1. What are bid x ask sizes?
Simply that. The size (ie, number of shares) of the highest bid (ie, buy offer) and the size (ie, number of shares) of the lowest ask (ie, sell offer).
2. Who are MM's? I have read a few posts refering to them. They seem to somehow have a control level of the pricing or something. That concerns me.
There are much more sophisticated answers and I welcome you to explore the web, but explained simply, MM means "market maker". Their role/obligation is to "make the market liquid". They are usually brokers who increase liquidity by buying and selling within and into the gap between the bid and ask.
3. PGPM is a pink sheet now. I have read talk about going to OTC. Is there a benefit to that? Is there a new level of exchange they can "graduate" to? Would that be a benefit?
Stock exchanges (ex, OTC, Nasdaq, NYSE, AMEX, etc.) have requirements that companies must meet in order to be listed and remain listed. So one advantage to an investor of a company being listed on an exchange is that there is a stock exchange making sure that they are in compliance of those requirements and will remain in compliance of those requirements or will be delisted. One of the most important requirements to investors (IMO) of listing is that the company must comply with certain reporting requirements, thus providing greater assurance of greater transparency into the companies operations. That said, companies still cheat now matter where they are listed (see eg, Enron, Worldcom,...).
4. What are floating shares and how can they hurt me or help me?
"The Float" or floating shares are that portion of total outstanding shares that are owned by the public and available for trading (ie, total number minus the number owned by the company or otherwise unavailable).
5. What is dilution and how can it effect shareholders?
Dilution occurs when a company issues additional shares. Imagine that a company with no debt and $100 worth of assets has 100 outstanding shares. Each share should be worth $1 (=$100/100 shares). Now imagine that the company issues 100 more shares but does not increase the value of its assets. Now the each share would be worth $0.50 (=$100/200 shares). In other words, the value of each of the original 100 shares was diluted by the additional 100 shares. So said very generally, dilution occurs when a company issues more shares, but does not raise the value of the company by a corresponding amount. So the imporantant thing to ask as an investor when a company has proposed issuing more shares is whether the capital raised by doing so will increase the value of the companies assets by an equal or greater amount. (Although not necessarily that day, but eventually, and within your own personal investment window).
Don't take my word for it and please look around for other explanations. I invite others to correct me too.
