
What's makes the stock market go up or down?
What Makes a Stock Go Up and Down
- Technical Factors. A whole segment of market participants utilize technical analysis to determine which stocks should be bought and when.
- Exogenous Events. Sometimes, valuation, technical analysis and other factors don't matter as much as global events. ...
- Macroeconomic Environment. ...
- Current Market Trends. ...
What makes stock prices rise and fall?
Why stock market prices rise and fall is a complex question with a complex answer. There are many factors that affect the price of stocks. Included are inflation, interest rates, domestic political unrest, war or terrorism, crime, fraud and oil or energy prices to name but a few.
What makes share prices go up and down?
What Makes a Stock Go Up and Down?
- Technical Factors. A whole segment of market participants utilizes market data to determine which stocks should be bought and when.
- Exogenous Events. Sometimes, valuation, technical analysis and other factors don’t matter as much as global events. ...
- Macroeconomic Environment. ...
- Current Market Trends. ...
What makes the stock market so unpredictable?
You have:
- Individual company profits
- GDP numbers
- Unemployment
- Elections
- Geopolitical risks like virus now
- Departures from big companies and new CEOs announced
- New technologies
- Dividends
- Business strategy
- Short-Term speculative investors

What makes stocks go up and down?
If there is a greater number of buyers than sellers (more demand), the buyers bid up the prices of the stocks to entice sellers to sell more. If there are more sellers than buyers, prices go down until they reach a level that entices buyers.
Why do stocks go up and down 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.
What causes sudden spike in stock price?
The Effect of Supply and Demand The reason for the higher share price is an increase in the number of people looking to buy this stock. This difference between the supply and demand of a stock causes the share price to rise until an equilibrium is reached.
What drives a stock price up?
If more people want to buy a stock (demand) than sell it (supply), then the price moves up. Conversely, if more people wanted to sell a stock than buy it, there would be greater supply than demand, and the price would fall.
What happens if no one sells a stock?
When no one sells stock there will be no trading volume, so stock price will remain same.
How do you predict if a stock will go up or down?
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 moves the stock price?
Key Takeaways. Stock prices are driven by a variety of factors, but ultimately the price at any given moment is due to the supply and demand at that point in time in the market. Fundamental factors drive stock prices based on a company's earnings and profitability from producing and selling goods and services.
How do you know when 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.
Why do stocks move up?
Often a stock simply moves according to a short-term trend. On the one hand, a stock that is moving up can gather momentum, as "success breeds success" and popularity buoys the stock higher. On the other hand, a stock sometimes behaves the opposite way in a trend and does what is called reverting to the mean. Unfortunately, because trends cut both ways and are more obvious in hindsight, knowing that stocks are "trendy" does not help us predict the future.
What drives stock prices?
Stock prices are driven by a variety of factors, but ultimately the price at any given moment is due to the supply and demand at that point in time in the market. Fundamental factors drive stock prices based on a company's earnings and profitability from producing and selling goods and services. Technical factors relate to a stock's price history ...
Why is low inflation bad for stocks?
2 Deflation, on the other hand, is generally bad for stocks because it signifies a loss in pricing power for companies.
Why do you buy stock with a valuation multiple?
That's the reason for the valuation multiple: It is the price you are willing to pay for the future stream of earnings. 1:26.
What is discount rate?
The discount rate, which is used to calculate the present value of the future stream of earnings. A higher growth rate will earn the stock a higher multiple, but a higher discount rate will earn a lower multiple. What determines the discount rate? First, it is a function of perceived risk.
Where are stock prices determined?
Stock prices are determined in the marketplace, where seller supply meets buyer demand. But have you ever wondered about what drives the stock market—that is, what factors affect a stock's price? Unfortunately, there is no clean equation that tells us exactly how a stock price will behave.
Do company stocks track with the market?
Company stocks tend to track with the market and with their sector or industry peers. Some prominent investment firms argue that the combination of overall market and sector movements—as opposed to a company's individual performance—determines a majority of a stock's movement.
How does supply affect stock prices?
