Stock markets are notorious for their wild swings; many investors end up losing their shirts due to lack of experience. However, credible market intelligence can compensate to some extent for inexperience, warning new market entrants of potential pitfalls and protecting them from huge losses. It is here that full-service brokerage firms come into the picture.

Although the big houses charge relatively higher commission rates than the smaller, “call center” brokerage firms, they also provide a wider range of services - including intelligence on likely market trends. Such input is crucial for those who may be just entering the markets. Players of the commodity, foreign exchange, insurance, and mortgage markets can also take advantage of similarly packaged services.

Big brokerage firms generally provide a full range of services relating to stock markets, rather than just transact deals on behalf of their clients. They are available all the time to advise their clients on possible market movements. In addition, they can also provide insight about which stock would better suit your market game plan. Further, they can also guide you on when you should exit stocks of a particular industry and move over to another set so that you can optimize your gains. These firms can guide their clients through times of market volatility when predicting market movements could be fairly risky for ordinary players. They also provide customized services for their premium clients.

These full service brokerage firms are valued for reliability and authenticity of their data. This is because their inputs are based on thorough research and analysis, rather than on “experience” and gut instinct. Further, their research aims at capturing long and medium term trends along with short term market dynamics. However, small investors may find commission rates charged by full-service brokers prohibitively high, because of comparatively low turnover value. So, anyone playing the stock markets with less than $1,000,000 should instead consult the call center advisers.