Equity trading
Encyclopedia
In finance
, equity trading is the buying and selling of company stock shares. Shares in large publicly-traded companies
are bought and sold through one of the major stock exchange
s, such as the New York Stock Exchange
, London Stock Exchange
or Tokyo Stock Exchange
, which serve as managed auction
s for stock trades. Stock shares in smaller public companies are bought and sold in over-the-counter
(OTC) markets.
Equity trading can be performed by the owner of the shares, or by an agent authorized to buy and sell on behalf of the share's owner. Proprietary trading
is buying and selling for the trader's own profit or loss. In this case, the principal is the owner of the shares. Agency trading is buying and selling by an agent, usually a stock broker
, on behalf of a client. Agents are paid a commission
for performing the trade.
Major stock exchanges have market maker
s who help limit price variation (volatility
) by buying and selling a particular company's shares on their own behalf and also on behalf of other clients.
Over the past 15 years with the popularity of the internet and discount brokerage firms, it has become increasingly luring for the average investor to partake in their own financial planning and direction of their future. Although trading can be incredibly stressful and dangerous financially, many people have made it their profession in place of a 9 to 5 job. Individuals that pursue this non-mainstream career usually will have a knack for technical analysis, money management, tape reading and trader's psychology as well as enjoy working in a fast paced competitive environment.
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, equity trading is the buying and selling of company stock shares. Shares in large publicly-traded companies
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
are bought and sold through one of the major stock exchange
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an entity that provides services for stock brokers and traders to trade stocks, bonds, and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for issue and redemption of securities and other financial instruments, and capital events including the payment of income and...
s, such as the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
or Tokyo Stock Exchange
Tokyo Stock Exchange
The , called or TSE for short, is located in Tokyo, Japan and is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies...
, which serve as managed auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
s for stock trades. Stock shares in smaller public companies are bought and sold in over-the-counter
Over-the-counter (finance)
Within the derivatives markets, many products are traded through exchanges. An exchange has the benefit of facilitating liquidity and also mitigates all credit risk concerning the default of a member of the exchange. Products traded on the exchange must be well standardised to transparent trading....
(OTC) markets.
Equity trading can be performed by the owner of the shares, or by an agent authorized to buy and sell on behalf of the share's owner. Proprietary trading
Proprietary trading
Proprietary trading occurs when a firm trades stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities, their derivatives, or other financial instruments, with the firm's own money as opposed to its customers' money, so as to make a profit for itself...
is buying and selling for the trader's own profit or loss. In this case, the principal is the owner of the shares. Agency trading is buying and selling by an agent, usually a stock broker
Stock broker
A stock broker or stockbroker is a regulated professional broker who buys and sells shares and other securities through market makers or Agency Only Firms on behalf of investors...
, on behalf of a client. Agents are paid a commission
Commission (remuneration)
The payment of commission as remuneration for services rendered or products sold is a common way to reward sales people. Payments often will be calculated on the basis of a percentage of the goods sold...
for performing the trade.
Major stock exchanges have market maker
Market maker
A market maker is a company, or an individual, that quotes both a buy and a sell price in a financial instrument or commodity held in inventory, hoping to make a profit on the bid-offer spread, or turn. From a market microstructure theory standpoint, market makers are net sellers of an option to be...
s who help limit price variation (volatility
Volatility (finance)
In finance, volatility is a measure for variation of price of a financial instrument over time. Historic volatility is derived from time series of past market prices...
) by buying and selling a particular company's shares on their own behalf and also on behalf of other clients.
Over the past 15 years with the popularity of the internet and discount brokerage firms, it has become increasingly luring for the average investor to partake in their own financial planning and direction of their future. Although trading can be incredibly stressful and dangerous financially, many people have made it their profession in place of a 9 to 5 job. Individuals that pursue this non-mainstream career usually will have a knack for technical analysis, money management, tape reading and trader's psychology as well as enjoy working in a fast paced competitive environment.