
Where does my money go when I buy a stock?
& Other Questions When you buy a stock your money ultimately goes to the seller through an intermediary (who takes its share). The seller might be the company itself but is more likely another investor.
What happens to money you invest in the stock market?
Well, the answer's not so simple as "someone pocketed it." Money that enters the stock market through investment in a company's shares stays in the stock market, though that share's value does fluctuate based on a number of factors.
What happens when you buy a share of stock?
When you buy a share of stock, you are almost always buying from someone who previously purchased that share and now wants to sell it.
What type of stock should you invest your money in?
The majority of investors invest their money in what is referred to as common stock. Common stock comes with voting rights and tends to include dividends as well.

Who gets the money when you buy a stock?
When you buy a stock your money ultimately goes to the seller through an intermediary (who takes its share). The seller might be the company itself but is more likely another investor.
Where does the money you make from stocks go?
Companies sell shares in their business to raise money. They then use that money for various initiatives: A company might use money raised from a stock offering to fund new products or product lines, to invest in growth, to expand their operations or to pay off debt.
How much money do I need to invest to make $1000 a month?
Assuming a deduction rate of 5%, savings of $240,000 would be required to pull out $1,000 per month: $240,000 savings x 5% = $12,000 per year or $1,000 per month.
Do companies make money when you buy their stock?
The stock market lets companies raise money and investors make money. When a company decides to issue shares to investors, it's offering partial ownership in the company. Issuing shares helps companies raise money and spread risk.
What happens when you buy a stock?
When you buy a share of stock, you are almost always buying from someone who previously purchased that share and now wants to sell it. The money -- minus broker's fee -- goes to that other investor, which may be a person, a company (rarely the company that issued the stock, but that will occasionally be the case), an investment fund, ...
Who buys stock?
When you buy a share of stock, you are almost always buying from someone who previously purchased that share and now wants to sell it. The money -- minus broker's fee -- goes to that other investor, which may be a person, a company (rarely the company that issued the stock, but that will occasionally be the case), an investment fund, the "market maker" for that stock (websearch for definition of that term), or anyone else. They owned a small percentage of the company; you bought it from them and gave them the money for it, just as you would buy anything else. You don't know or care who you bought from; they don't know or care who they sold to; the market just found a buyer and seller who could agree on the price.
Who does the money go to when you buy a share?
But really, when you buy a share the money goes to whoever you bought it from , and that's all you can know or need to know.
Can a company repurchase its own stock?
There are a very few exceptions to that. The company may repurchase some of its own shares and/or sell them again, depending on its own financial needs and obligations. For example, my own employer has to purchase its own shares periodically so it has enough on hand to sell to employees at a slight discount through the Employee Stock Ownership Program. But you generally don't know that's who you're selling to; it happens like any other transaction.
How does the NYSE work?
The big stock exchanges like the NYSE work like auctions — they’re actually called “auction markets” — where the highest price a bidder is willing to pay is matched with the lowest price a seller is willing to accept.
What does IPO mean for stock?
If you buy stock through an initial public offering (IPO), it’s a fairly simple exchange. You, the buyer, pay the company issuing the shares whatever price it charges for a slice of the business. Although the investment bank that organized the IPO takes a cut for administrative fees, it works much the same way as any other purchase — the buyer trades money for a product or service to the company doing the selling.
What happens if you don't participate in an IPO?
If you own stock and didn’t participate in an IPO, you purchased your shares on the secondary market. Unlike IPOs, money spent in secondary market transactions doesn’t go to the company that issued the shares. It goes instead to the investor who sold them to you.
Why do companies use IPOs?
Companies use IPOs to raise money as they make the transition from being privately controlled businesses to publicly traded companies. Successful IPOs deliver massive cash infusions that the issuing company uses to hire employees, build new plants, develop new products, and grow and expand the business. Both new companies and well-established companies use IPOs to gin up cash this way.
Can you sell shares on the secondary market?
People talk about “pulling their money out of the market” or “harvesting gains.” The truth is, the secondary market is kind of like Hotel California — you can sell shares any time you like, but once your money finds its way to the secondary market, it can never leave.
Did money enter or leave the secondary market?
