What are Shares? – Information, Actions Work, Buying Stocks, and More 

What are Shares – Stocks are one of the most well-known financial instruments. Find out what stores are and how they work before looking at the benefits and risks of trading these popular assets.

What are Shares?

Stocks are units of ownership in one or more companies. The owner, known as a shareholder, will also have the right to obtain a part of the company’s profits if dividends pay and voting rights

We usually refer to stock markets with the words actions, securities or simply by the expression “invest in companies/companies”, but in different English, terms are used that are not interchangeable with each other due to certain technical differences that may lead to confusion.” Stocks” is generally used to refer to holdings in various companies. The plural term “shares” is understood as the ownership units in a specific company.

• The term “equity” refers to the total participation in the company’s share capital after paying any debt.

How do the Actions Work?

Stocks offer you direct exposure to a company’s performance. The stock value will go up when the company’s performance is good and will go down when it’s not.

Institutions known as stock exchanges facilitate the trading of publicly traded shares. To do this, the company must go public, and the most common way to do this is by making a public offer for sale (IPO).

How to Buy Stocks? – Investment or Trading

There are two ways to gain exposure to this asset: investment or stock trading. These two methods do not work the same way, but we will explain each in detail below. It is important to bear in mind that with IG, you will be trading shares, not investing in them: that is, you will be trading on share price movements without owning the asset itself, which you can do with our CFD offer and barrier.

Invest in Stocks

Inversion is the better-known method of the two. When you invest in stocks, you gain direct ownership of the assets. Those who want to open a long-term position expect that the value of the company’s shares will appreciate preferring the investment. If a company grows and its worth increases, its shares will likely rise.

Existence a shareholder, in this case, means that you make a profit if you sell your shares for a higher charge than you paid for them. However, as the value of investments can go down and up, you could receive less than you initially invested if the company’s share price falls when you close your position.

Trade Stocks

Stock trading is based on stock price movements without owning the asset. Those looking to open a short-term position on the company’s share price, perhaps during periods of increased market volatility or activity, opt for this method.

If you decide to trade, you will be able to “buy” (go long) to change rising prices, as well as “sell” (go short) to trade falling prices. You can trade stocks with derivatives such as CFDs and barriers, leveraged instruments.

When you trade shares with leveraged derivatives such as CFDs or barriers, you must contribute a portion of your total market exposure to open a position. In the case of CFDs, this is a deposit called “margin”, while for barriers, it is part of the premium.

Preserve in mind that leverage can raise both your profits and your losses, which can add up quickly if you don’t have a proper risk management strategy in place.

Why are Companies Listed on the Stock Market?

Companies are listed on the stock market to increase their capital by selling their shares to institutional or retail investors. Institutional investors are entities such as mutual funds or banks, while retail investors are ordinary people.

Most companies will list on a national stock market. For example, many shares listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange. Still, it is more and more common for companies to list on multiple exchanges to profit from foreign direct investment.

To go public, companies often make public offerings for sale (IPO), which can also trade with CFDs and barriers.

How much is a Share Worth?

Different stocks are worth different amounts of money. The value of a share will vary depending on whether you look at its fair value or market value. Fair value is the essential value of a stock based on the company’s fundamentals, while market value is the amount investors are willing to pay for the stock.

The fair value is often much lower than the market value. Therefore, the latter heavily influence demand and is not always reflected in a stock’s fundamentals. If the need for a stock increases while the supply remains constant, the stock price will rise since investors are willing to pay more.

Why Trade Stocks?

There are several reasons why investors often choose to trade stocks instead of investing traditionally. One of the most important is that trading stocks with derivatives allow you to go long or short. And also, giving you the ability to profit from both rising and falling markets.

It explains that you do not own the underlying shares when you trade CFDs or barriers. However, it is main to keep in mind that going short is a high-risk trading method that should remain carefully understood before engaging in it.

In contrast, investing only gives you the option to go long on a company’s stock, meaning that you would generally only make a profit if the value of the stock rose.

However, you can receive dividends even if the company’s share price declines. In addition, you can choose to receive the benefits of these dividends in the form of income or reinvest these benefits to take advantage of the compound interest.

Your decision on whether to invest in stocks or trade their price may ultimately depend on whether you want long-term or short-term exposure.

As noted, another reason investors choose to trade is leverage. Its great attraction lies in the fact that a lower initial capital  required. However, while influence brings considerable benefits, it also carries significant risks. As profits and losses calculated from the full exposure of the place, not just the amount required to open it.

Also Read: Free Market Economy and Planned Economy – Blooomberg Blog 2022