Economics

an individual or business that specializes in bringing together buyers and sellers of stocks

a member of a brokerage house who transfers orders and information between stockbrokers in an office and floor brokers at a stock exchange

the fee a broker and/or stockbroker collects for helping people buy and sell a stock

the time and money buyers and sellers spend to find one another and arrange trades

a person who buys the product or service offered by a business

a member of a brokerage house who completes a customer's buy or sell order on the floor of a stock exchange

a business that gives a corporation advice on how to raise money and also sells new issues of stocks and bonds

an order to buy or sell a stock at a certain (or better) price. a buyer's limit order for $20 would be completed only if each share can be bought for $20 or less

stocks that have been approved and listed for trading by one of the organized stock exchanges or markets. these stocks must meet specific financial and other requirements to qualify. unlisted stocks are those that trade over the counter and do not need to meet certain standards.

the process through which buyers and sellers exchange with one another

a stock trader who agrees to buy or sell, or "make a market" in a company's stock. the trader uses his or her firm's money to purchase stock so he or she has shares available for people to buy. a market-maker also must agree to purchase stock back when investors want to sell. market-makers buy and sell Nasdaq and OTC stocks. smaller companies usually have only a few market-makers while large companies have dozens

the Nasdaq Stock Market is an electronic marketplace where buyers and sellers get together via computer and hundreds of thousands of miles of high-speed data lines. more than 5,000 companies list on an exchange because it doesn't have a central floor

a market in which a corporation sells new stock to raise money for start-up or expansion. this market is often called the primary stock market

the New York Stock Exchange, which is one of the organized stock markets in New York City

the over-the-counter market lacks the central trading floors of the stock exchanges. like Nasdaq, brokers and dealers trade with one another by using computers and telephones, buy unlike Nasdaq, OTC stocks do not have to meet listing standards. OTC stocks are usually small, and not frequently traded

another name for the OTC market. The "pink sheets" are lists of OTC stocks, and the prices at which dealers are offering to buy and sell them. These lists are printed on pink paper and distributed early every morning to the trading community.

an amount agreed on between a buyer and a seller to exchange a stock certificate

those markets in which stocks are offered for sale the first time

the highest price bid by a buyer and the lowest price asked by a seller for a stock at a given time. Quotes are usually expressed in dollars and fractions of a dollar. For example, at one time a share of Apple Computer was quoted at 27 3/4, which meant $27.75

those markets in which stocks can be bought and sold once they are approved for public sale

a broker on an exchange who trades in certain stocks at a specific location (post) on the trading floor. each specialist has an assigned post where all trading of particular stocks occurs. Specialists quote the current prices of stocks traded at their posts and they complete limit orders

a broker who accepts orders to buy and sell stock and then transfers those orders to other people who complete them

one of the organized stock markets with a centralized trading floor. in this market, auction-type trading allows traders to sell stocks to the highest bidder or buy stocks from the lowest supplier. These markers consist of the New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange, both of which are located in New York City. Also included are the regional stock exchanges found outside of New York City. These are the Boston, Cincinnati, Intermountain (Salt Lake City), Midwest (Chicago), Pacific (Los Angeles and San Francisco), Philadelphia (Philadelphia and Miami), and Spokane stock exchanges.

a market in which the public trades stocks that someone already owns. This market allows people to buy and sell stocks quickly and easily.Examples are the New York Stock Exchange and the American Stock Exchange. This market is often called the secondary stock market