Free Stock Tips,

Stock market or Equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.

The stocks are listed and traded on stock exchanges which are entities of a corporation or mutual organization specialized in the business of bringing buyers and sellers of the organizations to a listing of
stocks and securities together.

Participants in the stock market range from small individual stock investors to large hedge fund traders, who can be based anywhere. Their orders usually end up with a professional at a stock exchange,
who executes the order. Actual trades are based on an auction market model where a potential buyer bids a specific price for a stock and a potential seller asks a specific price for the stock.

Buying or selling at market means you will accept any ask price or bid price for the stock, respectively. When the bid and ask prices match, a sale takes place.

A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities
and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and dividends. Securities traded on a stock exchange include shares issued by companies, unit trusts, derivatives,
pooled investment products and bonds.To be able to trade a security on a certain stock exchange, it must be listed there. The initial offering of stocks and bonds to investors is by definition done in the primary
market and subsequent trading is done in the secondary market. A stock exchange is often the most important component of a stock market. Supply and demand in stock markets is driven by various factors that, as in all free markets.
There is usually no compulsion to issue stock via the stock exchange itself, nor must stock be subsequently traded on the exchange. Such trading is said to be off exchange or over-the-counter. This is the usual way that derivatives
and bonds are traded. Increasingly, stock exchanges are part of a global market for securities. The stock market is one of the most important sources for companies to raise money. This allows businesses to be publicly traded,
or raise additional financial capital for expansion by selling shares of ownership of the company in a public market. The liquidity that an exchange provides affords investors the ability to quickly and easily sell securities.
This is an attractive feature of investing in stocks, compared to other less liquid investments such as real estate. From experience we know that investors may 'temporarily' move financial prices away from their long term aggregate price .
high or excessive pessimism may drive prices unduly low. Economists continue to debate whether financial markets are 'generally' efficient.