Google (GOOG) released a new mobile navigation app Wednesday and GPS navigation companies such as Garmin (GRMN) and TomTom saw their shares take a plunge- from TechCrunch

Investing in penny stocks provides traders with the opportunity to dramatically increase their profits, however, it also provides an equal opportunity to lose your trading capital quickly. These 5 tips will help you lower the risk of one of the riskiest investment vehicles.

Penny stocks are basically low-priced stocks that sell for anywhere from $1 to $5, and are generally considered speculative. The term "penny stock" (also called microcap or small cap stock) is most commonly used for the stocks priced at under a dollar a share. You will not find companies such as Wal-Mart or Microsoft in the penny stock section, but remember – they were small companies too once upon a time. The savvy investor must look upon penny stock investing as a challenge to find "the next big thing."

A deal between the Treasury Department and a key House Democrat would give the government sweeping new powers to police the country's largest financial companies, including the ability to seize and break up failing companies and order large firms to shrink.