Money was gained and lost as the value of Company A changed, but throughout the ups and downs, money never entered or left the secondary market.
Do companies have to repay money from IPO?
Either way, according to the Economic Times, the company that issues the IPO is not under an obligation to repay the money it receives from investors. Once the IPO is complete, the shares that investors like you purchased from the company going public become part of the open market. They can then be bought and sold on the secondary market.
What happens if you buy a stock for $10 and sell it for $5?
If you purchase a stock for $10 and sell it for only $5, you will lose $5 per share. It may feel like that money must go to someone else, but that isn't exactly true. It doesn't go to the person who buys the stock from you.
What happens when a stock tumbles?
When a stock tumbles and an investor loses money, the money doesn't get redistributed to someone else. Essentially, it has disappeared into thin air, reflecting dwindling investor interest and a decline in investor perception of the stock. That's because stock prices are determined by supply and demand and investor perception of value and viability.
How is value created or dissolved?
On the one hand, value can be created or dissolved with the change in a stock's implicit value, which is determined by the personal perceptions and research of investors and analysts.
What is implicit value in stocks?
Depending on investors' perceptions and expectations for the stock, implicit value is based on revenues and earnings forecasts. If the implicit value undergoes a change—which, really, is generated by abstract things like faith and emotion—the stock price follows.
How much money would CSCO lose if it dropped?
(CSCO) had 5.81 billion shares outstanding, which means that if the value of the shares dropped by $1, it would be the equivalent to losing more than $5.81 billion in (imp licit) value. Because CSCO has many billions of dollars in concrete assets, we know that the change occurs not in explicit value, so the idea of money disappearing into thin air ironically becomes much more tangible.
Do you have to sell a stock if it drops?
The same is true if you're holding a stock and the price drops, leading you to sell it for a loss. The person buying it at that lower price–the price you sold it for–doesn't necessarily profit from your loss and must wait for the stock to rise before making a profit.
Does money that is gained or lost on a stock disappear?
Fortunately, money that is gained or lost on a stock doesn't just disappear. Read to find out what happens to it and what causes it.
Who takes the money from a stock?
When you buy a stock your money ultimately goes to the seller through an intermediary (who takes its share). The seller might be the company itself but is more likely another investor.
What happens when you buy stock?
If you purchase that stock as part of a company’s IPO, then that money goes indirectly (via an investment bank) to the company.
Why should you own stocks?
Stocks, in general, tend to offer a good return on investment, especially over the long term. The average annual return when investing in stocks is around 10%. Keep in mind that when considering inflation, this average will fall to 8%.
What does owning a stock involve?
The majority of investors invest their money in what is referred to as common stock. Common stock comes with voting rights and tends to include dividends as well.
What does IPO mean in stock market?
When companies first issue shares, they do so via an IPO (the abbreviation for Initial Public Offering). Once the shares of stock are available on the market, investors can buy or sell them.
Why do stocks go down?
However, one of your stocks may go down in value, as stock prices tend to fluctuate due to the overall market volatility. Or, perhaps, due to events or accidents specific to the company you invested in. That’s why you will need to pay a lot of attention to the movements of the market and the company’s activity.
Why do people own stocks?
Many investors choose to put their money in stocks, as it is a great way to build wealth. Indeed, one of the main reasons so many investors own stocks is because of the opportunity to earn a good return on investment.
What does it mean when you buy a stock?
When you bought some stocks of company that's meaning you become the owner of company (of how many percentage stocks you have)
What happens when you buy stock in the open market?
In the open market, when you buy stock you are buying from someone else, not the company. If you in on an initial public offering (not easy for a small investor) then your money IS going straight to the company, after underwriting fees are deducted. If you exercise a stock option, the stock may come from shares the company has set aside for the purpose, or from “treasury stock” in general.
How do Pokemon make money?
Imagine a trading card company, like Pokemon or something. Pokemon only makes money when you buy their cards from a store. After you buy their cards from a store, you trade them with your friends. However, Pokemon doesn’t make any money when you trade cards with your friends. You and your friends may make money if you buy and sell these cards to each other, but Pokemon doesn’t make any more money until they release more cards for the public to buy. However, the more Pokemon releases these cards to the public, the less valuable they become. Let’s say Pokemon keeps making a lot of pikachu cards, so now, you and your friends have like 20 pikachu cards. You and your friends are not going to value pikachu cards so highly now.
