The Stock Market

Book excerpt: The most popular and respected guide to every facet of the stock market has now been thoroughly updated to reflect the dramatic shifts that have taken place over the past several years. This Wall Street classic continues to provide the most current and comprehensive coverage of the market's participants, principles, and practices. In easy-to-follow, straightforward terms, The Stock Market, 7th Edition shows you how the market works. Beginning with the basics, it takes you from the market's history and products to its basic structure and operation, to the actual techniques used by shareholders and traders. Based on the authors' more than 70 years' combined experience in the field of finance, it shows you how to buy stocks, transact a buy order, and master the often tricky techniques of money management, pyramiding, options, and much more. Every topic is examined from both a broad top-down perspective and with step-by-step guidance. Packed with clear definitions, cutting-edge strategies, and helpful examples, this new edition provides in-depth information on topics that have changed how stocks perform, as well as how they should be handled. In addition to the globalization of the securities business, regulatory changes, program trading, and advances in online services, you'll find details on key developments in several important areas, including the derivatives market, index fund investing, and technical and fundamental analysis. Covering everything from municipal securities and maintenance calls to serial bonds and Nasdaq, this exhaustive reference is invaluable for understanding stock market fundamentals. Now more than ever, it is the one guide every market participant-whether individual investor, broker, or financial advisor-should own.