Stock Terms and Definitions

a fractional share of ownership in a business

an agent that charges a fee or commission for executing buy and sell orders submitted by an investor

the market in which shares of publicly held companies are issued and traded either through exchanges or over-the-counter markets

a market condition in which the prices of securities are falling, and widespread pessimism causes the negative sentiment to be self-sustaining

a financial market of a group of securities in which prices are rising or are expected to rise

the gain or loss of a security in a particular period

a financial benefit that is realized when the amount of revenue gained from a business activity exceeds the expenses, costs and taxes needed to sustain the activity

an order placed with a broker to sell a security when it reaches a certain price

the act of trading in an asset, or conducting a financial transaction, that has a significant risk of losing most or all of the initial outlay, in expectation of a substantial gain

a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq

a global electronic marketplace for buying and selling securities, as well as the benchmark index for U.S. technology stocks

a stock exchange based in New York City, which is considered the largest equities-based exchange in the world based on total market capitalization of its listed securities

an index of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity and industry grouping, among other factors

a street in lower Manhattan that is the original home of the New York Stock Exchange