Stock market
A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks, which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include securities listed on a public stock exchange as well as stock that is only traded privately, such as shares of private companies that are sold to investors through equity crowdfunding platforms. Investments are usually made with an investment strategy in mind.
Size of the market
The total market capitalization of all publicly traded stocks worldwide rose from US$2.5 trillion in 1980 to US$111 trillion by the end of 2023., there are 60 stock exchanges in the world. Of these, there are 16 exchanges with a market capitalization of $1 trillion or more, and they account for 87% of global market capitalization. Apart from the Australian Securities Exchange, these 16 exchanges are all in North America, Europe, or Asia.
By country, the largest stock markets as of January 2022 are in the United States of America, followed by Japan and United Kingdom.
Stock exchange
A stock exchange is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell shares, bonds, and other securities. Many large companies have their stocks listed on a stock exchange. This makes the stock more liquid and thus more attractive to many investors. The exchange may also act as a guarantor of settlement. These and other stocks may also be traded "over the counter", that is, through a dealer. Some large companies will have their stock listed on more than one exchange in different countries, so as to attract international investors.Stock exchanges may also cover other types of securities, such as fixed-interest securities or derivatives, which are more likely to be traded OTC.
Trade in stock markets means the transfer of a stock or security from a seller to a buyer. This requires these two parties to agree on a price. Equities confer an ownership interest in a particular company.
Participants in the stock market range from small individual stock investors to larger investors, who can be based anywhere in the world, and may include banks, insurance companies, pension funds and hedge funds. Their buy or sell orders may be executed on their behalf by a stock exchange trader.
Some exchanges are physical locations where transactions are carried out on a trading floor, by a method known as open outcry. This method is used in some stock exchanges and commodities exchanges, and involves traders shouting bid and offer prices. The other type of stock exchange has a network of computers where trades are made electronically. An example of such an exchange is the NASDAQ.
A potential buyer bids a specific price for a stock, and a potential seller asks a specific price for the same stock. Buying or selling at the Market means you will accept any ask price or bid price for the stock. When the bid and ask prices match, a sale takes place, on a first-come, first-served basis if there are multiple bidders at a given price.
The purpose of a stock exchange is to facilitate the exchange of securities between buyers and sellers, thus providing a marketplace. The exchanges provide real-time trading information on the listed securities, facilitating price discovery.
The New York Stock Exchange is a physical exchange, with a hybrid market for placing orders electronically from any location as well as on the trading floor. Orders executed on the trading floor enter by way of exchange members and flow down to a floor broker, who submits the order electronically to the floor trading post for the Designated market maker for that stock to trade the order. The DMM's job is to maintain a two-sided market, making orders to buy and sell the security when there are no other buyers or sellers. If a bid–ask spread exists, no trade immediately takes place – in this case, the DMM may use their own resources to close the difference. Once a trade has been made, the details are reported on the "tape" and sent back to the brokerage firm, which then notifies the investor who placed the order. Computers play an important role, especially for program trading.
The NASDAQ is an electronic exchange, where all of the trading is done over a computer network. The process is similar to the New York Stock Exchange. One or more NASDAQ market makers will always provide a bid and ask the price at which they will always purchase or sell 'their' stock.
The Paris Bourse, now part of Euronext, is an order-driven, electronic stock exchange. It was automated in the late 1980s. Prior to the 1980s, it consisted of an open outcry exchange. Stockbrokers met on the trading floor of the Palais Brongniart. In 1986, the CATS trading system was introduced, and the order matching system was fully automated.
People trading stock will prefer to trade on the most popular exchange since this gives the largest number of potential counter parties and probably the best price. However, there have always been alternatives such as brokers trying to bring parties together to trade outside the exchange. Some third markets that were popular are Instinet, and later Island and Archipelago. One advantage is that this avoids the commissions of the exchange. However, it also has problems such as adverse selection. Financial regulators have probed dark pools.
Market participant
s include individual retail investors, institutional investors, and also publicly traded corporations trading in their own shares. Robo-advisors, which automate investment for individuals, are also major participants.Stock market participation post-2020 pandemic
In 2021, the value of world stock markets experienced an increase of 26.5%, amounting to US$22.3 trillion. Developing countries contributed US$9.9 trillion and developed countries US$12.4 trillion. Asia and Oceania accounted for 45%, Europe had 37%, and America had 16%, while Africa had 2% of the global market.Stock market participation factors
Factors such as high trading prices, market ratings, information about stock exchange dynamics, and financial institutions can influence individual and corporate participation in stock markets. Additionally, the appeal of stock ownership, driven by the potential for higher returns compared to other financial instruments, plays a crucial role in attracting individuals to invest in the stock market.Regional and country-specific factors can also impact stock market participation rates. For example, in the United States, stock market participation rates vary widely across states, with regional factors potentially influencing these disparities. It is noted that individual participation costs alone cannot explain such large differences in participation rates from state to state, indicating the presence of other regional factors at play.
Behavioral factors are recognized as significant influences on stock market participation, as evidenced by the low participation rates observed in the Ghanaian stock market.
Factors such as factor endowments, geography, political stability, liberal trade policies, foreign direct investment inflows, and domestic industrial capacity are also identified as important in determining participation.
Demographics of market participation
Indirect versus direct investment
Indirect investment involves owning shares indirectly, such as via a mutual fund or an exchange traded fund. Direct investment involves direct ownership of shares.Direct ownership of stock by individuals rose slightly from 17.8% in 1992 to 17.9% in 2007, with the median value of these holdings rising from $14,778 to $17,000. Indirect participation in the form of retirement accounts rose from 39.3% in 1992 to 52.6% in 2007, with the median value of these accounts more than doubling from $22,000 to $45,000 in that time. Rydqvist, Spizman, and Strebulaev attribute the differential growth in direct and indirect holdings to differences in the way each are taxed in the United States. Investments in pension funds and 401ks, the two most common vehicles of indirect participation, are taxed only when funds are withdrawn from the accounts. Conversely, the money used to directly purchase stock is subject to taxation as are any dividends or capital gains they generate for the holder. In this way, the current tax code incentivizes individuals to invest indirectly.