How does a company get money from an IPO?
The company only gets money for shares when it sells shares in a public (or private) offering. In an IPO (initial public offering), the company sells shares to underwriters (securities dealers) who in turn sell them to the public at a markup, simultaneous with the listing of the shares on an exchange, at the “IPO Price.” The company pockets the money that the underwriters pay for the shares.
Why do companies issue more stock?
A company may issue more stock to the public, which can raise more money for the company, but it dilutes the shares. The more stock a company releases, the lower the share price will go, so companies try to avoid doing this.
How do corporations raise capital?
Corporations can raise cash (capital) by selling shares of stock, and the higher the price is, the more cash they can raise in exchange for a given number of shares.
What does "ask" mean in a sale?
The “Ask” represents the lowest price that some potential sellers are willing to sell.
What does it mean to own a stock?
Owning a stock means owning a portion (usually very small) of a publicly-traded company. Therefore, if the value of the entire company fluctuates, so will the value of the stock. When a share's price decreases in value, that change in value is not redistributed among any parties – the value of the company simply shrinks.
Why does a stock increase in value?
First, we need to understand how a company's value is "created.". When a stock's price increases, it does so because there are more people willing to buy the stock (demand it) than people willing to sell it (supply it). This high demand in relation to supply creates value for the stock because buyers must compete against one another for it, ...
Why is a realized loss from a stock a reflection of the difference between the market's perception of the?
Because its inherent value is perceived to be worth less. Therefore, on a very basic level, a realized loss from a stock is a reflection of the difference between the market's perception of the company when you bought it and the market's perception of it when you sold it.
What does it mean when a stock declines?
Remember, you are part-owner of the company, so if the stock declines, it means you are part-owner of a company that is no longer perceived to be doing a great job ...
Why does high demand in relation to supply create value for the stock?
This high demand in relation to supply creates value for the stock because buyers must compete against one another for it, and the more they want the stock for themselves, the more they are willing to pay for it. The opposite occurs when a stock price decreases, which simply results from low demand in relation to supply.
Is the stock market a zero sum game?
The stock market is governed by the forces of supply and demand. In other words, it is not a zero-sum game, like gambling in a casino, in which there is an equal loser for every winner, and vice versa.
What happens when you lose money in stocks?
Once the money is lost, the company that issued the stocks does not get the money. Primary market is the initial transaction between the company issuing the stocks and you, the buyer. This is the only time that the company can receive money from you. Although, the company can buy all the shares back, you have the right to sell ...
How much of the stock market loses money?
It is reported that only 10% of the people who invest in the stock market win or become successful, the other 90% lose their money. Losing money in the stock market is normal, so this means that you will most likely lose money at one point or another.
Why do people lose money?
People lose money due to the unpredictable market value; once the company is affected by the internal or external factors negatively, the earnings of the company drop, hence the market value of the stock drops. The timing of investing in the market influences the gain or loss of stock value; investing during a recession is beneficial, ...
Why is it important to be patient in the stock market?
Being too hasty; it takes patience to be able to get your investment back in the stock market. Most of the new investors usually trade with haste as they want to make quick money. Stock market does not provide quick money. You have to develop patience if you wish to make profits.
How to avoid losing money?
Below are tips to help you avoid losing money; 1. Identify And Observe The Market Phase. The market phase refers to the trading or the trending times of the stocks. If you are unable to understanding the market phase you may end up investing using the wrong indicators. It is thus important for you to observe the market phase.
What happens when a company goes public?
When a company goes public it releases a number of shares that are valued at a certain amount, once you buy the number of shares that you can afford, you become a part of the company. When the company earnings are good, the market value of the shares goes up, meaning that when you sell the shares you own you will get your profits.
Do you lose money when you sell stocks?
For starters, you don’t lose money you lose the value of the stock, because you cannot earn any money if you don’t sell the stocks you own. The stock price is not the same thing as money; it is usually an estimate of what the stock is worth. When a company goes public it releases a number of shares that are valued at a certain amount, ...
