
What is the opening price of stock?
With investing, the opening price is the current selling price for a security at the time that the exchange opens each trading day. For new stock offerings, the term refers to the initial price per share that is in effect at the beginning of the first day that the new stock is offered for sale on the open market.
Can a stock open above or below the previous day's close?
A stock will open above or below the close from the previous day, but no time has passed. The difference between the open and close in the same day isn't really relevant as a return. Always use closing prices in consecutive trading days. No, that's not the daily return.
Does where reflects the return on a stock?
Where reflects the return on a stock refers to the Price at time , aka the price you sell the stock for; put differently, it’s “ending value”. on the other hand reflects the Price at time , aka the price you bought the stock for. It’s the “beginning value”, if you like; or the initial investment, if you will.
How is the return of a stock calculated?
Well, the return of a stock is calculated as: Remember again the is the Selling Price. is the Purchase Price. And then we’re scaling the difference between the two by the original price (i.e., the Purchase Price) to get the amount of money that you make, expressed in percentage terms. In this example, is $192.73 and is $160.

Why do stocks always drop at open?
During a regular trading day, the balance between supply and demand fluctuates as the attractiveness of the stock's price increases and decreases. These fluctuations are why closing and opening prices are not always identical.
Is it better to buy stock at open or close?
Trading during the first one to two hours that the stock market is open on any day is all that many traders need. The first hour tends to be the most volatile, providing the most opportunity (and potentially the most risk).
Do stock prices always rise when there is good news?
Good or bad news about a company often leads to short-term stock price changes and higher short-term volatility. Like previously mentioned, stock valuation can be both a science and an art.
What determines the opening price of a stock?
NASDAQ determines the opening stock price using a method called the opening cross. The exchange accumulates data on the sell and buy interest among participants in the market for a specific stock two minutes before the market's opening time. This information is available to all investors.
What time of day is best to buy stock?
The upshot: Like early market trading, the hour before market close from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET is one of the best times to buy and sell stock because of significant price movements, higher trading volume and inexperienced investors placing last-minute trades.
What time of day are stocks highest?
The best times to day trade Day traders need liquidity and volatility, and the stock market offers those most frequently in the hours after it opens, from 9:30 a.m. to about noon ET, and then in the last hour of trading before the close at 4 p.m. ET.
Why do stock prices change every second?
Stock prices change every second according to market activity. Buyers and sellers cause prices to change and therefore prices change as a result of supply and demand. And these fluctuations, supply, and demand decide between its buyers and sellers how much each share is worth.
How do you know if a stock will go up?
We want to know if, from the current price levels, a stock will go up or down. The best indicator of this is stock's fair price. When fair price of a stock is below its current price, the stock has good possibility to go up in times to come.
What makes a stock go up?
Stock prices change everyday by market forces. By this we mean that share prices change because of supply and demand. If more people want to buy a stock (demand) than sell it (supply), then the price moves up.
How do you trade with open price?
9:4911:40Open Price Trick To Find Out Trend - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipSo once the stock is crossing above the opening price the stock will go up and once the stock isMoreSo once the stock is crossing above the opening price the stock will go up and once the stock is crossing below the opening price the stock will go down.
Why do stocks drop after hours?
After-hours trading is more volatile and riskier than trading during the exchange's regular hours because of fewer participants; as a result, trading volumes and liquidity may be lower than during regular hours.
Why opening price is different from closing price?
Typically, a security's opening price is not identical to its prior day closing price. 2 The difference is because after-hours trading has changed investor valuations or expectations for the security.
When should I buy to close?
Buy to close is used when a trader is net short an option position and wants to exit that open position. Traders normally use a sell-to-open order to establish open short option positions, which the buy-to-close order offsets.
What is buy to close vs sell to close?
Buy-to-close (BTC) orders pay a debit and close a position that was opened selling options. Sell-to-close (STC) orders receive a credit and close a position that was opened buying options. The premium paid or collected, relative to the opening order, determines your profit or loss on a trade.
What day of the week are stocks lowest?
MondayBest Day of the Week to Buy Stocks It's called the Monday effect or the weekend effect. Anecdotally, traders say the stock market has had a tendency to drop on Mondays. Some people think this is because a significant amount of bad news is often released over the weekend.
Why do stocks go down on Friday?
Stock turnover is generally lower and price movements less pronounced on the last trading day of week. Companies with bad news to report often take advantage of this slowdown by making their announcements on Fridays.
Why is the closing price of a stock different from the open price?
That's because news about a company can, and often does, come out while the market is closed, shifting what investors are willing to pay to own a share of the company.
