Deposit

$ 10

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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

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Payment Methods:

Bank Transfer, Wire Transfer

Full Regulations:

CySEC, FCA

Investoo Ltd is compensated if you access certain of the products or services offered by eToro USA LLC and/or eToro USA Securities Inc., as applicable. This compensation incentivizes Investoo Ltd to describe those products and services in favorable terms. Any testimonials contained in this communication may not be representative of the experience of other eToro customers and such testimonials are not guarantees of future performance or success.

2

Min. Deposit

$ 100

Promotion

User Score

10

Trade out-of-hours on over 70+ US stocks

Get exposure to a wide range of popular UK, US and international stocks

Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution

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Payment Methods:

Bank Transfer, Credit Card, Debit Card, PayPal

Full Regulations:

ASIC, FCA, FINMA, is a licensed bank (IG Bank in Switzerland)

Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

3

Min. Deposit

$ 0

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User Score

9.5

$0 commission and $0 Options contract fees

Upgraded research with advanced charts

Smart Menus for faster trades

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Payment Methods:

Full Regulations:

How to buy Twitter shares, a step-by-step guide

This process is simple, 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. To invest in any company online, you need to use an online 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 Twitter shares.
4. Place an order for TWTR stock. Now navigate to the shares section of your online broker account. Here, you can search for Twitter’s ticker symbol (TWTR) 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 purchase and place your order.
5. Execute your order. Once you have placed your order, your broker will automatically execute it for you and your Twitter shares will be listed in your account. Congratulations, you’ve just bought shares in Twitter.

What is Twitter? And should I invest?

Twitter is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms with around 200 million daily active users. Created by Jack Dorsey in 2006, it quickly attracted millions of users and has developed into a major driver of cultural debate, alongside being a popular business marketing tool.

The company makes most of its annual revenue from advertising, though it also generates money from things like data licensing. The company is both a blue-chip and tech stock, meaning it has the fundamental value and stability that investors are looking for, along with the potential for significant growth from technological innovations.

In April 2022, Elon Musk agreed a deal to buy Twitter for $54 per share and take the company private. Once the deal is completed, the stock will be taken off the stock exchange and you won’t be able to buy shares any more. You can still invest in the meantime, but you shouldn’t do so if the price is above $54.

How has the company performed in recent years?

The rapid growth of social media usage in the last decade means that Twitter’s share price has steadily increased. Most of its growth has been driven by increasing revenue, up to more than $3 billion in 2020.

Although the trend has been upward, Twitter stock is extremely inconsistent and experiences lots of sudden rises and falls. The most recent came in 2022 when Musk first bought a 10% stake in the company, which prompted a 25% jump in value overnight.

Musk’s subsequent takeover was the latest twist for a company that has experienced its fair share of controversies in recent times. There have been questions over the company’s approach to privacy, censorship, and cyberbullying, while it infamously banned President Trump from the platform after the 2020 election.

Is it a good time to buy Twitter shares now?

Only if the stock is available at less than $54. When the takeover goes through, that is the price existing shareholders will be paid per share. If you see that the price is below that figure, then there could be an opportunity to buy now and pocket the difference.

There are still some regulatory hurdles to clear before the takeover can be completed, however. Until that happens, there’s some risk that the takeover could collapse, which would be likely to cause a fall in the price. The (small) risk of that happening is what you have to be willing to take in order to make a small profit.

It’s more important than ever to keep up with the latest news and stay informed. Musk’s tweets can suddenly move the market – when he bought his initial stake it sent the shares flying 27% overnight. Any move on his part can have major repercussions. Click any of the links below to stay in the loop.

Buying, selling and trading 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 before investing in Twitter shares.

1. Research the company. You should always examine the fundamentals of a company before investing. What is Twitter? How did the company get its start? How did it grow? Is Twitter’s revenue and profit growth picking up? Is the company innovating? The more you know about Twitter, the better positioned you’ll be to make smart investment decisions.
2. Make sure you understand the basics of stock investing. Before getting involved in the stock market, 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. Use our broker reviews to 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 bullish, you’ll want to make your investment quickly to get the maximum benefit from rising stock prices. Follow the latest news to help you keep on top of movements in the financial 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 Twitter shares. Here’s a quick run-through of what’s involved in each.

Buying Twitter

This process involves finding a broker and placing an order for Twitter 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 Twitter

When you sell any Twitter shares you have bought, 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 keep your shares for the long term, hoping to benefit from the company growing steadily throughout. Or, if you see that Twitter’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 Twitter

Trading is the same process as buying and selling shares, 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 Twitter shares outright or use 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.

When investing your money this way, it is important to do thorough 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 open and close positions 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 MA 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, then simply take our course on how to trade stocks.

If neither of these options appeal to you, then you can find a variety of other ways to invest in MA stock on this page. If, however, you’re ready to get started now, simply select one of the brokers in the table above and sign up.

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. 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 buy 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 invest using a specific payment method, such as PayPal. Not all brokers accept every payment method, but by using our comparisons, you can search for 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.