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The stock market is an integral part of the financial system and serves as a platform for buying and selling stocks, bonds, and other securities. It is a key indicator of the overall health of the economy and plays a crucial role in driving economic growth. Understanding how the stock market works is essential for anyone looking to invest or build wealth.

Stocks, also known as shares or equities, represent ownership in a company. When you buy stocks, you become a shareholder and have a claim on the company's assets and earnings. As the company grows and becomes more profitable, your share value increases, allowing you to earn profits through dividends or by selling your shares at a higher price.

The stock market is essentially a marketplace where buyers and sellers come together to trade stocks. Companies list their stocks on various exchanges, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) or NASDAQ, and investors can buy or sell these stocks through brokers or online trading platforms.

The value of a stock is determined by the forces of supply and demand. If there are more buyers than sellers, the stock price will go up, and if there are more sellers than buyers, the stock price will go down. Various factors like company performance, economic conditions, and investor sentiment can influence the demand for a particular stock.

There are two  main types of stocks: common and preferred.

• Common stocks give shareholders voting rights and the potential for higher returns through price appreciation.
• Preferred stocks, on the other hand, do not offer voting rights but provide investors with a fixed dividend payment.

Investors can also categorize stocks based on market capitalization. Large-cap stocks are shares of well-established companies with a market value of more than $10 billion. Mid-cap stocks fall in the range of $2 billion to $10 billion, while small-cap stocks have a market value of less than $2 billion.

Investing in the stock market offers potentially high returns but comes with some risks as well . Stocks are considered a riskier investment compared to other assets, like bonds or real estate. The stock market is prone to volatility, meaning that the value of stocks can fluctuate significantly over short periods.

However, with higher risks come potentially higher rewards. Historically, the stock market has outperformed other investments over the long term, providing an average annual return of around 10%. Additionally, investors can also earn income from stocks through dividends or by selling their shares at a higher price.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500) are two of the most well-known stock market indexes in the United States. Both indexes track the performance of a select group of stocks to provide insight into the overall health of the stock market.

The DJIA is made up of 30 large-cap stocks, representing various industries such as technology, healthcare, and finance. On the other hand, the S&P 500 consists of 500 large-cap companies across multiple sectors. The performance of these indexes is often used as a benchmark for how well the overall stock market is performing.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) are two major stock exchanges in the United States. The NYSE is known for its iconic location on Wall Street, while the NASDAQ is an electronic exchange.

The NYSE primarily lists larger, established companies, while the NASDAQ includes mainly technology and growth-oriented companies. Both exchanges offer investors a chance to buy and sell shares of publicly traded companies.

When investing in stocks, it's important to understand the different categories based on market capitalization. Market cap refers to the total value of a company's shares. Large-cap stocks are typically considered to be more stable and less volatile because they represent well-established companies with a market cap of over $10 billion.

Mid-cap stocks have a smaller market cap, usually between $2 billion to $10 billion, and can offer higher growth potential than large-caps. Small-cap stocks have the smallest market cap, usually under $2 billion, and can be more risky but also potentially more rewarding for investors.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds are both types of investment vehicles that allow individuals to invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks or other securities. However, there are some key differences between the two .

ETFs are traded on stock exchanges and can be bought and sold throughout the day like stocks. They typically have lower fees and are more tax-efficient compared to mutual funds. On the other hand, mutual funds are priced once a day after the market closes and often have higher fees. However, they may offer more actively managed portfolios with potentially higher returns.

Index funds are a type of ETF or mutual fund that tracks a specific market index, such as the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Average. These passive investment vehicles aim to mimic the performance of their designated index rather than beat it. This makes them ideal for long-term investors who want to  passively invest in the overall market rather than try to beat it through actively managed funds.

Index funds are often used as a benchmark for measuring the performance of other investment vehicles. They have gained popularity in recent years due to their low fees and consistent returns, making them a popular choice for novice investors or those seeking a more hands-off approach to investing.

Key Terms to Know

Arbitrage refers to purchasing an asset from one market and selling it to another market where the selling price is higher than what you paid for it, resulting in profit. 

An ask is the selling price that a trader offers for their shares. 

Asset allocation is an investment strategy that aims to balance risk and reward by dividing a certain percentage of investments—like stocks, bonds, real estate, cash, etc.—across different assets in an investment portfolio. 

Asset classes are categories of assets, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, or cash. 

