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For convenience, all companies and everything traded on the Australian Securities Exchange have a code identifier. These codes are displayed on ticker boards instead of the full company name. For example, BHP stands for BHP Billiton.

Some traders would say that the minimum requirement for trading the ASX is knowing the stock or company's 3-letter code. Throughout the trading process, it's easier to track instruments with a code. You will usually see 3-character codes, but codes can vary in length depending on the type of instrument.

Market capitalisation is calculated by multiplying a company's shares outstanding by stock price per share. Large cap (capitalisation) companies are the big boys of the Australian Securities Exchange. Blue chip companies like BHP Billiton, Macquarie Group and Telstra have market capitalisations that are usually more than $10 billion.

It's easy to get lost without a map, whether in life or in trading. With a map, at least you know what happened and where you were going even if you miss the mark. A trading plan is a document that details your investing rules and your trading objectives. What is the difference between a trading strategy and a plan? A strategy is part of the comprehensive set of rules of the trading plan. A plan can cover every aspect of your trading life.

There are as many different opinions on what makes for trading success as there are stock market investors. Successful trading is not built on a foundation of secrets, but on solid skills and knowledge. Both come with experience. As a beginner, educate yourself as much as possible about the stock market, learn the terminology, learn money and risk management and develop skill and edge. When you have grown accustomed to riding the market, you will find what works and what does not. This is your personal strategy development.

Know the Stock

For reasonably smooth trading, you should create and consistently follow a set of rules. One of these rules is setting up stop loss or exit points. Stop loss during trading is an option. Most traders always use stop loss points, while others never use them for certain reasons. While these reasons are legitimate, reasons for using stop losses are more important.

Before the market takes you to the cleaners, you use a stop loss order. As the term states, stop loss is the trading exit point used to limit the amount of loss. Say you want a stock price to move upwards. If the price drops too low, you will want to get out of there and stop trading.

Shares are split when a company's share price has grown so high that investors think the shares are too expensive to buy, so the company divides them into multiple shares. In effect, investors are holding twice the amount of shares with half the price.

So you want to start trading but don't know where to start? You're already on the right track, because you're asking questions and doing research before playing with the big boys. Nobody's going to hold your hand so you might as well put in the effort.

Arm Yourself with Education

You can never bee too educated about the stock market. If you think you have enough knowledge, curve balls can hit you without warning.

Market returns fluctuate like the tides. Consider the many factors that affect returns like timeframes, trading strategy, your particular portfolio, and social and economic upheavals. A stock may outperform 20 percent in a given year and maybe even 10 years, but this is the exception. Anybody can also get a one-year, one-time 20 percent return, but to expect the same rate year in and year out leans more toward the unrealistic.

The market is a murky place, and sharks—also known as people who trade for a living—swim in the infested waters. Do not be the crustacean. Unless you pay someone to do it (and maybe not even then), no one can really tell you the exact time to enter the market, and you will likely get different opinions. This is particularly true if you have a hazy goal in your head.