How to Buy OTC Stocks

Buy OTC stocks with Interactive Brokers and gain access to $6.95 per OTC trade.

Many companies that offer exceptional value are still starting out and can be found on the over the counter (OTC) market. Buying or selling OTC stocks is different than trading stock on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ. Learn more about the OTC market and how you can starting trading with Benzinga's expert stock analysts.

What are OTC Stocks?

OTC stocks are generally too small to meet the requirements needed to list on the major exchanges. These stocks are traded by broker-dealers that negotiate directly between 1 another through computer networks or over the phone.

These stocks are normally still governed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

OTCs at a Glance

The OTC network isn’t limited to stocks. It encompasses any financial instruments that aren’t directly traded through a central exchange, including stocks, bonds and derivatives.

Some major differences between the OTC exchange and major exchanges include:

• Transaction transparency, which means you may be limited on what bids and offers you can see based on your broker, rather than seeing all orders available, including markups on foreign exchange stocks.
• On major exchanges, every party receives offers from every counterparty. This doesn’t always occur on the dealer exchange and can create information disparity.
• OTC exchanges have fewer rules and regulations than centralized exchanges. This leads to higher competition between the providers to get more volume for their firms, which results in lower transaction costs.
• Stocks found on the OTC market are often penny stocks with prices as low as $0.05 to $0.10. Coupled with large spreads, you can end up buying a stock at the $0.10 ask price, and it can immediately trade to the $0.05 bid price and lose 50% of its value.

Pros and Cons of OTC Stocks

OTC stocks have some distinct advantages and disadvantages to the centralized exchange-traded stocks:

Pros of OTC stocks

• OTC stocks allow you to trade companies that not only don’t list on major exchanges but also shares of companies in foreign markets.
• Transaction costs can be much lower on the OTC networks.
• Given the smaller size of companies, your investments will give you a much larger stake in a company.

Cons of OTC stocks

• The lack of liquidity can leave you with stocks that are hard if not impossible to sell.
• Companies listed on the OTC exchange may provide less accounting information than the regular exchanges.
• Stocks that generally trade on the OTC do so because they have bad credit, don’t make much money or are just starting out, which makes them fairly risky

How to Purchase OTC Stocks

If you’re interested in purchasing shares of a company that trades on the OTC stock market, follow these steps:

Determine How Much You Want to Invest

OTC stocks are inherently riskier than those traded over the regular exchanges. Treat these stocks as speculative and size your positions appropriately. Don’t invest money you’re not willing to lose.

Find an Appropriate Broker

Many of the major brokerage firms that you use for regular stock trading allow for the trading of OTC stocks. Fees can vary for OTC versus regular stocks, so make sure you understand what the costs are relative to normal trading.

Decide Where to Buy Your Stocks

When you look into OTC stocks, there are several places you might find them. The Best Market (OTCQX) houses stocks with large market caps, high liquidity and solid backing. The Venture Market often carries stocks from startups or companies in the development phase. The Pink Open Market and grey sheets could contain shell corporations, businesses enduring a bankruptcy or companies delinquent on filings/under investigation. Limiting your search to the Best and Venture Markets is safer, especially for novice investors.

Fund Your Account

Many of the major brokerages allow you to trade the OTC market. You’ll need to check whether you would be eligible to trade on OTC markets with your broker.

Purchase Your OTC Stocks

While it’s fairly easy to purchase stocks on the major exchanges, it may take a bit more to understand how to execute a trade on the OTC markets. Consult customer service for your broker-dealer to understand how to execute an OTC trade through its specific platform. When you place an order, you’ll have an option for market orders or limit orders. With a lower liquidity, the spreads can be much wider than on normal exchanges.

Your broker-dealer has a few options when handling your order. It’s possible to fill the order internally by matching clients within the brokerage. Otherwise, brokers can send the quote out to the OTC market to make the trade with another broker-dealer. If an order is not marketable, the broker-dealer may need to change the existing quote to reflect the new price or size

Best Brokers for Purchasing OTC Stocks

Take a look at our recommended brokers to get started investing in OTC penny stocks.

Open Your Brokerage Account and Get Started in OTC Stocks

Investments in OTC companies should be treated as highly speculative. Don't make OTC stocks a core component of your portfolio.

Be sure to visit the FINRA website to research and prepare for what to expect trading on the OTC markets.

Frequently Asked Questions