Averaging down is an investing strategy that involves buying additional shares of an asset or stock after its price has fallen, resulting in a lower average purchase price. 

A bear market is a market condition in which prices are expected to fall. Typically, this entails major indexes or stocks decreasing by 20% or more compared to previous highs. 

Beta is the measure of an asset’s risk in relation to the market. A stock with a beta of 1.5 means that the stock typically moves 50% more than the market in the same direction. Generally, a higher beta indicates a riskier investment—if the market rises 10%, the stock will rise by 15%, but if the market falls by 10%, the stock will fall by 15%. 

The price a trader is willing to pay for shares of a stock or other asset. 

Bid-ask spread is the difference between what buyers are willing to pay and the price sellers are asking for a stock. 

A blockchain is a record-keeping database in which transactions made in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies are recorded across multiple computers and distributed across the entire network of those computers.

Blue-chip stocks are common stocks of well-known companies known for their quality and history of growth. 

A bond is a type of security loaned by an investor to a borrower like a company or government used to fund its operations. 

A bull market is a market condition in which prices are expected to rise.

A buyback is when a company repurchases outstanding shares to reduce the number of shares on the market and return profits to their investors, resulting in an increased value of the remaining shares. 

Also known as market cap, capitalization is the total market value of all a company’s outstanding shares. It’s calculated by multiplying the total number of shares by the current share price.

Capital gains refers to the profit earned after selling an asset or investment for a higher price than you paid for it. 

This is one of the most basic stock market terms to know. Common stock is a type of security that represents ownership in a company. Holders of common stock are able to vote on matters like corporate policies and elect directors within that company. 

The current ratio is a measure of a company’s ability to pay short-term debt. It’s determined by dividing current assets by current liabilities. 

Day trading is the practice of buying and selling shares of stock within a single day.  

Debt-to-equity ratio represents a function of a company’s debt relative to its equity, or the value of its assets minus its liabilities. The ratio is found by dividing total liabilities by total shareholder equity. 

Diversification is an investment strategy that divides investment funds across a variety of assets in order to minimize overall risk. 

“Dividend” is one of the most basic terms for the stock market. It’s simply a portion of a company’s earnings paid out to its shareholders. 

A dividend yield is a dividend expressed as a percentage of its stock price. 

Dollar-cost averaging is an investment strategy in which you invest a fixed amount on a regular basis regardless of the price of the asset. 

Also known as Dow 30, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is a stock market index consisting of the 30 most-traded blue-chip stocks on the New York Stock Exchange. It’s used to measure the performance of shares among the largest U.S. companies and gauge the overall direction of stock prices. 

Earnings per share is a company’s profit divided by its number of outstanding shares, and is used to measure corporate profitability.

An economic bubble is a situation where asset prices surge to significantly higher levels than the fundamental value of that asset. 

An equal weight rating is a measure used by equity analysts to signify how well a stock is performing relative to other stocks. An equal weight rating suggests that a stock will perform similarly with the average of all the stocks being used for comparison.

Equity income is used to describe any income received from stock dividends. 

An exchange, or stock exchange, is a marketplace where investors and traders buy and sell stocks. You’ve probably heard of the most well-known exchanges in the U.S.: the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) 

and Nasdaq. 

Commonly known as ETFs, exchange-traded funds are a collection of stocks or bonds combined in a single fund that can be purchased and traded on major stock exchanges. Similar to mutual funds, they’re a pooled investment fund, meaning a “pool” of money is aggregated from multiple investors. 

An expense ratio measures the cost of owning a mutual fund, including expenses like the management of the fund, overhead fees, and any other costs associated with running the fund. It’s essentially an administrative fee paid to the company in return for owning the fund. The ratio is measured as a percentage of your total investment—for example, if you invest $10,000 in a fund with an expense ratio of .20%, you’ll pay $20 on top of your investment. 

A future is a contract that requires a buyer to purchase a specific asset, and the seller to sell that asset at a certain future date at an agreed-upon price. Futures are a way for investors to hedge current investments—a risk management strategy intended to offset potential losses in other investments.

Going long refers to the act of buying stock shares with the expectation that the asset’s price will rise, resulting in a profit. 

Going short—the opposite of going long—refers to the act of selling stock shares with the expectation that the asset’s price will fall. When an investor goes short on an asset, they borrow that asset, sell it, and hopefully purchase it later at a lower price if the price does decline, resulting in profit. 

