Stock FAQs

why do stock market prices fluctuate

by Dagmar Rohan Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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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. Understanding supply and demand is easy.

Why do stock prices go up and down so much?

You'll usually see prices go up and down by a percentage point or two, with occasional larger swings. But sometimes, events can occur that cause shares to rise or fall sharply. Increased trading could be caused by an earnings report that shows good or bad financial news.

Why is stock market volatility so high?

The principle causes of volatility are; The economy is volatile and experiences periods of contraction as well as expansion. A contraction in the economy leads to lower revenues for businesses, and with fixed overheads this, in turn, amplifies the reduction in corporate earnings. Furthermore, stock markets are emotional and over-react relative to the likely change in these underlying business fundamentals.

What causes stock prices to change?

The key points to remember about this subject are the following:

  1. Stock prices, at the most fundamental level, is determined by supply and demand.
  2. The value of a company is not determined by just comparing the share price of two companies. ...
  3. It is not only by the way of earnings that a company’s stock prices are affected, but also through investor sentiments, attitudes and expectations.

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Why do the stock prices fall after dividend is paid?

In a nutshell, stock prices fall after dividend is paid because the company is utilizing a part of its reserves and cash balance to pay out the dividends, and also dividend distribution tax that has to be paid with it. As a result, the company’s cash and accumulated profits shrink to the extent of dividend outflow. However, there is more to it.

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What are 3 reasons why stock prices change?

12 Reasons on Why a Stock Price May ChangeStock/Share Price.Reason #1: Market Corrections.Reason #2: Earnings Reports. Good News Gets Priced in. ... Reason #3: Dividend Changes and Payments. ... Reason #4: News on Products and/or Services. ... Reason #5: Employee Layoffs.Reason #6: Acquisitions. ... Reason #7: Stock Splits.More items...•

Why does the market 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 stock prices fluctuate so much during the day?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 do stock prices fluctuate?

The reason behind the fluctuations of the stock prices is ‘supply and demand’. Now, let us understand the funda of supply & demand in the stock market.

What are the factors that affect stock prices?

Stock prices fluctuations are a function of supply and demand. The factors such as earnings, financials, economy and so on may affect the desirability of owning (or selling) the stock.

Why demand decreases?

Here are the few reasons that cause a decrease in demand and an increase in supply.

Why is the stock market run on sentiments?

Stock market is run on sentiments and ‘greed & fear’ are the driving force here. When the people are greedy, then the demand increases. When the people are fearful, they want to sell all their stocks and exit which causes an increase in supply. The greed and fear of the people cause the fluctuations in the stock price.

What happens to the stock price when the number of people who want to buy the stock is greater than the number of people?

If the number of people who are willing to buy the stock (demand) is greater than the number of people who wants to sell the stock (supply), then the stock price increases.

Do investors agree on every point regarding a stock?

I have never met two such investors who agree on every point regarding a stock. Every investor has his own ideas and strategies. Some people may like the stock, while others dislike it (due to various reasons). This difference in the ideas and strategies of the investors also affects the demand for a stock.

Can you predict the stock price?

Note: There are a number of financial gurus who have their own philosophy about the stock price. Some believe that it isn’t possible to predict the share price while others argue that they can determine the future price of the stock from the past charts and trends in price movement.

Why do stock prices fluctuate?

It brings uncertainty for businesses as well as the general public. Inflation halts economic growth and also discourages investment including stock market investment. Even the best performers find themselves in an economic crisis as nobody wants to invest. The reason is increased inflation that negatively affects not only purchasing power of people but also investing power of investors. As a result that share prices begin to fall. The flip side of the coin is low inflation. It causes substantial economic growth and also encourages investment. As of result of low inflation, stock prices begin to rise as investors have more investing power.

What are the factors that affect stock price?

A company’s stock issue, a company’s stock buyback, and a number of sellers are the key supply factors that affect stock price and creates variation. It is quite simple and natural as well that excessive supply of shares brings share prices down.

Why do middle-aged investors leave the stock market?

