Stock FAQs

how to read stock information

by Carroll Howell Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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  1. Observe the Price and Time Axes. Every stock chart has two axes - the price axis and the time axis. ...
  2. Look for the Trend Line. This should be pretty obvious, but a good bit of the information you can glean from a stock chart can be found in the ...
  3. Identify Trading Volume. In addition to just the trend of the stock's prices, the stock's trading volume is another key factor to look at when reading a stock chart.
  4. Identify Lines of Support and Resistance. Still, another important aspect to examine on a stock chart are lines of support and resistance. ...

The key to reading stock tickers is breaking down six parts.
  1. Ticker Symbol. The first part of a ticker is the symbol. ...
  2. Share Volume. Share Volume shows the number of shares that were traded in the last trade. ...
  3. Price Traded. ...
  4. Change Direction. ...
  5. Change Amount. ...
  6. Ticker Color.

How to read the stock market for beginners?

Let me break down the image above with each of the trend lines:

  • Line A is the very first line of support shown. ...
  • Line B is my first line of resistance. ...
  • As you can see with Line C, the stock has bottomed out again, thus creating a new line of support.
  • Line D shows the stock price has increased significantly and I’m comfortable establishing this as a new line of resistance.

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How to read stock charts for beginners?

Important things to know when learning how to read a stock chart

  1. Identify the trend line. This is that blue line you see every time you hear about a stock – it’s either going up or down right?
  2. Look for lines of support and resistance. The next thing you’ll want to look at is the lines of resistance and support. ...
  3. Know when dividends and stock splits occur. ...
  4. Understand historic trading volumes. ...

How can I learn to read the stock market?

  • First build curiosity mindset. Ask question yourself and search on internet.
  • Basics is very important. Understand why do we need share market and how it started and where. This is very interesting. ...
  • While reading answers on internet you will come across many terminologies, note down those and understand the def

How to make easy to read stock charts?

When looking for stock chart software, here is what you should consider:

  • Lines – can the stock chart software support vertical, horizontal and trend lines? ...
  • Symbols – the best stock chart software should have a good library that enables you to load images as symbols. ...
  • Line studies – good software should provide pre-built support for line studies. ...

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How do you read stock data?

Important things to know when learning how to read a stock chartIdentify the trend line. This is that blue line you see every time you hear about a stock – it's either going up or down right? ... Look for lines of support and resistance. ... Know when dividends and stock splits occur. ... Understand historic trading volumes.

What stock numbers mean?

The numbers on the stock exchange for a given company's stock reflect the price of a single share of stock in that company. Typically, the last price that a stock traded at is the number reported to the general public.

How do you read what stocks to buy?

Look for the company's price-to-earnings ratio—the current share price relative to its per-share earnings. A company's beta can tell you much risk is involved with a stock compared to the rest of the market. If you want to park your money, invest in stocks with a high dividend.

How do you analyze stocks for beginners?

How to do Fundamental Analysis of Stocks:Understand the company. It is very important that you understand the company in which you intend to invest. ... Study the financial reports of the company. ... Check the debt. ... Find the company's competitors. ... Analyse the future prospects. ... Review all the aspects time to time.

Do you buy red or green stocks?

Green indicates the stock is trading higher than the previous day's close. Red indicates the stock is trading lower than the previous day's close. Blue or white means the stock is unchanged from the previous closing price.

What is plus and minus in stocks?

Plus means that the commodity is pricier than usual. It also means that it's in your advantage to give these but not to receive them. Minus means the opposite.

How do you know a stock is good?

Here are nine things to consider.Price. The first and most obvious thing to look at with a stock is the price. ... Revenue Growth. Share prices generally only go up if a company is growing. ... Earnings Per Share. ... Dividend and Dividend Yield. ... Market Capitalization. ... Historical Prices. ... Analyst Reports. ... The Industry.More items...•

How do you predict stocks?

Major Indicators that Predict Stock Price MovementIncrease/Decrease in Mutual Fund Holding. ... Influence of FPI & FII on Stock Price Movement. ... Delivery Percentage in Stock Trading Volume. ... Increase/Decrease in Promoter Holding. ... Change in Business model/Promoters/Venturing into New Business.More items...•

What is a good PE ratio?

So, what is a good PE ratio for a stock? A “good” P/E ratio isn't necessarily a high ratio or a low ratio on its own. The market average P/E ratio currently ranges from 20-25, so a higher PE above that could be considered bad, while a lower PE ratio could be considered better.

What stock should a beginner buy?

Best stocks to buy for a starter portfolio:Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B)Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL)Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)Apple Inc. (AAPL)Visa Inc. (V)Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)BlackRock Inc. (BLK)JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)More items...

What are the 4 basics of technical analysis?