This is a type of mutual fund or ETF that has both a history of capital gains (growth) and income generated from dividends (income). Growth and income funds have a two-sided strategy of both long-term growth and short-term income. 

A growth stock is a common stock of a company whose revenues are expected to grow at a significantly higher rate than what’s average for that industry. 

The head and shoulders pattern refers to a specific chart formation seen on a technical analysis chart. It appears when a stock price reaches three peaks: when the price peaks then declines; rises above that peak and declines again; and rises a third time (but not as high as the second peak) and then declines again. The second peak represents the formation’s “head,” and the first and third peaks represent the “shoulders.” It’s generally considered to be an indicator of an impending bear market. 

Index funds are investment funds that follow the performance of a specific benchmark or stock market index, like the S&P 500. When you invest in an index fund, your money is used to invest in every company in that index. This results in a more diverse portfolio than if you were hand-selecting individual stocks .

Inflation is the rate of increase in prices for goods and services in the economy.

An IPO refers to a previously private company that becomes public by selling stock 

shares on the stock market. 

A limit order is an order to buy or sell a stock at or below a specific price. Limit orders give traders control over how much they pay. 

Liquidity measures how quickly and easily a stock can be bought or sold without impacting its price. Cash, for example, is the most liquid asset—no exchange is necessary to gain value from it, and it’s already in its most liquid form. On the other hand, a car is less liquid—regardless of its value, you might have to wait to sell it at its best price. 

Sometimes referred to as “buying on margin,” margin is when investors borrow money from a broker to purchase a stock, similar to a loan. 

A market index tracks the performance of a certain collection of stocks, often grouped to represent a certain industry. They’re a tool for investors to gauge the health of the stock market by comparing current and past stock prices.

Market volatility is a measure of how much and how often the value of the stock market fluctuates. 

A moving average is the average price of stocks or other assets over a specific period of time. Generally used in technical analysis charts, it’s calculated by averaging data from the previous time periods to help investors identify the current direction of price trends.

Mutual funds are pools of investments from shareholders used to “mutually” buy securities like stocks, bonds, and other assets. 

Nasdaq, or National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, is an electronic exchange where investors can buy and sell stocks through an automated network of computers. It’s the second-largest stock exchange in the world, following the NYSE.  

More broadly, Nasdaq can also refer to the Nasdaq Composite Index, a stock market index of over 3,300 companies listed on the Nasdaq exchange. In this context, it can be thought of similarly to other indexes like the DJIA or the S&P 500.

A non-fungible token, more commonly known as an NFT, is a blockchain-based financial security. Each NFT represents a unique digital asset. “Non-fungible” indicates that it can’t be replicated or replaced with something else. 

An order imbalance occurs when orders of one type of stock aren’t offset by opposite orders, resulting in an excess of orders for that specific stock and sometimes volatile price changes. 

OTC stocks, or over-the-counter stocks, are securities that are traded on a broker-dealer network instead of on a major U.S. stock exchange. They’re often used by smaller companies who don’t meet the requirements to be listed on a formal stock exchange.

Outstanding shares refers to the total number of a company’s shares that have been issued to shareholders, including restricted shares. 

Used to value a company, the P/E ratio, or price-earnings ratio, is the ratio of a company’s share price to the company’s earnings per share. 

Preferred stock is a type of stock that combines characteristics of both common stock and bonds. Owners of preferred stock receive different rights than common stockholders, like receiving dividends before common stockholders, but they generally don’t come with corporate voting rights like common stocks do. 

A price quote is the price of a stock or other security as quoted on an exchange. Price quotes usually come with important supplemental information to help traders make more informed investment decisions. 

Profit margins are used to gauge the profitability of a company. It’s expressed as a percentage and is calculated by dividing the company’s net profit (total revenue minus total expenses) by total revenue.

A recession is defined as a period of decline in economic performance throughout the economy, generally lasting for at least several months. 

Risk tolerance is a measure of the level of risk you’re willing to accept on your investments. Someone with a lower risk tolerance typically sees lower returns on their investments in exchange for lower overall risk in periods of market decline. 

A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account that allows you to contribute after-tax dollars, allowing your earnings to grow and be withdrawn tax-free. 

The stock market includes shares from thousands of different companies, which are broken into 11 different sectors. A sector is a group of companies with similar business products, services, or characteristics. 