Because the stock market functions as an auction, when there are more buyers than there are sellers, the price has to adapt or no trades are made. This tends to drive the price upwards, increasing the market quotation at which investors can sell their shares and enticing investors to sell who had previously not been interested in selling.
Why is my trading going up?
Increased trading could be caused by an earnings report that shows good or bad financial news. It may be a major financial news event, such as an interest rate hike, or it could even be a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, that is likely to have far-reaching consequences.
What is the stock market?
The stock market is essentially an auction in which buyers and sellers negotiate prices for shares of ownership in publicly traded companies. Traders on the stock market can be individuals, governments, corporations, institutions, or asset management companies.
What happens when two parties agree on a price?
When the two parties agree upon a price, the trade is matched, and that becomes the new market quotation for the stock. The buyers and sellers can be individuals, corporations, institutions, governments, or asset management companies that are managing money for private clients, mutual funds , index funds, or pension plans.
What are the factors that affect the price of stocks?
Like any other market, supply and demand is the primary factor driving the price of stocks. Other factors, such as major financial news, natural disasters, investor reaction to company financials, or pricing speculation can cause large price fluctuations.
What does volume mean in trading?
In many cases, you won't have any idea who is on the other side of the trade. The number of shares traded is called the " trading volume ," and it can indicate how "hot" a particular stock is or how much interest there is in it from other investors. It can also give traders an idea of how easy it will be to get into or out ...
Is the stock market an auction?
The Stock Market Is an Auction. First, realize that the stock market is, in essence, an auction, with one party wanting to sell its ownership in a particular company, and another party wanting to buy ownership. When the two parties agree upon a price, the trade is matched, and that becomes the new market quotation for the stock.
What happens if more people buy a stock?
If more people want to buy a stock, its market price will increase. If more people are trying to sell a stock, its price will fall. The relationship between supply and demand is highly sensitive to the news of the moment. Nonetheless, chasing the news is not a good stock-picking strategy for the individual investor.
What causes people to sell stocks?
Good News/Bad News. Negative news will normally cause people to sell stocks. A bad earnings report, a lapse in corporate governance, big-picture economic and political uncertainty, and unfortunate occurrences all translate to selling pressure and a decrease in the prices of many if not most stocks.
Why do professional traders spend so much time trying to anticipate the next news cycle?
As noted, professional traders spend much of their time trying to anticipate the next news cycle, so that they can buy or sell stocks before the real numbers are released. They use a number of sources of information in this effort:
What are some events that cannot be anticipated?
Unexpected News. There are events that simply cannot be anticipated, like a massive auto safety recall , a Mideast crisis that drives up oil prices, or a prolonged drought that devastates crops. Traders may think they're pricing in risks, but the possibilities for things going wrong are limitless.
Is bad news good news?
Bad news for some stocks is good news for others. For example, news that a hurricane has made landfall may cause a decline in utility stocks, in anticipation of costly emergency responses and repairs. Depending on the severity of the storm, insurance stocks will take a hit on the news.

Fundamental Factors
Technical Factors
- Things would be easier if only fundamental factors set stock prices. Technical factors are the mix of external conditions that alter the supply of and demand for a company's stock. Some of these indirectly affect fundamentals. For example, economic growthindirectly contributes to earnings growth. Technical factors include the following.
News
- While it is hard to quantify the impact of news or unexpected developments inside a company, industry, or the global economy, you can't argue that it does influence investor sentiment. The political situation, negotiations between countries or companies, product breakthroughs, mergers and acquisitions, and other unforeseen events can impact stocks and the stock market. Since s…
Market Sentiment
- Market sentiment refers to the psychology of market participants, individually and collectively. This is perhaps the most vexing category. Market sentiment is often subjective, biased, and obstinate. For example, you can make a solid judgment about a stock's future growth prospects, and the future may even confirm your projections, but in the meantime, the market may myopica…
The Bottom Line
- Different types of investors depend on different factors. Short-term investors and traders tend to incorporate and may even prioritize technical factors. Long-term investors prioritize fundamentals and recognize that technical factors play an important role. Investors who believe strongly in fundamentals can reconcile themselves to technical forces with the following popular argument…