Trading in low-volume stocks can be very risky. Low-volume stocks typically have a daily average trading volume of 1,000 shares or fewer. They may belong to small, little-known companies that trade over-the-counter (OTC). But they can also be traded on major stock exchanges.
These kinds of stocks remain outside of the purview of the mainstream traders and investors and lack the general trading interest. They can be risky because their low volume leads to a lack of liquidity and ease in price manipulation. Smaller and newer companies are also disproportionately represented in low-volume stocks. Such companies can simply go belly up and leave investors with nothing.