Stock market

Alternatively known as a stock market, an equity market, or a share market, a stock market is an aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (also known as shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses. Stocks can be traded on a public stock exchange as well as privately traded stocks, such as shares of private companies sold to investors through equity crowdfunding platforms. Stockbrokers and computerised trading platforms are the most common means of making investments in the stock market. The majority of the time, while making an investment, one considers their investing plan.

It is possible to classify stocks according to the nation in which the corporation is based. If a company has its headquarters in Switzerland and its stock is traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange, it can be considered to be a part of the Swiss stock market, even if its stocks are also traded on exchanges in other countries, such as American depositary receipts (ADRs) on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).