Anyone who is interested in investing in the market has to approach a stock trading company, but all too often people make the mistake of going for the cheapest one without considering the range of services the company offers.

The essential services a stock trading company may offer include:

• The latest stock market information
  Market reacts very quickly to any relevant news. If you have to spend time searching the Internet in a bid to gain access to the latest market information, you’re losing valuable time. The stock market information typically includes the market summary, corporate calendars, world markets, indices, dividends and new floats. Having this information easily accessible by your stock trading company makes your life a lot easier.
   
• Company announcements
  By law, publicly traded companies are under obligation to disclose any information that may affect its short-term and long-term prospects and profitability and the pricing of their shares. If you've already invested in a company or are planning to do so, a big plus is being able to receive all the company announcements by email, or see them online when you log into your account.
   
• Real-time quotes
  If you are a day-trader, receiving stock quotes with a 20 minute delay will put you out of business. If your view is daily or weekly, having access to real-time quotes is still important because for timing your entries and exits.
   
• Access to market depth
  You need to be able to see the market depth, i.e. the list of buyers and sellers and the quantities and prices that they're prepared to trade. This information alone can be an important indicator of the direction of the price action for the day.
   
• Tools for technical analysis
  Fundamental events eventually drive the markets up or down, but it is the technical analysis that explains the psychology of the market. At a good stock trading companies you have access to stock charting software with a whole range of technical indicators you can apply to stocks you're trading.
  A real boon is the ability to define your own indicators and buy and sell signals, using a simple scripting language.
   
  
• Trading platform
  A trading platform combines the charting software with real-time data, and the ability to buy and sell shares, options, CFD's and place stop-loss and conditional orders.
    
• Watch lists
  Setting up watch lists allows you to quickly access the stocks you're following or have invested in.
   
• Historical data
  Historical data is not only about what a company did in the past - it also reflects what the company is capable of, how volatile the price action is, how long-term trends may look like, etc.
   
• Portfolio management
  The portfolio management software allows you to quickly see how your shares are performing, their net worth, trade history, current holdings and other relevant details.
   
• Research data
  A big stock trading company would employ market analysts to research companies and and report their findings to assist you in making informed decisions.
   
• Margin lending facilities
  Margin lending means combining your own money with the money you borrow from the stock trading company to do the trading. For example, the reason CFD's (Contract For Difference) are so popular is because investing relatively small amounts of money gives you control over large chunks of shares, thanks to margin lending.
   
• Reasonable rates
  Gone are the days when brokers could charge 3% for placing your orders. Today, the proliferation of online brokers means that the on-going trading costs are well below 1% and on the decline. Many stock trading companies offer a discount if you complete a certain number of trades per month.

In short, picking your stock trading company carefully has major impact on your share trading because the range of services they offer is critical for your success.