If you are a beginner in trading stocks, the following terms related to the stock market can serve as an excellent starting point. By studying these terms, you can acquaint yourself with the common stock-related jargon that any novice investor should be familiar with.

1. Arbitrage: Arbitrage refers to the practice of buying and selling stocks or other financial instruments in different markets to take advantage of price differences and make a profit without incurring any significant risk.
2. Asset allocation: Asset allocation refers to the process of diversifying one’s investment portfolio across different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and cash, in order to optimise returns and minimise risk.
3. Asset classes: Asset classes can be defined as groupings of various assets that share similar characteristics, such as stocks, bonds, cash, and real estate.
4. Averaging down: Averaging down is an investment strategy that involves purchasing additional shares of a security that has decreased in price since the initial purchase, in order to lower the average cost per share.
5. Bear market: A bear market is a financial market condition where securities prices are falling, and investor sentiment is generally pessimistic.
6. Bid: A bid refers to an offer made by an investor or trader to buy a certain quantity of a security, such as a stock, at a specified price. The bid price is the maximum amount that the bidder is willing to pay for the security.
7. Blue-chip stocks: Blue-chip stocks are shares of large, well-established companies that have a long track record of stable earnings, strong financials, and a reputation for quality products or services. These companies typically have a market capitalization in the billions of dollars, and are leaders in their respective industries.
8. Bond: Bonds are debt instruments that are issued by companies, governments, and other entities to raise capital.
9. Bull market: A bull market is a financial market in which prices of securities, such as stocks, are generally rising, and investor confidence is high. It is characterised by sustained upward trends in the stock market over a period of time, usually months or even years.
10. Buyback: A buyback, also known as a share repurchase, is a corporate action in which a company buys back its own shares from the market.
11. Capitalization: Capitalization, or market capitalization, is a measure of the total value of a publicly traded company’s outstanding shares. It is calculated by multiplying the company’s current stock price by the total number of outstanding shares.
12. Capital gains: Capital gains refer to the profit or gain realised from the sale of an asset, such as a stock, bond, real estate, or other investment. It is calculated by subtracting the original purchase price of the asset from the sale price.
13. Current ratio: The current ratio is a financial ratio that measures a company’s ability to pay its short-term obligations or debts with its current assets. It is calculated by dividing a company’s current assets by its current liabilities.
14. Debt-to-Equity Ratio: The Debt-to-Equity (D/E) ratio is a financial ratio used to measure the proportion of debt and equity that a company is using to finance its operations. It is calculated by dividing the total debt of a company by its total shareholder equity.
15. Dividend: A dividend is a payment made by a corporation to its shareholders, typically in the form of cash or additional shares of stock.
16. Dividend Yield: Dividend yield is a financial ratio that indicates the amount of cash dividends paid out by a company relative to its current stock price. It is expressed as a percentage and is calculated by dividing the annual dividend per share by the current stock price.
17. Earnings per Share (EPS): Earnings per share (EPS) is a financial ratio that measures a company’s net income divided by its total number of outstanding shares of common stock. It is calculated by taking the net income of the company and dividing it by the total number of outstanding shares of common stock.
18. Equity Income: Equity income is a type of investment income that is generated from owning stocks or other equity securities. It is the income earned by an investor in the form of dividends or other distributions paid by a company to its shareholders.
19. Futures: Futures are financial contracts that obligate the buyer to purchase an asset or the seller to sell an asset at a predetermined price and date in the future.
20. Growth and income funds: Growth and income funds are mutual funds that invest in a combination of growth stocks and income-generating assets, such as dividend-paying stocks or bonds. These funds typically aim to provide investors with a balance of capital appreciation and current income.
21. Growth stocks: Growth stocks are stocks of companies that are expected to grow at a faster rate than the overall market or their peers. These companies typically reinvest their earnings into their business to fuel growth, rather than paying out dividends to shareholders.
22. Index Funds: Index funds are a type of mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that is designed to track the performance of a particular stock market index, such as the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. These funds invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks that mirror the composition of the underlying index.
23. Inflation: Inflation refers to the general increase in the prices of goods and services over time, resulting in a decrease in the purchasing power of money. Inflation is typically measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the changes in the prices of a basket of goods and services commonly purchased by consumers.
24. Initial Public Offering (IPO): An initial public offering (IPO) is the process through which a private company becomes a public company by offering its shares of stock for sale to the public for the first time. This process is typically facilitated by investment banks and underwriters, who help the company prepare the necessary documentation, set the offering price, and market the shares to potential investors.
25. Mutual Fund: A mutual fund is a type of investment vehicle that pools money from many investors to purchase a portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other securities. The fund is managed by a professional portfolio manager who invests the money in accordance with the fund’s investment objective and strategy.
26. P/E Ratio: The price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) is a financial metric used to evaluate a company’s stock price relative to its earnings per share (EPS).
27. Stock Split: A stock split is a corporate action in which a company divides its existing shares into multiple shares. The purpose of a stock split is to increase the number of shares outstanding while decreasing the price per share, making the stock more accessible to a wider range of investors.
28. Time Horizon: Time horizon refers to the length of time an investor expects to hold an investment before selling it. It is a key consideration for investors when making investment decisions, as it can impact the risk and return characteristics of the investment.
29. Volume: In finance, trading volume refers to the total number of shares or contracts traded for a particular security or market over a specified period of time, such as a day, a week, or a month.
30. Yield: In finance, yield refers to the return on investment, typically expressed as a percentage of the initial investment. Yield can be calculated in different ways depending on the type of investment.