Stock exchange

A regulated marketplace where securities such as shares are listed and traded under established rules. Exchanges support price discovery and provide systems for matching buyers and sellers.

Stock listing: The process by which a company’s securities are admitted to trading on an exchange. Listing rules determine which companies and securities can trade on the exchange.
Share (finance): A unit of ownership in a company that may carry rights to profits and voting. Shares are the securities most commonly associated with stock exchanges.
Stock index: A statistical measure that tracks the prices or returns of a selected group of securities. Indexes summarize movements in shares traded on exchanges.
Over-the-counter market: A network in which securities trade directly between parties or through dealers rather than on a centralized exchange. OTC trading contrasts with the exchange’s organized listing and trading venue.
Order book: A record of buy and sell orders for a security, typically organized by price and time. Many exchanges match orders through an order book to establish trades.
Bond (finance): A debt security in which an issuer promises specified payments to its holder. Many exchanges list bonds alongside shares and other securities.
Exchange-traded fund: An investment fund whose shares trade on an exchange during market hours. ETFs use exchange trading to give investors access to diversified portfolios.
Dark pool: A private trading venue that executes orders without displaying them publicly beforehand. Dark pools offer less pre-trade transparency than exchanges.
Market maker: A firm or individual that regularly quotes prices at which it will buy and sell a security. Market makers can provide liquidity when natural buyers and sellers are scarce.
Initial public offering: The first sale of a company’s shares to public investors. An IPO can bring a company’s shares onto an exchange for public trading.

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