Aged investors leave the stock market to manage retirement. So, a greater number of middle-aged investors increases demand, and thus share prices increase.

What is liquidity in stocks?

Liquidity means the interest of investors in a particular company. All the popular companies are always on investors’ radar. Stocks of those companies always trade at high prices because of high liquidity. On the other hand, small-cap companies don’t have ready-made buyers and thus, their stock prices often don’t reach the highest levels.

Why do share prices go up?

Shifts in supply and demand also cause share price variation just like supply and demand causes prices of other assets to go up or down. As a general rule, when more investors are looking to buy stocks of a company, the demand is high and so does the price. On the other hand, when investors are looking to sell and potential buyers are less, the supply is high, and as result share prices fall. However, supply and demand isn’t as simple a phenomenon as it seems. There are various supply and demand factors that we need to consider.

What is market sentiment?

Market sentiment defines the overall feelings of investors about a particular stock. Market sentiment is a key element in share price fluctuations because most investors rely on moods in the stock markets. They don’t rely on facts, figures, and concrete news. Sometimes, rumors about a company define the mood of the investors. That means market sentiment isn’t objective at all. It is totally subjective and often biased. However, it plays a key part in supply and demand. Thus has the potential to cause a rise or decline in share prices.

What are fundamental factors?

Fundamental factors are the basic factors that affect share prices before other factors. These are the factors that determine the real value or fair market value of a stock. Fundamental factors can further be categorized into two, qualitative and quantitative factors.

How is market value determined?

Market value is determined by - you guessed it - the market. This next "model" provides an interesting framework for gauging market value.

What is a Stock Worth?

Since the inception of the U.S. stock market, people have been experimenting with stock valuation models. These models incorporate complex calculations and analyses of market data in an attempt to determine the intrinsic value of a stock. Theoretically, if you could put together an accurate valuation model, you would be able to buy undervalued stocks, short overvalued stocks, and beat the market consistently.

What happens when you see a support level on a stock chart?

Part of the answer can be explained by perception. When you’re staring at a stock chart, there are thousands of other traders looking at the same exact chart. If you see a support level, these traders see it as well. For example, if you plan to buy a stock when it pulls back to VWAP, there may be thousands of other traders doing the same thing. If this group of traders outnumbers the opposing group (i.e. short at VWAP), you will get the VWAP bounce you expect.

How to determine the value of a dividend paying stock?

To determine the value of dividend paying stocks, you could calculate the lifetime return of all expected dividends in order to figure out a fair value. If future dividends had a present value of $100, the stock would be worth $100.

Why do traders use technical analysis?

There’s a reason most traders use technical analysis. A stock’s price accounts for a variety of fundamental, economic, and industry-related factors. We could spend hours researching every company we trade OR we could use a stock’s price as a metric to summarize this data.

What is the difference between intrinsic value and market value?

A differentiation needs to be made between market value and intrinsic value. Intrinsic value is a subjective term for estimating a company's true fundamental value, whereas market value is simply the price at which a stock trades. For our purposes, market value provides a more objective measurement.

When do you buy a stock?

You buy a stock when you think it will be worth more in the future and you sell/short when you expect it to be worth less in the future. This doesn’t mean you’re doing an in-depth analysis of a company’s financial situation. It simply means you’re making predictions about a stock’s future market value relative to its current price.

Introduction

The history of the stock market is one of ups and downs. The high returns of the various East Indies companies were usually preceded or followed by failures and catastrophes. Before WW1, the US economy was at an all-time high level of optimism, continuing until the Great Depression of the 1920s.

Factors responsible for stock price fluctuations

Stock market and trade are all digitised transactions conducted through the internet, with little to no human interaction. Then how do stock prices change during such transactions?

Conclusion

Understanding how and why share price fluctuates can help investors foster better investment practices and create opportunities for financial growth. Such an understanding can also help companies better manage their assets and provide the impetus for research and innovation to improve competitiveness.

Why do stock prices jump?

