Stock trading has been a popular financial pursuit since stocks were first introduced by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. This is both an efficient and effective type of investment for both families and individuals.
Stocks, also commonly referred to as equities or shares, are issued by a public corporation and put up for sale. Companies originally used stocks as a way of raising additional capital, and as a way to boost their business growth. When the company first puts these stocks up for sale, this is called the Initial Public Offering. Once this stage is complete, the shares themselves are then sold on the stock market, which is where any stock trading will occur.
People occasionally confuse buying shares with physically owning a portion of that company as if this somehow gives them the right to walk into the company offices and begin exerting their ownership rights over computers or furniture. The law treats this type of corporation in a unique way; as it is treated as a legal person, the corporation, therefore, owns its own assets.
This is referred to as the separation of ownership and control.
The separation of these things is beneficial to both the shareholders and the corporation because it limits the liability for each party. For example, if a major shareholder were to go bankrupt, they cannot then sell assets belonging to the corporation to cover their debts and pay their creditors. This is the same in reverse; if a corporation you own shares in goes bankrupt and the judge orders them to sell all their assets, none of your own personal assets are at risk.
One thing lies at the core of a stock’s value: it entitles shareholders to a portion of the company profits.
A stock market is where stocks are traded: where sellers and buyers come to agree on a price. Historically, stock exchanges existed in a physical location, and all transactions took place on the trading floor. One of the world’s most famous stock markets is the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
Yet as technology progresses, so does the stock market. Now we are seeing the rise of virtual stock exchanges that are made up of large computer networks will all trades performed electronically.
A company's shares can be traded on the stock market only following its IPO, making this a secondary market. The large businesses listed on global stock exchanges do not trade stocks on a frequent basis. Stocks can only be purchased from an existing shareholder, not directly from the company. This rule also applies in reverse, so when selling your shares, they go to another investor, not back to the corporation.
The reason traders choose to invest in stock is because the perceived value of a company can vary greatly over time. Money can be made or lost; it depends on whether the trader’s perceptions of the stock value are in line with the market.
Trying to predict the price movements of stocks in the short term is nearly impossible. Generally, stocks do tend to appreciate in value in the long term, so many investors choose to have a diverse portfolio of stocks that they intend to keep for a long time. Bigger companies pay dividends to their shareholders, which is a portion of the company’s profits. The value of the share itself will not impact the dividend.
In order to trade stocks, there must be a seller and a buyer; as not all traders have the same agenda, stocks are bought and sold at different times and for different reasons. Someone may sell their stock for profit, others sell it in order to cut losses, and some because they believe the value of the stock is about to change either way.
All forms of financial investment carry a level of risk, and stock trading is no different. Even traders with decades of experience cannot predict the correct price movements every single time.
People use various strategies, but it is important to note that there is no such thing as a failsafe strategy. It is also advisable to limit the amount of money you invest in a single trade, as part of your own risk management.
The foreign exchange market, also known as FX or Forex trading, is one the most fast paced, dynamic markets in the world.
Traditionally, huge global financial institutions, central banks, hedge funds, and the super-rich dominated the Forex trading market. All of this changed with the arrival of the internet. Now there are no barriers preventing anyone from Forex trading. It is completely accessible to most investors, and you can buy and sell international currencies at the click of a mouse from your own home.
Currency is similar to language, in that it varies from country to country. If you want to do international business or buy goods from abroad, you must pay with the local currency. For instance, you wouldn’t expect to use Swiss Francs to pay for your meal in Marrakech, which is exactly where Forex trading comes in.
Global currencies are traded on the foreign exchange market. Comparing this market to the stock market is one way to grasp the sheer scale of it; the average traded value of the global stock market is around $2,000 billion per day, while Forex trading surpasses $4.9 trillion daily.
Unlike some other markets, this is no central market for Forex trading. Currency trading is all done over the counter electronically on global computer networks between individual traders. There are five major Forex trading centers: Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, New York and Tokyo.
The Forex market is open 24 hours a day, five and a half days a week, and operates across nearly every time zone, which makes for an active market in a continual state of flux, with prices changing all the time.
When currencies are traded on the Forex market, they are bought and sold in what are known as currency pairs, where one currency is used to buy another.
These pairs have been created to make comparing currencies easier, and as a way to better understand the value of one in relation to the other. The EUR/USD pairing is among the most popular.
In currency pairs, the first currency is the base and the second currency is referred to as the counter currency. So in the previous example, you are using USD to buy EUR. Your broker converts your existing currency into USD, and then uses that to buy EUR. When buying a currency pairing, you take what is known as a ‘long position’, and when selling you take a ‘short position’.
It is vital that you have a good understanding of the current climate of your chosen currency market. If you believe people are going to sell bitcoin, for example, then this will bring the price down in relation to the EUR.
We provide regularly updated information on many popular pairings, and we include the popular Bitcoin cryptocurrency in our currency index.
The majority of Forex traders focus on the following currency pairs: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and USD/CHF are the main four, followed by USD/CAD, AUD/USD and NZD/USD. All other pairs are just different combinations of the same currencies.
Foreign exchange is a relatively stable market, with most currency pairs moving less than 1% daily, meaning the value changes very little.
However, because of this low level of volatility, many Forex traders utilize the huge leverage to greatly increase the value of these price movements. Leverage in the Forex market can be as high as 250:1, but this higher level of reward also carries a higher level of risk.
The deep liquidity of the Forex market, coupled with the fact trading continues 24 hours a day, means that Forex brokers can make that high leverage industry standard, in turn making any price movements far more meaningful for Forex traders. Time is another factor, and positions can be opened and closed within minutes, or retained for several months. The sheer size of the Forex market makes it impossible for the bigger players to start manipulating prices, as well.
Options are a specific type of derivatives contracts. The underlying securities can be stocks, indexes, ETFs or commodities. With a derivatives contract, you do not directly own the underlying asset. Instead, you own a related asset whose value is affected by changes in price.
With an options contract, you have the right to buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price in the future. When that future point arrives, you will have the choice to exercise the option or let it expire.
Here's an example. Let's say the asset is selling for $110, a contract giving you the right to buy at $100 will have an intrinsic value. As the expiration date approaches, the value of the options contract will adjust.
Explore the range of options available to meet the needs of both short-term and long-term investors.
We are proud to offer a powerful toolkit for your intraday and global endeavors. Pick the type of option that best suits your trading style. Start options trading with us today!
Digital options trading is a financial instrument that is offered by IQ Option.
The payout (max. 900%) is fixed after the underlying asset reaches the selected threshold or strike price. Traders are free to choose from a variety of assets to trade in, from currency pairs to commodities. Your journey may start with a minimum investment of $1 with expiration times starting from 5 minutes.
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A cryptocurrency like bitcoin is a virtual currency traded peer-to-peer on a blockchain, independent of centralized authorities like banks and governments.
Cryptocurrencies are entirely virtual, so they are not backed by physical commodities and have no intrinsic value.
Primarily, cryptocurrencies rely on blockchain technology to complete a transaction via an intricate P2P network. Once a transfer request is entered into the network, it is validated by the network and added to a pool of other transactions to create a block of data for the ledger, which is then entered into the existing blockchain.
Once the block is successfully added to the chain, the transaction is approved and completed.
Absolutely. Cryptocurrencies have become established investment commodities among major financial institutions and have even been adopted by countries such as Australia and Japan. As with any investment though, there are risks linked to market movements, high volatility and economics.