Technical Analysis: Four Basic PrinciplesMarkets alternate between range expansion and range contraction. ... Trend continuation is more likely than reversal. ... Trends end in one of two ways: climax or rollover. ... Momentum precedes price.

What does it mean when you look up a stock quote?

When you look up a stock quote, there a variety of numbers, prices and diagrams that will appear. Understanding what they all mean will help you make an informed decision when purchasing a stock.

What is stock chart?

stock charts come in a variety of formats and have a whole investing technique based around them. They all track pricing data, usually the OHLC (open, high, low close), but they can display this information in different styles (lines, bars, candlesticks), different date ranges (day, week, month, year, 5 years, 10 years) and other information like volume, moving averages and dozens of other indicators.

What does volume mean in stocks?

Volume. This indicates the number of shares that have traded hands today. Some stocks may trade millions of shares each day, and others only trade a few hundred or even zero (the higher the volume, the more liquid the stock is).

What is market cap?

Is the total dollar market value of all of a company's outstanding shares. Market cap is calculated by multiplying a company's shares outstanding by the current market price of one share. This figure determines the company's relative size.

What is the closing price of a stock?

to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. During regular trading hours, the price will likely fluctuate. The “after hours” price is $125.15, reflecting the price the stock was currently being traded for outside of regular hours.

What does beta mean in stock market?

Beta shows how volatile a stock’s price is compared with the stock market, which may be an indicator of how risky the stock is. If beta is greater than one, the stock has historically been more volatile than the stock market (typically represented by either the S&P 500 or a total stock market index) for the specified period. If beta is less than one but greater than zero, it’s been less volatile than the overall market for that period. As always, though, past performance isn’t indicative of future performance.

Why are bid ask spreads wider?

And when spreads are wider, it may be more difficult for an investor’s trade to be executed, or for the trade to go through at the price they wanted.

What is the spread on a $124.65 ask?

If you see an ask of $124.65, sellers are currently selling for $124.65 per share. Note there’s a $0.04 difference between the two — this is called the bid-ask spread. Generally, when there’s high trading activity with lots of willing buyers and sellers, spreads will be smaller.

Do you get dividends if you buy stock before the ex-dividend date?

In order to receive the company’s dividend for the next period, you’ll have to become a shareholder (that is, buy its stock) before the ex-dividend date. If you buy the stock on or after the ex-dividend date, you won’t get the dividend for that period.

What information is needed to place an order for a stock?

When a buyer or seller places an order for a specific stock several key pieces of information need to be included, such as the security of interest, its ticker symbol, the price that the buyer/seller is willing to pay for or sell the shares at, and the quantity of shares to buy or sell.

What are the key data points in stock quotes?

Stock quotes consist of many data points. It's important that traders understand the key data points such as bid, ask, high, low, open and close. Being able to analyze this pricing and trend data allows traders and investors to make better informed trading decisions.

What is market cap in stock market?

The market capitalization (or market cap) is the total dollar value of all the company's outstanding shares.

What is the bottom line of stocks?

The Bottom Line. For many years, stocks have possessed a certain intrigue that is unparalleled when assessing investment opportunities. They are virtually a ticket to own and be a part of the story of a business. Shares can be obtained by just about anyone willing to take a chance with their investment dollars.

What is short interest?

Shares short is the number of shares that are being sold short. These are shares that are borrowed with the hopes that they will go down in price. Short interest as a percent of shares outstanding conveys what percentage of total outstanding shares are sold short, but haven't been covered or closed yet.

What is it called when you own stock?

An individual who owns stock in a company is called a shareholder and is eligible to claim part of the company’s residual assets and earnings (should the company ever be dissolved). The terms "stock", "shares", and "equity" are used interchangeably. price movement from any stock chart.

Why do investors use technical indicators?

In analyzing stock charts for stock market investing, investors use a variety of technical indicators to help them more precisely probable price movement, to identify trends, and to anticipate market reversals from bullish trends to bearish trends and vice-versa.

What is a yoy chart?

YoY (Year over Year) YoY stands for Year over Year and is a type of financial analysis used for comparing time series data. It is useful for measuring growth and detecting trends.

What are technical indicators?

There is virtually an endless list of technical indicators for traders to choose from in analyzing a chart. Experiment with various indicators to discover the ones that work best for your particular style of trading, and as applied to the specific stocks that you trade. You’ll likely find that some indicators work very well for you in forecasting price movement for some stocks but not for others.

What is equity trader?

Equity Trader An equity trader is someone who participates in the buying and selling of company shares on the equity market. Similar to someone who would invest in the debt capital markets, an equity trader invests in the equity capital markets and exchanges their money for company stocks instead of bonds.

What is technical analysis?

Technical Analysis - A Beginner's Guide Technical analysis is a form of investment valuation that analyses past prices to predict future price action.

