150 likes | 280 Views
Investing in Equities, Futures, and Options. Have you ever asked to receive your allowance early or asked to be paid early?. This is referred to as futures market- a contract is issued and payment is rendered for some future activity. Equities.
E N D
Have you ever asked to receive your allowance early or asked to be paid early?
This is referred to as futures market- a contract is issued and payment is rendered for some future activity.
Equities • Stocks that represent ownership shares in corporations
Efficient Market Hypothesis • Used to explain the pricing of equities • Stocks are always priced about right, and bargains are hard to find
Portfolio Diversification • Holding a number of stock, so that increases in some could offset unexpected declines in others
Stock Broker • A person who buys or sells stock • From other brokers • At a stock exchange • Supplies inventory
Organized Stock Exchanges • The New York Stock Exchange • Oldest • Largest • Most prestigious • Located on Wall Street • Lists about 3,000 companies • Has about 1,400 seats, or memberships • Members pay over 1,00,000 for each seat
The American Stock Exchange • AMEX • Has about 1,000 stocks • 2nd largest, behind NYSE • 4th largest stock exchange in the country • Companies tend to be smaller than NYSE companies
Regional Stock Exchanges • Chicago, Philadelphia, Pacific, etc. • Also in cities • Smaller stocks, but today many stocks are dual and can be found on both NYSE and the RSE
Global Stock Exchanges • Developments in computer and electronic trading have linked this markets
Over-the-Counter Market • Electronic marketplace for securities not listed or traded on an organized stock exchange • Majority of stocks sold this way • National Market System (NMS)
Measures of Stock Performance • Dow-Jones Industrial Average • Most popular and widely used • DIJA focuses on percentage change • Standard and Poor’s 500 • Uses the price change of 500 representative stocks as an indicator • Uses index number (sum of 500 companies too high!)
Trading in the Future • Spot Market: transaction made immediately at prevailing price • Future Markets: Buyer pays money today, and sellers delivers the commodity in the future • Grain and livestock in the Midwest • Ex. Chicago Board of Trade
Trading in the Future, con. • Options- contracts that give investors the option to sell commodities in the future at a price decided on today • Call option- the right to BUY a share of stock at a specified price in the future • Put option- right to sell stock at a specified price in the future