WorldSpace Inc fka WRSPQ

[RMAN_]

The following are some basic statistics concerning the OTC market:

The OTC Bulletin Board market provides access to over 6500 different companies. It is estimated that one third of them will remain on the OTC market after meeting the eligibility requirements. As is often the case, many of the companies that do not meet the requirements and are moved to the pink sheets will file at a later point in an attempt to move back to the OTC.
The OTC market consists of more than 220 Market Makers (as of Oct. 2006).
The Market Makers are the dealers who compete to buy and sell your shares. They set their own bid and asks for the stocks traded on the market.
Most OTC stocks trade for under a dollar and never experience any large publicity. But once they do experience a moment in the spotlight you will see many, sometimes thousands of investors, rushing to buy the stock.
The difference between the OTCBB market and the Nasdaq is that OTC companies do not have listing standards. The Nasdaq has very strict qualifications for letting a company list its stock on its exchange.
The OTC allows any company that files its statements to trade on its market. The Nasdaq requires a company to meet asset and revenue criteria while an OTC company does not need to have any assets or revenues. Many Nasdaq companies that fall into financial hardships are often removed from the Nasdaq due to their inability to meet listing requirements. Once their share price falls and stays below a certain price thresh hold for an extended period they are removed from the Nasdaq and then resume trading on the OTC market.
The most important difference between them is probably that the OTC market does not provide automated trade executions. It is up to the Market Maker to decide if he wants to buy your stock. He can sit and wait and watch the direction of the market or he can simply decide not to buy it.
For more data you can visit the OTCBB Market Statistics.

Want to start trading in the OTC Market? The first step is to analyzing a company you want to invest in. The best way to do so is to take a step inside and pretend that you are its auditor. By printing out a copy of the company’s financials you will now know just as much about them as their own auditor. That is as long as you learn how to read the financials.

Information about stock investing provided by Qwoter Stock College.