What is a death cross in stocks?

You can probably figure out on your own that a “death cross” isn’t considered to bode well for a stock’s future price movement.

How to find the P/E ratio of a stock?

To find a stock’s P/E ratio, you divide its market value per share by its earnings per share. You’ll use this ratio to help you determine how valuable the stock is. Once you know the stock’s P/E, you can compare it to the stock’s competitors.

What is a stock terminal?

Stock terminals are computer systems that allow you to access real-time financial data. Many people refer to the Bloomberg terminal when talking about stock terminals. The Bloomberg terminal has been around since the 1980s and it has built up quite a reputation over time.

What does the peg value mean?

PEG value: The PEG value stands for the price-to-earnings growth ratio. This ratio is similar to the P/E ratio because it also compares a stock’s market value to its earnings per share. The PEG adds another factor by considering the company’s growth.

What is the benefit of enrolling in a stock terminal?

The benefit of enrolling in this is that it can give you advice as well as information about the stock market. If you decide to analyze stocks yourself or use a stock terminal, you are left to make your own conclusions about which stocks are valuable.

Does Morning Star have a stock screener?

You can use its research to compare investments to each other and see how the investment has performed over time. Morning Star also offers a stock and mutual fund screener that allows you to find investments by searching hundreds of key data points.

Is the stock market confusing?

The stock market can be a confusing place. There are a number of options you can choose from when it comes to determining which investments are right for you. You can use the ratios provided in this article to analyze stocks for yourself.

What is the stock market?

The stock market is made up of exchanges, like the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq. Stocks are listed on a specific exchange, which brings buyers and sellers together and acts as a market for the shares of those stocks. The exchange tracks the supply and demand — and directly related, the price — of each stock.

What is stock trading?

But investors who like a little more action engage in stock trading. Stock trading involves buying and selling stocks frequently in an attempt to time the market. The goal of stock traders is to capitalize on short-term market events to sell stocks for a profit, or buy stocks at a low.

Why do investors use indexes?

Investors use indexes to benchmark the performance of their own portfolios and, in some cases, to inform their stock trading decisions. You can also invest in an entire index through index funds and exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, which track a specific index or sector of the market. Read more about ETFs here.

What does it mean when the bear market is going to be back?

A bear market shows investors are pulling back, indicating the economy may do so as well. The good news is that the average bull market far outlasts the average bear market, which is why over the long term you can grow your money by investing in stocks.

What does it mean when the stock market is up or down?

When people refer to the stock market being up or down, they’re generally referring to one of the major market indexes. A market index tracks the performance of a group of stocks, which either represents the market as a whole or a specific sector of the market, like technology or retail companies.

How many people invested in stock market in 2018?

That’s according to a NerdWallet-commissioned survey, which was conducted online by The Harris Poll of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, among whom over 700 were invested in the stock market during at least one of the past five financial downturns, in June 2018.

What does it mean when a bull market is followed by a bear market?

Bull markets are followed by bear markets, and vice versa, with both often signaling the start of larger economic patterns. In other words, a bull market typically means investors are confident, which indicates economic growth. A bear market shows investors are pulling back, indicating the economy may do so as well.

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Understanding Stock Quote Data

How Does Quote Data Appear on A Stock Chart?

  • One of the most popular charting types incorporates stock quote data by highlighting the open, high, low, and close. As you can see from the chart below, the notches on the bar indicate the price levels where MSFT opened and closed. The left bar represents the open while the right bar represents the close. You’ll also notice that in the situation w...
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Statistics and Ratios

  • Digging a little deeper into the numbers on a stock quote can reveal even more useful information and be extremely beneficial when comparing companies in similar industries. The market capitalization(or market cap) is the total dollar value of all the company's outstanding shares. Shares short is the number of shares that are being sold short. These are shares that are borrow…
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The Bottom Line

  • Stock quotes consist of many data points. It's important that traders understand the key data points such as bid, ask, high, low, open, and close. Being able to analyze this pricing and trend data allows traders and investors to make better-informed trading decisions. The key is to not allow the extensive series of numbers to discourage you when a quote shows information. Quot…
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Stock Chart Construction – Lines, Bars, Candlesticks

Looking at A Stock Chart

The Importance of Volume

Basic Volume Patterns

Using Technical Indicators

The Importance of The 200-Day Moving Average

Trend and Momentum Indicators

Analyzing Trends

  • When reviewing a stock chart, in addition to determining the stock’s overall trend, up or down, it’s also helpful to look to identify aspects of a trend such as the following: 1. How long has a trend been in place?Stocks do not stay in uptrends or downtrends indefinitely. Eventually, there are always trend changes. If a trend has continued for a lo...
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Identifying Support and Resistance Levels

Conclusion – Using Stock Chart Analysis

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