The term stock market refers to several exchanges where shares of publicly traded companies can be bought and sold. Such financial activities are carried out through formal exchanges and over-the-counter (OTC) marketplaces that follow the rules.

The terms “stock exchange” and “stock market” are frequently used interchangeably. Stock market traders buy and sell shares on one or more of the stock exchanges that comprise the overall stock market.

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq are the two most important stock exchanges in the United States.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Standard & Poor’s 500 are two popular stock market indices frequently mentioned when the term “stock market” is used in everyday speech. These represent large portions of the stock market. The performance of the indexes is indicative of the entire market because it is difficult to keep track of every single company.

According to a news headline, the stock market may have declined, or the stock market may have closed the day up or down. Most frequently, this indicates that stock market indexes have moved up or down, indicating that the value of the index’s component stocks has increased or decreased. By purchasing and selling stocks, investors anticipate making money.

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What drives the market?

A small portion of a publicly traded company is what you purchase when you buy stock.

You may be familiar with the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq, two of the exchanges that make up the stock market. An initial public offering, also known as an IPO, is a procedure whereby companies list shares of their stock on an exchange. These shares are bought by investors, enabling the company to raise capital for business expansion. Following that, investors can trade these stocks among themselves.

The highest price buyers are willing to pay, known as a “bid,” is typically less than the price sellers “ask” for in return. The bid-ask spread is the name given to this difference. A buyer must raise his price, or a seller must lower hers for a trade to occur.

Even though it may seem complicated, most price calculations are typically performed by computer algorithms. When buying stock, you can view the bid, ask, and bid-ask spread on your broker’s website. However, in many cases, the difference will only be a few cents, so novice and long-term investors won’t need to worry too much.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) oversees the stock market. The SEC’s mandate is to “protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets, and facilitate capital formation.”

Historically, stock trades were most likely conducted in a physical marketplace. The stock market now operates electronically via the internet and online stockbrokers. Each trade is conducted stock by stock, but stock prices frequently move in tandem due to news, political events, economic reports, and other factors.

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What is the purpose of the stock exchange?

The purpose of the stock market is to allow anyone to buy and sell fractional ownership in a publicly traded company. It gives hundreds of millions of individual investors control of some of the world’s largest corporations. And the value of those companies is determined by those investors’ buying and selling decisions.

The market allows buyers and sellers to make deals over prices. This negotiation process maximizes fairness for both parties by providing the highest possible selling price and the lowest possible buying price at the negotiation time. Each exchange monitors the supply and demand for the stocks listed on its platform.

Supply and demand influence the prices at which stock market participants — investors and traders — are willing to buy and sell securities. This is known as price discovery, which is essential to the functioning of the market. Price discovery is critical in determining how new information affects a company’s value.

Consider a publicly traded company with a market capitalization (market value) of $1 billion and a share price of $20.

Assume a larger company announces a $2 billion deal to acquire the smaller company, subject to regulatory approval. If the transaction goes through, the company’s value will be doubled.

If the deal appears to hold, sellers may raise their asks to $40, and buyers may raise their bids to meet those asks. Buyers may be willing to offer only $30 if the deal is not approved. If they are extremely pessimistic about the deal’s prospects, they may keep their bids at $20.

In this way, the market can determine how a complicated piece of new information — such as a potential takeover deal — should affect the company’s market value.

Read Detailed Article @ The Stock Market: What Is It and How Does It Operate?

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