Do i need to wait for stock to settle before i sell it?

Question

basically if i buy the stock in the morning can i immediately sell it that afternoon (therefore has not settled)?

Answer 1

Assuming you have a cash account: As long as your buy is paid for (i.e. you bought with available cash), you can sell it immediately.  

You can then even turn around and immediately buy another stock (if your broker allows it) even though your previous sell hasn't settled yet, but you won't be able to sell THAT one for 3 days because it hasn't technically been paid for yet.  If you do, you'll be charged with a freeriding violation.

The way to avoid these kinds of settlement issues is to open a margin account.

Answer 2

No, you could sell it 5 seconds after you bought it.