What time does the stock market close?
The major U.S. exchanges are generally open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time. The closing price is just a snapshot of the stock at 4 p.m. This price does carry a lot of psychological weight, as it's often interpreted as the market's "final say" on a stock for the day.
What is the difference between closing and opening price?
Just as the closing price is the price paid in the last transaction of a business day, the opening price is the price from the first transaction of a business day. That price can be influenced by anything that has happened since the previous close.
What does "bid price" mean in stock trading?
Technically, there are bid prices, meaning what people are offering for the stock, and ask prices, meaning what people are looking to be paid for it. When those prices converge, trades take place.
Can you trade stocks after hours?
Trading in stocks continues even after exchanges close. Investors can place " after-hours" buy and sell orders. Depending on the system, these orders either are filled immediately or are queued up to be filled when the market opens. Those trades will affect the next day's opening price.
Is the stock market fluid?
But in the stock market, prices are fluid. The price quoted for a stock at any point is simply the price paid the last time that stock changed hands. There's no guarantee that you'll get that price if you place an order to buy or sell shares.
Why do institutional investors have to buy over long periods of time?
Institutional investors must buy over long periods of time so as not to conspicuously drive up the price of the stock, giving them a long time horizon . This phase is not a lucrative time for retail investors to buy, as capital will be tied up, or the investor may experience a large drawdown of capital.
Why do traders need to understand the four phases of price?
Understanding the four phases of price will maximize returns because only one of the phases gives the investor optimum profit opportunity in the stock market.
What happens during the markup phase?
During the markup phase, price breaks out of range and begins a sustained uptrend. An uptrend is defined as a series of higher pivot highs and higher pivot lows. This stage is when the price begins moving up. The big money has established a position and retail investors are now invited to join in the profit party. This is the most profitable time to own the stock – an opportunity to let your profits run . The earlier you can recognize this stage, the more you can profit.
What is markdown phase?
The markdown phase is a downtrend (Figure 11). Be careful that emotions do not rule trading during the markdown phase. Price is always the signal to watch; a series of lower pivot highs and lower pivot lows will signal a pullback in price or a trend reversal.
Profits vs. Return
Imagine that you buy stock in Facebook for $160 and sell it for $192.73.
Generalized return of a stock
Let’s just look at calculating stock returns again. But this time, we’ll work with notations instead of numbers.
Generalized return of a stock with dividends
Let’s just quickly look at how this equation works (using only notations this time).
How to Calculate Stock Returns on Python
Calculating stock returns on Python is actually incredibly straightforward.
Wrapping Up
You now know how to calculate stock returns. Actually, you know more than that including:
Why is stock value constantly changing?
One of the fundamental reasons that stock value is constantly changing is because underneath every stock there is a company that expects to make some kind of profit or loss in the future.
What does it mean when a stock trades different values?
If it trades different values on different days, that means someone was willing to pay a higher price OR someone was willing to sell at a lower price. There is no rule to prevent a stock from trading at $10 and then $100 the very next trade... or $1 the very next trade.
Does a stock move in a continuous fashion?
A stock's price does not move in a completely continuous fashion. It moves in discrete steps depending on who is buying/selling at given prices. I'm guessing that by opening bell the price for buying/selling a particular stock has changed based on information obtained overnight. A company's stock closes at $40.

Accumulation Phase
Markup Phase
- During the markup phase, price breaks out of range and begins a sustained uptrend. An uptrend is defined as a series of higher pivot highs and higher pivot lows. This stage is when the price begins moving up. The big money has established a position and retail investors are now invited to join in the profit party. This is the most profitable time to own the stock – an opportunity to let your pro…
Distribution Phase
- The distribution phase begins as the markup phase ends and price enters another range period. The shares are being sold over a period of time—the opposite of accumulation. This time, the sellerswant to maintain higher prices until the shares are sold. Whether it is distribution or accumulation is less easy to discern at this point. It is more important to be prepared for the nex…
Markdown Phase
- The last phase of the stock cycle is the markdownphase. Markdown begins when the price makes a lower high and no new high (Figure 9). Markdown follows a distribution, which is when institutions sell inventory, either for redemption reasons, simply taking profit, or to change position into another stock or sector. The markdown phase is a downtrend(Figure 11). Be carefu…
The Bottom Line
- The study of stock cycles will give investors a heads-up on trending conditions for a stock, whether sideways, up or down. This allows the investor to plan a strategy for profit that takes advantage of what the price is doing. The entire cycle can repeat or not. It is not necessary to predict it, but it is necessary to have the right strategy. Now ...