Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Beginners Guide to the Stock Market

Are you tired of showing up for work, and you want to be a business owner who owns your time? And your imagined type of work is to sit back, watch the business grow and collect the profits at the end of the day? Or in a more complex scenario, you will be asked to constantly monitor the news and your call inside the business will be dependent upon economic news and market news? Others may probably think that these are what dreams are made of, but for others they know this is true. And if you are thinking about people who are involved in stocks and the stock market, then you are correct.

The trading of the stocks which are considered as financial instruments in the stock market is considered as one of the better ways to build income and this has been made by the past players of the stock market. Knowing what these financial instruments are is just the start, it is also important to understand what the market is- the stock market-and how this market operates.

The simplest definition calls the stock market as the public market where stocks and derivatives are traded at the set price. There are those securities that are listed on the stock exchange that are traded in private. Participants in the stock market are varied, some represents large financial institutions and some are considered as small and individual investors. Whatever orders that they initiate will end up with the professional that mans the stock exchange and the professional is the one who executes the order of the traders whether these are for "buy" or "sell".

Exchanges can be considered as physical locations and there is also the virtual exchange. In physical exchanges, trades are carried out on the trading floor and trades are done through open outcry. This way, traders cry out and enter their trades verbally. The other kind of stock exchange is the virtual kind, and this is linked by a network of computers and the trades are made electronically. The world's largest New York Stock Exchange is considered as a physical and a listed exchange where listed securities can be traded. The typical orders will start from traders going to the floor broker up to the floor trading post specialist that trades the order. This specialist matches any buy and sells orders, and when trades are made this is reported on the tape and sent to the brokerage firm. An example of a virtual exchange is your NASDAQ in the US where trading are done online. The process is similar; the only difference is that traders are matched electronically.

Simply put, it is the role of the stock market to serve as the meeting place for traders for trading, whether that's real or virtual. The stock market is considered as an important institution for the economy and in a way can serve as a barometer of how the economy performs. Right now, the world's stock market is estimated at $36.6 trillion USD as of October 2008. But if the derivatives market is to be estimated, then this market is tagged at $791 trillion.

Trying to find information on the stock market for beginners? Look no further, we cover everything you need to know about learning the stock market for beginners. Head to http://www.learn-how-to-invest.com/stock-market-for-beginners to get started today!


A great article from Jeff, explaining basic stock market issues.

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