Shares are units of ownership in part of a company’s total stock. 

While this isn’t necessarily a term or definition, it’s important to know what days you can and can’t buy or sell on the U.S. stock exchange. The U.S. stock market observes 10 holidays a year, closing on those days. In 2024, the observed holidays are New Years Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth National Independence Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

A stock option is a contract that gives an investor the right to purchase or sell a specific number of stock shares at a predetermined price within a specified time period. 

A stock portfolio is an individual’s collection of investments, including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other financial assets. While a portfolio refers to all of your investments, they might not be contained in one single account. 

A stock split occurs when a corporation increases the number of its outstanding shares by distributing more shares to current stockholders. By splitting existing shares into multiple new shares, the stock becomes more affordable. 

Time horizon refers to the period of time an investor expects to hold an investment, which will vary based on personal investment goals and strategies. For example, investing in a retirement account like a 401(k) has a longer time horizon, since the funds won’t be withdrawn until you reach retirement age. Generally speaking, longer time horizons correlate to more risk potential in a portfolio, and shorter time horizons correlate to a more conservative (less risky) portfolio.

Value stocks are shares of companies selling at bargain prices that investors expect to rise because the company’s financial fundamentals suggest the shares are actually worth more than the current value.

Volume is a measure of how much a certain stock or other investment has been traded over a certain period of time. Volume is a critical component of strategically analyzing stock market trends, and is often used to determine market strength. 

Volume-weighted average price (VWAP) is a measure of the average trading price of a stock or other asset, adjusted for volume. It’s calculated by dividing the total dollar value of trading in that asset by the volume of trades. 

Yield refers to the income earned on an investment over a set period of time, expressed as a percentage of your original investment. 

The 52-week range is a technical indicator that measures the lowest and highest price of a stock traded during a 52-week period. Traders use this measure to analyze current stock prices and predict its future movements.  

As you start paying off debt, start buying small amounts of silver and gold. Learn the language of buying  these precious metals. 

Physical forms of buying gold include purchasing it in the form of coins or bars. These are tangible assets that can be held and stored by individuals. Coins are typically smaller in size and easier to purchase, while bars come in larger sizes and may require higher minimum investments.

There are a variety of coins available for purchase, with some popular options being American Eagle Gold Coins, Canadian Maple Leaf Gold Coins, and South African Krugerrands. Each coin has its own specific weight, purity level, design, and market value.

Bars also vary in size and weight ranging from  1 gram to 1 kilogram. Some bars may even come in unique shapes and designs, adding to their collectible value.

Physical forms of buying gold can offer individuals a sense of security as they physically possess the asset. However, there are also drawbacks such as storage and insurance costs, as well as potential risk of theft or loss.

In recent years, digital methods have become increasingly popular for buying gold. These include purchasing gold through exchange-traded funds (ETFs), gold certificates, or digital platforms that allow for trading and investing in physical gold.

ETFs are investment funds traded on stock exchanges that hold underlying assets such as physical gold. They offer a convenient way for  individuals to invest in gold without the hassle of owning and storing physical coins or bars. Gold certificates, on the other hand, are a type of paper investment that represents ownership of a certain amount of physical gold.

Digital platforms also allow for trading and investing in physical gold through online accounts. This provides individuals with an easy and accessible way to buy, sell, and track their investments in real time.

One advantage of digital methods is the ease and convenience they offer. They also often come with lower transaction fees compared to physical forms of buying gold. However, there can be added risks involved such as cyber security threats or potential fraud.

KEY TERMS

Assay – A test to determine the quality and purity of a gold or silver product. When a gold or silver product ships with an “assay”, this is a guarantee from the assayer that the product in question does indeed contain the described amount and purity of gold or silver.

Brilliant Uncirculated – A coin that has never been in circulation, and is in shiny, new, and immaculate condition.

Buy/Sell Spreads – The difference between a precious metals trader’s buying prices and selling prices, relative to the spot price of the metal they are trading. Ideally, buy/sell spreads are kept as low as possible.

Circulated – Coins that have been distributed to the public as currency. Usually in much worse condition than uncirculated coins.

Commodity – A physical product which is commonly traded and holds value based on the product’s industrial and commercial value.

Condition – The condition of a gold or silver bar, round, or coin. Common conditions are “New”, “Varied”, “Brilliant Uncirculated”, “Proof”, “Circulated”, etc.

