Friday, 29 April 2011

The Stock Market And How It Functions

By Jack Wogan


You've always been tempted to invest money on the stock market but didn't really know how it works? Well, they are not so difficult mechanisms and if you understand how they function you can take advantage of the profits they will bring. There are many big companies selling shares on the stock market and if you find the perfect investment, it can pay off all your struggles. A broker can guide you through the whole process, but that if you are willing to take some risks too.

What is indeed a stock market? Easy: a public place where company shares and derivatives are traded. Which makes the brokerage company a dealer of shares and other securities, acting as your agent when you want to buy or sell stocks. The stock market is not a physical location or store, neither is it a single building. It is a place where traders get together to buy and sell shares. There are two ways of trading at a stock market: electronically or on the exchange floor. The latter is the classic image we have of stock markets: when the market it opens, hundreds of people rush about shouting and gesturing, talking on the phone and watching monitors and entering data into terminals in the same time. It looks chaotic, but at the end of the day the brokers get ready for the following day.

The image of stock market we have from movies, when people rush about shouting and gesturing, talking on the phone and watching monitors and entering data into terminals in the same time, is a real one. This corresponds to the outcry method of trading, which happens on physical locations. But most used is the electronic way, when buyers and sellers are matched by vast computer networks. One can log on the website of a brokerage company, place an order and have the confirmation of the deal almost instantaneously. That's what makes it the most preferred way of trading.

Of course there will always be some risks involved. Money can be lost if invested in risky companies, and that is why the research phase is so important. There are also no guarantees of a returned profit, but you can also be surprised by obtaining a substantial profit. It is a lot about intuition too. However, the system behind the chaotic environment of stock markets is a well organized one. At the end of a workday, brokers get ready for the following. It is an environment always on the move, with a lot of activity going on that you must catch up with.

It is also very easy to stay in contact with your broker. You can call him at any time and consult on future investments. They are the only ones who have permanent access to the electronic markets and who can access the exchange networks,in order to find a buyer or seller depending on your orders. The relation established between a company selling shares and the investor is a tight one: when the company turns the capital into profit, a share of the profit is passed to investors. In the same way, if the company loses money, investors share the loss. A starting point would be to invest a small sum of money and see what is the outcome. The potential of an investment to return multiplied is highly probable, so why not dare investing on the stock market?




About the Author:



No comments: