Introduction
Stock Market
A stock is a unit of ownership within a company and is known as a form of investment, it is important to understand what a stock is to be able to understand that the stock market in its simplest form is a platform where investors buy stocks and bonds as well as sell them. (Also known as trades.) Investors will usually hire a stockbroker who will make purchases of stock on behalf of their customers’ requests and offer their professional advice. ‘Investors who hold their stock for a minimum of 15 years are more likely to succeed in the market.’ (Global Finance Journal Index Volume 14, 2003,) Stocks are long-term investments. But there are no guarantees of any profit return and often losses can occur. Companies often sell stock to raise money to;
• Research and design better ways to make their products
• Create new products
• Have their existing products improved or altered
• Increase their amount of employees When an investor purchases stock, they become a shareholder which means they have ownership of “part" of the company. If the company 's profits rise, you are entitled to share in those profits. This also works the other way around. Should an investor sell their stock when the current price is lower than what they paid for it, then they would make a loss. ‘The stock market is always volatile, from the moment it opens each day to the moment it closes, companies can expect sharp rises and sheer drops in their stock price in a matter of
So what does this really mean? It means if a company puts their stock up for sale on the market you can buy a partial ownership of the company. Your portion of ownership depends on the amount of shares you purchase in a particular company. When you purchase a share of the company you own that percentage of everything the company owns and makes and can have a decision on the company. The two most common types of stock are common, the typical traded stock that everyone is use to and comes with voting rights, and preferred, doesn't usually come with voting rights and typically offers some form of guaranteed fixed dividend forever. Features of stocks are easy to buy and sell, no guarantee of return, may make huge profits fast or lose value just as quick, requires monitoring. Stocks are traded on "The Market", meaning they have to be bought and sold through a stock market. With regulations just anyone can't buy or sell on the market, it has to be a licensed broker to carry out the transaction. Stock buying and selling can take a lot of time and research to make the most profit. If you can find a broker, you trust they can really help you with your investment. Stocks are one area of investment, more so than bonds, you need to be sure you can stand to lose the money if the market doesn't work
The “Stock Market” is a term that actually describes several markets such as the New York Stock Exchange NASDAQ, where the stocks of companies are traded. Shares in a company are sold and the shareholders then become part owners of the company. Offering shares of stock raises money for continued research and development of company products or services.
3. At what price would you recommend that Rosetta Stone shares be sold?Rosetta Stone: Pricing the 2009 IPO
The weekly performance of IBM stock presented a contestant growth. One highlight of the falling of stock price in the 6th week in the investment period was when IBM presented the 3rd quarter financial report. The investors weren’t satisfied with the profit report which they expected to be better especially when other IT companies were doing well in the 3rd quarter. One mistake I made was that I didn’t follow closely to the financial report of the company; therefore, I missed the peak of the stock price. From this experience, I learned that financial reports and current news are important indicators of the stock price. By following closely to the current event and analyzing the financial report, investors can maximize the profit and also become more familiar to the market.
Being a stockholder can have great rewards like a viable source of income, or an eggs nest for retirement, however it does have its downsides as well. Owning stock in a corporation bears the risk of losing all one’s investment if the company goes bankrupt. Aside from financial benefits, owning stock allows stockholders to have a voice (however small it may be) in the company’s direction.
In regards to investing in stocks, bonds, currencies, or other investment products, it has always been a normal emotion to be happy when a stock price rose and upset when a stock price fell. Yet for Warren Buffet and his team at Berkshire they welcome these declining prices because of the opportunities it brings. According to Warren Buffet, a true investor would be buying stocks and businesses for their entire life, and “with these intentions, declining prices for businesses benefit us, and rising prices hurt us.” Understanding that the investor is going to be a buyer for eternity an investor should
7. Compare your valuation with Smith Barney’s. What assumptions do you have to make to get the terminal value EBITDA multiples used by Smith Barney. Is there any benefit of their method relative to FCF method?
There are a few terms new stock investors should learn before actually beginning to put money into the stock market. You hear words like “shares”, “assets”, and even “earnings” when you watch or listen to people on the television. Shares are a percentage of the company, if you buy a share; you own a small percentage of it and its earnings. Earnings are all the money that the company makes. Assets involve all the company owns, for example, trademarks, equipment, and even the buildings their workers work in. Companies put their assets and
Gittman (2004, pp. 312) divided stock into two types, such as common stock and preferred stock. He also showed that dividends are the outcome of investment. So, common stocks are an ownership claim against primarily real or productive asset (Higgins, 1995), but he also said that if the company prospers, stockholders are the chief beneficiaries, if it falters, they are the chief losers. Smith (1988) presented that stocks are one of the most popular forms of investment. People buy stocks for various reasons: some are interested in the long-term growth of their investment by buying low priced stock of a new company in the hope of substantially growth of share price over the next few years. Another reason he suggested that in a well established firm stockholders expect the stock growth will be stable over the long run. (Smith,1988).
The stock market works by increasing the value of stocks based upon multiple factors. One of the factors is company performance. The better the company is doing the more stocks will increase and vice versa. Another factor is the demand. The more demand the bigger the price and also vice versa. So to maximize the amount of money you get from a stock you need many people buying that stock and having the company do well.
Choosing two profitable stocks amongst a myriad of potential alternatives is a daunting task to say the least. In order to narrow my choices from thousands to two, I examined several aspects of companies I was interested in. Among these were, company overview, alpha and beta ratings, price ratios, price charts, and company headlines. After evaluating this information, I chose Intuit INC (INTU) listed on the NASDAQ and Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) listed on the NYSE.
In the beginning, there was no real stock market. However stock exchanges did take place in smaller groups and corporations. This all took place during the 1700's where stocks were already around for a long time before that but it wasn't really popular in the United States. Stocks originally started as auctions where traders called out names of companies and the shares available. There was a auction that took place and the shares went to the highest bidders.
Just after the student decided what he wanted to invest; He invested a small amount of money to prevent a big loss. The first investment was made in a mutual fund; This kind of stock grows slow, this makes them easier to manage and safer. The student invested $2,000 in a company called ‘American Funds Euro Pacific Growth A (AEPGX)’. It is a company that helps small businesses to growth; according to the charts the student thought it was a good idea to start investing in this company, since it is a long term the price of the stock rises or decreases in a slow rate.
"When we own portions of outstanding businesses with outstanding managements, our favourite holding period is forever." - A very deep and insightful thought by the most successful investor of the 20th century.
Stocks (or shares), by definition, are shares of ownership in a company. By purchasing stocks in a company, the investor becomes a part owner, and thereby owns a percentage share of the company’s after tax profits. Stocks/shares have two key characteristics: 1) they can be issued in small denominations: an investor can purchase as many or as few shares in a company as he/ she wants, thereby becoming a