Divisibility – How easy it is to piece out and distribute a fixed weight of a certain product. Ex: Ten 1 Ounce Silver Bars are more divisible than One 10 Ounce Silver Bar.

Gold-Silver Ratio – The amount of silver you can buy with one ounce of gold, based on present spot prices. Ex: a gold-silver ratio of 50 means that one ounce of gold would buy fifty ounces of silver at present prices. View our gold prices and silver prices for more info.

Junk Silver – Any silver product that contains less than 90% silver content. Junk silver products usually contain between 35% and 90% silver. Ex: pre-1965 US coins.

Legal Tender – Coins that can be used as national currency. Ex: The 1 Ounce American Gold Eagle has legal tender of $50 USD.

Liquidity – The ease of buying and selling a certain product or metal. Ex: 1 Ounce Silver Bars are extremely liquid, as there is a huge active base of both buyers and sellers.

Mint – The refining or fabricating company which created a certain bar, round, or coin. Ex: Golden State Mint.

Obverse – The “front” side of a coin, usually bearing a head or face design.

Paper Precious Metals – Any precious metal investment that doesn’t result in the investor holding gold or silver in hand. Ex: precious metal ETFs, precious metal certificates, etc.

Proof – A coin that has been struck with greater pressure than normal using special dies to make the design more highly polished. Proof coins are collectibles and trade at a higher premium than brilliant uncirculated or circulated versions of the same coin.

Purity – The gold or silver content contained within a bar, round, or coin. Usually displayed as .XXX. Ex – .999 1 Ounce Silver Bars, indicating 99.9% purity.

Reverse – The “back” side of a coin, with an alternate design usually displaying the coin’s purity and face value.

Spot Price – The live, up-to-date price of gold or silver. Determined by the latest trades on the futures market, as well as over-the-counter markets. 

Weight – The stamped weight of a bar, round, or coin. Ex: 1 Ounce Silver Bars.

Year – The year of issue for a gold or silver coin. Ex: 2012 Silver American Eagle

Bitcoin is a digital currency, also known as a cryptocurrency, that was created in 2009 by an unknown person using the name Satoshi Nakamoto. It operates on a decentralized network and does not require any centralized authority to process transactions or keep records.

The idea of creating a decentralized digital currency was first proposed in 1998 by Wei Dai, but it wasn't until 2009 that Bitcoin was officially launched. The creator(s) behind Bitcoin remains a mystery, with many speculations and theories surrounding the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto.

Since its inception, Bitcoin has gone through several ups and downs. In 2010, the value of one bitcoin was just $0.003, but by 2017 it reached an all-time high of nearly $20,000. However, it has also experienced significant drops in value, causing volatility and skepticism among investors.

Bitcoin operates on a blockchain technology, which is essentially a decentralized digital ledger that records all transactions made with the cryptocurrency. Transactions are verified and added to the blockchain through a process called mining, where powerful computers solve complex mathematical equations.

Bitcoin can be bought or sold on cryptocurrency exchanges using traditional currencies or other cryptocurrencies. It can also be used for transactions with merchants who accept bitcoin as payment.

One of the major advantages of Bitcoin is its decentralization - it is not controlled by any government or financial institution, making it immune to inflation or manipulation. Additionally, Bitcoin offers low transaction fees compared to traditional banking systems and allows for quick and seamless international transactions.

Bitcoin has faced criticism for its high volatility, as well as the potential for use in illegal activities due to its anonymity. It has also been accused of being an unsustainable energy drain due to the mining process requiring significant computing power.

Furthermore, as a relatively new and unregulated form of currency, there are concerns about security and protection for investors. However, efforts are continuously being made to address these concerns and improve the overall stability and legitimacy of Bitcoin.

While there is still a level of volatility and skepticism among investors, many experts believe that Bitcoin has the potential to revolutionize the financial industry. As more companies begin to accept bitcoin as payment and governments consider regulating it, its value and legitimacy may continue to increase.

Additionally, advancements in blockchain technology have led to the development of other cryptocurrencies with different features and purposes, potentially diversifying investment opportunities in the future.

Overall, while there are concerns surrounding Bitcoin, its impact on the world of finance cannot be ignored. It will be interesting to see how this digital currency evolves and grows in the coming years.  So far, it has shown great potential for shaping the future of money and transactions.