
What Causes the Stock Market to Rise and Fall?
- Interest Rates. It's generally believed changes in interest rates affect the stock market primarily because of the impact they have on companies' costs of borrowing.
- Corporate Profits. Ultimately, investing in the stock market is all about cashing in on the profits of the companies issuing the stocks.
- The State of the Economy. This factor may not be worth mentioning as a specific market driver because it is mostly a big-picture summary of all the other factors that ...
- International Events. This goes beyond economic conditions in foreign countries. It's more about severe events such as a radical change in government in a friendly or formally stable country.
- International Capital Flows. This is a case where bad news can become good news. ...
- Public Sentiment. This is often tracked by surveys and opinion polls, which makes it an inexact science at best. ...
- Supply and Demand. This refers to supply and demand as it relates to the amount of stock that is available for public trading.
- Growth/Decline in Major Industry Sectors. Back in 2007, it became obvious two major economic sectors, banks and mortgage lenders, were in serious financial trouble.
What to do if your stocks are all falling?
Specifically, whether a stock is cheap relative to profits and cash flow. When they spot one of these stocks, they buy it for their clients. That helps support the stock’s valuation floor—and eventually helps push the stock price back up. If a quality company becomes super cheap and stays there, it also becomes an acquisition target.
Why do stock prices fall after beating earnings?
The final factor behind why stock prices may fall even after beating earnings is due to technical traders. Sometimes referred to as “noise traders,” these traders are on the hunt for signals that a stock is behaving in a way that can be exploited in the short term.
What causes stocks to rise?
What causes stock prices to rise & fall?
- Profit forecast & quarterly results may have a strong impact on the share price
- Socio-economic developments may contribute to price increases & decreases
- Inflation & interest can boost the stock price
- Dividend can affect the stock price in both the short and long term
- Takeover rumours may cause the stock price to suddenly rise sharply
What makes a stock go up?
| Is It Only Supply & Demand or Are There Other Factors?
- Supply and Demand. While there are many factors that affect the prices of stocks, ultimately, it boils down to supply and demand.
- Fundamental Factors. While investor demand is what drives stock prices up, most buyers must see value in a company to be willing to invest in them.
- Technical Factors. ...
- Market Sentiment. ...
- The Bottom Line. ...

How do major industries affect the stock market?
Major industry sectors can impact the stock market not only because they can improve the economy of the nation, but also because they create new investment opportunities. By contrast, when major industries are in trouble, the economy can weaken, and enthusiasm for stocks in general can dry up, causing stock prices to fall.
Why is it important to be aware of major factors that impact the stock market?
It's important to be aware of major factors that impact the stock market and to pay attention to changes in those areas to get a handle on where the market may be heading.
What is the importance of corporate profits in investing?
If corporate profits are generally on the rise, this supports higher stock prices . If profits are in a general decline, the market is more likely to retreat.
What happens to the economy when the economy declines?
They will also spend more money, which will flow into publicly traded companies and improve their earnings. A declining economy, and especially a recession, results in a reversal of all of those positive dynamics. The net effect on the market is typically negative.
How many publicly traded companies are there in 2019?
However, the number of publicly traded companies has fallen to 3,473 as of Dec. 31, 2019. Fewer publicly traded companies means more competition for available stocks. That raises the price of the surviving stocks, causing the market to rise.
Why is international capital flow good?
Economic or geopolitical troubles in major foreign economies can be a positive driver in the US stock market. This is because as conditions in foreign countries deteriorate, capital leaves those countries.
Does war have a negative impact on the stock market?
Since the stock market hates uncertainty, war can have a very negative impact on the market. At the opposite end of the spectrum, if any of these events are resolved in a positive way, the stock market typically resumes an uptrend.
What causes the stock market to go up and down?
Stock markets go up and down as investor confidence rises and falls. If confidence in whether companies can generate a return on investment is high, investors might buy more shares – which can push share prices higher. But, if investors aren’t confident in a potential return, they might start to sell their shares – which could drive prices down.
Stock market corrections and crashes
One of the most important things to remember when you’re investing is that the stock market will fall from time to time. There are two classifications to be aware of here – corrections and crashes:
What to do in a stock market crash
During a stock market crash, it’s important to remember your secret weapon – time. 🕰️ Warren Buffett, the world’s most successful investor once said “the only value of stock forecasters is to make fortune-tellers look good”. He meant that it’s almost impossible to know exactly what the market is going to do tomorrow.
Quiz
Question one: Which of these indicates that a market is falling in value?
How do mergers and acquisitions affect stock prices?
Those mergers and acquisitions affect companies’ stock prices too because they permit companies to move into new markets or to maintain dominance in their current market . Market share translates to dollars, which in turn affects stock price and therefore a company’s bottom line.
What happens to a company's stock if it's a positive reaction?
If it’s a positive reaction, the companys stock price will rise. If it’s bad, the stock price goes down. Without question the most important factor that affects a company’s value, and therefore its stock price, is its earnings.
How often do public companies report earnings?
Public companies are required to report their earnings four times a year. If a company’s earnings are better than expected, its stock price increases. But if a company’s results are worse than expected, its stock price will fall. Simple as that.
