When you are trading shares, you need a good strategy. My advice to you is to look into Europe. The European market is big, although a lot of Americans are probably underestimating it.  With the advent of online share trading, the European market is more accessible than ever.  It's home to some of the world's greatest brands - BMW, Christian Dior, Prada, Mercedes. Of course, you should be aware of the political events taking place there like the fall of the Berlin Wall or the conversion to the euro.

 Strangely, investing in European companies is a relatively new idea that has been slow to catch on with private investors. US online share trading has been light.  Germany and France are the main driving forces in the EU economy. The higher interest rates have once again made Germany a favor destination for market investors. Scandinavia also has some high performing companies, although its stockmarkets tend to be small and can be dominated by one firm or sector, such as oil in Norway or Nokia in Finland.