Investing

Anyone found a stock purchase calcualtor?

  • Last Updated:
  • Jan 28th, 2020 1:21 am
Sr. Member
Jan 26, 2020
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199 upvotes
Canada

Anyone found a stock purchase calcualtor?

Something where you input your current buying power, commission fee and ticker. Then it will spit out the number of shares you can buy at that moment. I've heard of people doing this with Google Sheets as it takes ticker symbols but Google is delayed 15 minutes so I was hoping to find something in real time. A 15 minute delay isn't so bad but maybe we can eliminate it.
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Deal Fanatic
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Dec 14, 2010
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Many brokerages give real time price information. If 15 mins makes a difference and you need the real time (and your brokerage doesn't provide you with that), then add / buy the package to have that info. Once you have that and you know how much is your commission and your balance available through your brokerage app / website.... a simple calculator is all you need. BTW, now Interactive Brokers allow you to place the order in C$ or US$, so it calculates the number of shares for you automatically, and buy fractional shares if needed. Your buying power displays on the same screen that you're entering your order.


Rod
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Sr. Member
Jan 26, 2020
773 posts
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Canada
> Once you have that and you know how much is your commission and your balance available through your brokerage app / website.... a simple calculator is all you need.

Unfortunately the price can change in 1 minute. If the share price is lower and the buying power is higher that means the number of shares available can change by the minute.
The point is you need something that adjusts with market prices.

> BTW, now Interactive Brokers allow you to place the order in C$ or US$, so it calculates the number of shares for you automatically, and buy fractional shares if needed. Your buying power displays on the same screen that you're entering your order.

That sounds hopeful. Unfortunately IB is far more expensive for me thanks to the way they calculate their fees. But hopefully this idea will catch on.
Deal Fanatic
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Dec 14, 2010
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MichaelZZZ wrote: > Once you have that and you know how much is your commission and your balance available through your brokerage app / website.... a simple calculator is all you need.

Unfortunately the price can change in 1 minute. If the share price is lower and the buying power is higher that means the number of shares available can change by the minute.
The point is you need something that adjusts with market prices.

> BTW, now Interactive Brokers allow you to place the order in C$ or US$, so it calculates the number of shares for you automatically, and buy fractional shares if needed. Your buying power displays on the same screen that you're entering your order.

That sounds hopeful. Unfortunately IB is far more expensive for me thanks to the way they calculate their fees. But hopefully this idea will catch on.
How liquid are the stocks that you are planning to buy? Most brokerages offer up to date ask price, if you do your calculation with that then you're using the data right before submitting the order. If you switch back and forth between programs you could be subject for a small swing anyway. You typically want to place a limit order, which means, you specify the max price that you're willing to pay.

My point is that real-time data is expensive, and most brokerages offer that while you're entering your order.


Rod
Build a comprehensive portfolio based on Investing and Trading strategies. Check out these threads and join the discussion:
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Jan 26, 2020
773 posts
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Canada
Extremely liquid. Blue chip stuff, lots of volume, tight spread. But I'm bidding a bit low hoping for a sudden dip.
I found charts in real time with no delay free on Yahoo Finance, Investing.com, TradingView.com, Level2StockQuotes.com...there are probably many others. Its easy to get now.
Yes of course its a Limit Order.
My point is for a stock that's volatile the number of shares you can buy is going to vary throughout the day. It would be great if the system calculated for that variation so when the price dips you can get more shares. Pecking away at a calculator when you should be focusing on the chart is somewhat unproductive.

I just wondered if anyone knew of a way of doing this. At least manually without using Google Sheets which is delayed 15 minutes. Stocks can move a surprising amount in 15 minutes. So you need a spreadsheet program that syncs with real time quotes.

I'd just like to know if there's a term for this besides something as mundane as "stock share calculator".

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