Whenever we see a company posting good set of numbers or when we see any positive news coming in for a company, the stock price jumps! The reason primarily is ‘increase in demand ’.

When does the price of goods go up?

So, whenever there is increase in demand, the price of the goods will go up.

Why does demand decrease at multiplex?

Well, the answer lies in simple economics. There is less footfall in morning and hence less demand. So, to occupy more seats, the multiplex charge less. Hence, decrease in demand leads to decrease in price.

Why won't people sell stock?

Now, in stock market, whenever there is a great news for stock, the people already having the stock won’t sell. This is because they know that the price will eventually go up. Hence, less supply will lead to increase in price.

Will a decrease in supply make the price move up?

Decrease in supply will make the price move up.

Does an increase in supply decrease price?

So, we know now that increase in supply will have a decrease in price.

Can one man control the stock market?

However, the major difference is that in a stock market there are too many buyers and too many sellers. Hence, it is not possible for one man to control the price.

What could cause a decline in stock price?

One bad public announcement or news piece could cause a decline in company’s stock price. Potential – A company’s growth potential based on forecasts, analyst reports and media greatly affect the stock prices and investor perception.

What are the rumors about buying stocks?

Rumors like “the CEO plans to step down”, “the CFO may be accused of fraud”, “management might decide to sell the company” or “interest rates may increase in the next quarter”, whether credible or not, actually impacts investors’ decision-making process.

What are the factors that investors consider when deciding to buy or sell stocks?

Economic Data – Economic data releases such as labor rates, consumer spending, GDP (gross domestic product – basically the total value of the goods and services in a country during the year) and interest rates are important factors that investors consider when deciding to buy or sell stocks.

What happens when economic indicators are worse than expected?

Alternatively, when these economic indicators are worse than expected, the overall market decreases in value. Wars/Conflicts – Terrorists might take over or blow up an oil field. Activists may start protesting child labor practices. Refugee crisis occur which causes multiple nations to argue.

What is the most solid basis for stock prices?

Company Earnings – This is probably the most solid basis for stock prices. After all, who would not want to invest in a company that is bringing in the bucks?

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Supply and Demand

  • Before we get started, let’s take a second to remember how stocks are exchanged. Let’s say an investor is looking to buy shares in a certain organisation. They are matched with somebody who is trying to sell their shares in that same organisation. But what happens if there are more people that are looking to buy their share, than people looking to ...
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What Drives The Stock Demand?

  • There are many, many factors that have an influence on the overall demand for a stock and ultimately its price. Let’s take a look at some of them in more detail below.
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Is It Possible to Predict Stock Price Changes?

  • Yes, it is possible to predict stock price changes. To a certain degree. And without a guarantee, these predictions will be accurate. Whilst you can make educated guesses, it is not possible to know EXACTLY how prices will fluctuate. However, there are ways you can tilt the odds in your favour. We’ll look at all these in the next lessons to give you the best possible tools to make you …
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Fundamental Factors

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Fundamental factors are the basic factors that affect share prices before other factors. These are the factors that determine the real value or fair market value of a stock. Fundamental factors can further be categorized into two, qualitative and quantitative factors.
See more on patternswizard.com

Supply and Demand

  • Shifts in supply and demand also cause share price variation just like supply and demand causes prices of other assets to go up or down. As a general rule, when more investors are looking to buy stocks of a company, the demand is high and so does the price. On the other hand, when investors are looking to sell and potential buyers are less, the supply is high, and as result share …
See more on patternswizard.com

Technical Factors

  • Technical factors are among other key reasons for fluctuations in stock markets. These factors include inflation, interest rates, overall economic outlook, trends, liquidity, and demographic factors.
See more on patternswizard.com

Overall Market Sentiment

  • Market sentiment defines the overall feelings of investors about a particular stock. Market sentiment is a key element in share price fluctuations because most investors rely on moods in the stock markets. They don’t rely on facts, figures, and concrete news. Sometimes, rumors about a company define the mood of the investors. That means market sentiment isn’t objective at all. …
See more on patternswizard.com

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