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Module 1 · Beginner

Stock Market Basics

What actually happens on an exchange – from the first trading floor to your first order.

  1. 1What Is the Stock Market?A marketplace for ownership stakes and debt – why it exists, how it began and what it does for the economy and for investors.6 min
  2. 2What Is a Stock?A share of a business – with rights, opportunities and risks. What you really own, where stock returns come from and why a high share price doesn't mean "expensive".6 min
  3. 3How Are Stock Prices Made?Supply and demand, the order book, bid and ask, the spread and the auction – how thousands of orders turn into a single price.7 min
  4. 4Exchanges and Trading HoursNYSE, Nasdaq, London, Frankfurt, Tokyo and off-exchange venues – where stocks trade, when markets are open and what happens after you click "buy".6 min
  5. 5Stock Indices: S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq & Co.What an index measures, how it is calculated, why the Dow works differently from the S&P 500 and why "the market" is often driven by a handful of giants.6 min
  6. 6Brokers, Accounts and Order TypesHow to open a brokerage account, what matters in a broker, why your securities are protected if the broker fails – and when to use market, limit, stop or stop-limit orders.6 min

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