Stock FAQs

who decides if a stock goes up or down

by Ewell Senger V Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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What makes a stock go up or down is determined by the recent operating results of a business and its future expectations. This means stock prices reflect both fundamentals (operating results) and emotions (future expectations). When either one or both of these change for a particular stock, its price will be affected.

After a company goes public, and its shares start trading on a stock exchange, its share price is determined by supply and demand for its shares in the market. If there is a high demand for its shares due to favorable factors, the price will increase.

Full Answer

What makes a stock go up or down?

What makes a stock go up or down is determined by the recent operating results of a business and its future expectations. This means stock prices reflect both fundamentals (operating results) and...

Who decides the price of stock?

The initial stock pricing is usually decided by the investment bank underwriting it, based on the value of comparable stocks, company financials, experience, and sales skills. How do you predict stock prices?

How do you know if a stock is going up?

The bottom line is no one truly knows with certainty. Clues, such as a big volume spike on price changes, and paying attention to your stock's sector, will give you some insight into whether your stock has reached a point where it will no longer decline significantly.

How soon will a stock go up or down?

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. How soon it will go up? It depends on the degree of undervaluation.

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Who decides if the stock market goes up or down?

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.

What makes a share go up or down?

The main factors that determine whether a share price moves up or down are supply and demand. Essentially, if more people want to buy a share than sell it, the price will rise because the share is more sought-after (the 'demand' outstrips the 'supply').

How can you tell 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.

Who sets the stock market price?

Generally speaking, the prices in the stock market are driven by supply and demand. This makes the stock market similar to other economic markets. When a stock is sold, a buyer and seller exchange money for share ownership. The price for which the stock is purchased becomes the new market price.

2.1 About Fundamental Analysis

Why to do fundamental analysis? This way we can ‘ estimate fair price ‘ of stocks. Once fair price of a stock is known, it can be compared with its market price to understand if the stock is ‘ overpriced ‘ or not.

2.2 Correlation Between Financial Reports, Business Fundamentals & Fair Price

This is the crux of fundamental analysis of stocks. If we can learn to establish a correlation between financial statements, its business fundamentals, and its fair price – it all about it.

2.3 Two Methods to Predict Stock Price

There are two ways one can predict stock price. One is by evaluation of the stock’s intrinsic value. Second is by trying to guess stock’s future PE and EPS.

2.4 Future PE-EPS Method

This method of predicting future price of a stock is based on a basic formula. The formula is shown above (P/E x EPS = Price).

Conclusion

Access the price data, and financial report of you stock as suggested in the above article. You can use these numbers to predict what will be the future price of stock – after 3 years from today ( Check the 3 steps ).

What is the current price of a stock?

In strict theoretical terms, the current price of a stock is the present value of future cash flows. You may you start feeling inadequate for not knowing what that is or how to calculate it. But you can take comfort in the fact that most investors don’t know how to do it. Even fewer actually do do it.

Is P/E ratio a choice?

Before you put too much weight on the P/E ratio, be aware that the reported earnings of a company are primarily a choice, not a fact. A company can choose to report higher or lower earnings for a given fiscal quarter, or for years at a time, based on hundreds of decisions about how to use the accounting rules to achieve that outcome.

Do P/E ratios determine stock price?

The answer is that P/E ratios do not determine stock price but are simply an outcome of factors that drive the share price and the simplistic comparison of that price to earnings.

Do buyers and sellers have the same underlying theory?

There is an underlying notion that buyers and sellers are rational, analytical, and methodical. They are not. It also assumes that all investors have the same underlying theory of what determines the value of a stock. They do not.

How are stock prices determined?

In order to understand how stock prices are determined, it's important to first know how the capital markets work. Within the capital markets, buyers and sellers collectively help determine the stock price. There are many factors and theories on why stock prices fluctuate, but two theories are the most cited. The Efficient Market Hypothesis says that a stock price reflects a company's true value at any given time. The Intrinsic Value Theory states that companies may trade for more or less than they are worth.

What happens to a stock when its value rises?

As the company's value rises, the stock's price does, too, though there are other factors to consider.

Why do stock prices fluctuate?

The Efficient Market Hypothesis says that a stock price reflects a company's true value at any given time. The Intrinsic Value Theory states that companies may trade for more or less than they are worth.

How does a market maker in the middle work?

A market maker in the middle works to create liquidity by facilitating trades between the two parties. Put simply, the ask and the bid determine stock price. When a buyer and seller come together, a trade is executed, and the price at which the trade occurred becomes the quoted market value.

How do capital markets work?

First, capital markets establish the primary market by connecting savers of capital with those who want to raise capital. In other words, a business owner who wants to start or grow a business can use the capital markets to connect with investors who have money to spare. 1

Where do stock price fluctuations occur?

Stock price fluctuations happen in the secondary market as stock market participants make decisions to buy or sell. The decision to buy, sell, or hold is based on whether an investor or investment professional believes that the stock is undervalued, overvalued, or correctly valued.

Why do capital markets facilitate a secondary market?

Secondly, capital markets facilitate a secondary market for existing owners of stocks and bonds to find others who are willing to buy their securities. The secondary market is complementary to the primary market through the liquidity it provides.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Is EPS a measure of earnings power?