What happens when a company releases news?
When a company releases news about a new product line or management change, be it good or bad, Wall Street and investors are sure to react. If it’s a positive reaction, the companys stock price will rise.
Is it a good time to buy or sell stocks?
If you are a beginning investor, you might wonder when it is a good time to buy or sell stocks. When attempting to understand why stock prices rise and fall it helps to understand the law of supply and demand. The only thing that is certain is that stocks are volatile and can rapidly change in price. If an item or service is in short supply, people ...
Learn why the stock market and individual stocks tend to fluctuate and how you can use that information to become a better investor
Tim writes about technology and consumer goods stocks for The Motley Fool. He's a value investor at heart, doing his best to avoid hyped-up nonsense. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @TMFBargainBin
What affects stock price?
High demand for a stock drives the stock price higher, but what causes that high demand in the first place? It's all about how investors feel:
The big picture is what matters
Long-term investors, like those of us at The Motley Fool, don't much care about the short-term developments that push stock prices up and down each trading day. When you have years or even decades to let your money grow, analyst reports and earnings beats are often fleeting and irrelevant.
What is the most unpredictable new information?
When stock market weaknesses are detected, the resulting short-term volatility is virtually unpredictable thanks to the new information that's priced into the market. Black swan events are the most unpredictable of new information.
What happens when a black swan event occurs?
When a black swan event occurs, investors realize their prior expectations were retroactively way off base, and a massive market correction typically ensues. Black swan events can either benefit or hinder a company.
What happens to the market as interest rates fall?
Conversely, as interest rates fall, it becomes easier for entities to borrow money, resulting in lower-yielding debt issuances.
How do higher interest rates affect stock prices?
Higher interest rates tend to negatively affect earnings and stock prices (with the exception of the financial sector). Understanding the relationship between interest rates and the stock market can help investors understand how changes may impact their investments.
How does the business cycle affect the market?
At the onset of a weakening economy, a modest boost provided by lower interest rates is not enough to offset the loss of economic activity; stocks may continue to decline.
What is the interest rate that impacts the stock market?
The interest rate that impacts the stock market is the federal funds rate. Also known as the discount rate, the federal funds rate is the rate at which depository institutions borrow from and lend to each other overnight.
Why did the Dow drop?
The number of points the Dow dropped on Oct. 10, 2018, due to the fear of higher interest rates. That said, the Dow also dropped even more significantly in March 2020 as the Fed cut rates to near zero amidst the global coronavirus pandemic.
What is interest rate?
Interest rates refer to the cost someone pays for the use of someone else's money. When the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which consists of seven governors of the Federal Reserve Board and five Federal Reserve Bank presidents, sets the target for the federal funds rate —the rate at which banks borrow from and lend to each other overnight—it ...
What is the opposite effect of a rate hike?
A decrease in interest rates by the Federal Reserve has the opposite effect of a rate hike. Investors and economists alike view lower interest rates as catalysts for growth—a benefit to personal and corporate borrowing. This, in turn, leads to greater profits and a robust economy.

Interest Rates
Corporate Profits
- Ultimately, investing in the stock marketis all about cashing in on the profits of the companies issuing the stocks. If corporate profits are generally on the rise, this supports higher stock prices. If profits are in a general decline, the market is more likely to retreat.
The State of The Economy
- This factor may not be worth mentioning as a specific market driver because it is mostly a big-picture summary of all the other factors that drive the market. But more generally, when the state of the economy is good — as indicated by a healthy growth rate in the gross domestic product (GDP) — businesses feel more confident in expanding, and investors are more likely to invest. A…
International Events
- This goes beyond economic conditions in foreign countries. It's more about severe events such as a radical change in government in a friendly or formally stable country. It can also be the result of a contrived event such as the oil embargo or the recent coronavirus pandemic. Perhaps the most serious impact happens in the case of war. This will be especially true early in the conflict when …
International Capital Flows
- This is a case where bad news can become good news. Economic or geopolitical troubles in major foreign economies can be a positive driver in the US stock market. This is because as conditions in foreign countries deteriorate, capital leaves those countries. Since the US is generally considered to be a safe haven for capital, much of the international flow comes into thi…
Public Sentiment
- This is often tracked by surveys and opinion polls, which makes it an inexact science at best. But when people feel good about the state of the nation, its finances, the economy and the international balance, it usually has a positive impact on the stock market. If, however, there is a high level of anxiety about the future, people will be more likely to hoard cash than to invest in st…
Supply and Demand
- This refers to supply and demand as it relates to the amount of stock that is available for public trading. Like every other commodity, stocks will generally rise when fewer are available. That plays out in different ways, and is likely having an effect on the current market. This starts with stock buybacks. That's when companies buy back their own stock, which reduces the amount o…
Growth/Decline in Major Industry Sectors
- Back in 2007, it became obvious two major economic sectors, banks and mortgage lenders, were in serious financial trouble. Stocks of companies engaged in those sectors plummeted. As they did, they pulled down the entire market, causing a decline of more than 50% in the major market indices. By contrast, rapid growth in the technology sector resulted in the dot-com boom that pr…