Over the 200+ years of the stock market's existence, everyone has had the same goal in mind- to predict the rise and fall of the stocks. If you could somehow predict exactly the right time to buy a stock and then predict the exact second to sell, you would make a great deal of money. However, over the years, many have tried and failed. Even those that make a lot of money don't always predict it right. In recent years a new invention has found its way into the stock market: the stock market robot.

What is a stock market robot exactly? Amazingly, it is exactly what it sounds like. It is a robot that was programmed with unbelievably technical information about the stock market. It then analyzes the market and tells you when to buy and sell. In theory, this is a great idea. Imagine being able to sit there with a robot that can tell you when and what to buy. The robot wouldn't be blinded by emotions or "gut instincts" like humans are from time to time. They look only at the facts and give you the absolute truth. This is a great concept and it makes many investors giddy with the possibilities.

While it may sound like a great idea, it doesn't always work exactly like that. If it did, no one would ever lose in the stock market anymore because we'd all be listening to robots. How does a robot work? They take in a great deal of information on a particular stock for a certain period of time. They analyze it and try to figure out the stock's algorithm. With this history of the stock they are able to figure out the exact minute where it peaked and bottomed out. Then with this knowledge it can predict when you should buy and sell the stock. This is a great idea when it works. However, there is one fundamental problem with this theory. The person is still relying on something to predict the future.

Just because a stock performed a certain way for the last two months, doesn't mean that it's going to do the same thing again. There are many variables that affect a stock's price that can't be taken into consideration by a machine. Let's say that the company's CEO just went crazy and was committed. The outlook of the company could change overnight. Investors might have believed that the potential of the company was completely due to the management of the CEO. The morning after this happened; the stock price plummets to record lows.

Now in the machine's calculations, it may have been the perfect time to buy. Unfortunately for the investor, the robot doesn't get CNN. If you listened to the robot and bought the stock, you might stand to lose a lot of money in the process.

A stock market robot is a great idea that could help many investors. However, just like a human, it can't take into consideration every possible factor that could affect a stock's price. The best strategy is still a long-term, consistent approach to investing.