Trading of stocks is ever more popular because it can make one very rich. But it can also make one very poor if they do not know what they are doing. It is recommended to study how stocks behave before launching into trading of stocks.
On the other hand trading of stocks should not be used as the sole way to make money and is even not recommended for new investors nor is it recommended for people who are not good risk takers as the fall can be very hard. One has to know the best stock and how to pick them. If one has limited knowledge in this area they can always use the services if a stock broker. Stock brokers have studied the stock market for a long time and a good one will be able to read the market pretty accurately.
Trading stocks requires one to be able to read a stock chart, a stock index and to know the stock symbols. Some stocks are old time favourites and can assure a good return like gold stocks. Other types of stocks tend to fluctuate too much and are too much of a risk. At the moment there is a big stock markets scare and the climate is not good for investing you are better off putting you money elsewhere.