Although we are using EPS, an accounting measure, to illustrate the concept of earnings base, there are other measures of earnings power. Many argue that cash-flow-based measures are superior. 1  For example, free cash flow per share is used as an alternative measure of earnings power.

Why do stocks go up?

Sometimes, stocks go up simply because they have been going up. In a strategy known as momentum investing, investors buy shares in rising stocks and sell shares in those that are following. This momentum builds on itself and continues to drive rising share prices higher.

Why do stock prices go up and down?

Stock prices go up and down based on supply and demand. When people want to buy a stock versus selling it, the price goes up. If people want to sell a stock versus buying it, the price goes down. Forecasting whether there will be more buyers or sellers in a stock requires additional research, however. Buyers are attracted to stocks ...

Why are buyers attracted to stocks?

Buyers are attracted to stocks for any number of reasons, from low valuation to new product lines to market hype. Learning how the stock exchange works is the first step in understanding the factors that make a stock go up and down; knowing what makes stocks valuable can help you predict which ones are more likely to rise.

What attracts buyers to a stock?

One of the factors that attracts buyers to a stock is valuation . Companies can be valued in a number of different ways, but earnings per share and P/E ratio are two common factors in the equation.

What is stock in business?

A stock is simply an ownership share in a physical company. Stock shares allow investors to buy or sell an interest in a company on an exchange through a bidding process. Sellers indicate prices at which they are asking to give up their shares, and buyers similarly post prices at which they’re bidding to buy shares.

What happens after a trade at $10.10?

After the first trade at $10.10, there are no more sellers willing to accept such a low price. The next trade occurs at $10.20, as the demand to pay a higher price exceeds the willingness of sellers to accept a lower price.

What does earnings per share mean?

Earnings per share represent a company’s profitability. Generally speaking, investors are more interested in companies with rising earnings. Earnings per share is also a metric for comparison to other companies in a particular industry.

When a company uses its cash to buy back its own stock, it's usually a good sign that management

When a company uses its cash to buy back its own stock, it's usually a good sign that management believes the stock is undervalued. Repurchase programs will probably be mentioned in the company press release.

What are the factors that affect stock prices?

Rising interest rates, higher taxes, or consumer behavior may have an impact on the stock. Other external factors, such as an industry-wide downturn, might affect the company. These considerations can be as important as the fundamentals and technical indicators. For example, consider Continental Airlines in 2006.

Is it possible to predict a new product?

It's virtually impossible to predict whether a new product will be a winner or not. But it's a big mistake to overlook the stocks of the companies that make them. New products often garner the most attention from consumers and investors. This often helps move the share price higher in the near term.

How to tell if a stock is going to bottom?

Price and Volume. Once you identify your stock's sector, some other clues can give you some confidence your stock is nearing a bottom. Many technicians think stock price and volume are the two most important indications of where a stock is going. Stocks tend to bottom when there are few sellers of that particular stock.

Why do stocks bottom?

It sounds ridiculously simple, but think about it: if few sellers exist, more buyers remain and buyers are more willing to pay a higher price for the stock. This means a price bottom has formed.

Why is volume important in stock market?

Volume adds credibility to stock prices and price direction, to an extent. Remember, stocks trade on supply and demand, just like all other goods in a free market. There are just a lot more things that influence stock prices than a gallon of milk.

What are the indicators of a stock's inflection point?

Price and volume are important indicators that a stock is at a key inflection point, especially if volume starts to pick up steadily. Consider going against whatever the general masses think: if everyone is gung-ho about a particular stock, it might be time to sell.

What are sectors in investing?

The stocks you own in your portfolios belong to sectors. Sectors are simply groups of public companies and stocks in a related industry. Oil and gas, technology, financial, and retail are some sectors that may be familiar to investors.

Can you call a stock bottom?

No one can call stock bottoms with absolute certainty consistently, but there are some common fundamental and technical trends that appear in stocks that are about to hit bottom.

Will stock prices rise if only buyers remain?

If only buyers remain, stock prices will rise. There are technical trading programs that will show you ideal times to buy and sell a particular stock, based on trading patterns, but they can't definitively show if a bottom has been made.

Why are investors more likely to buy stocks?

Investors are more likely to purchase stocks if they are convinced their shares will increase in value in the future. If, however, there is a reason to believe that shares will perform poorly, there are often more investors looking to sell than to buy. Events that affect investor confidence include:

What happens when there is a greater number of buyers than sellers?

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 get rid of them. Conversely, a larger number of sellers bids down the price of stocks hoping to entice buyers to purchase.

Why do economists say that markets tend towards equilibrium?

This is why economists say that markets tend towards equilibrium , where supply equals demand. This is how it works with stocks; supply is the amount of shares people want to sell, and demand is the amount of shares people want to purchase. If there is a greater number of buyers than sellers ...

How many points did the Nasdaq lose in 2020?

For example, the largest single-day decrease in the history of the Nasdaq Composite Index took place on March 16, 2020. The market "lost" (traded down) 970.28 points, over 12% of its value.

Is the stock market a living entity?

"The market," so to speak, is not a living entity. Instead, it is just shorthand for the collective values of individual companies.

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