How the Stock Market Works

There is no one fixed stock exchange, just as there is no one place for buying and selling houses. Increasingly, the stock exchange is dispersing and multiplying, with the number of markets proliferating. It is now possible for an investor to deal on Nasdaq in New York, on the Frankfurt stock exchange or to go to an online broker. With such complexity it becomes increasingly difficult to see exactly what and where the market is. It may be easier and cheaper to trade, but is less easy to trade successfully.;This book arms the investor with all-important knowledge. It sets out the ground rules and the ways that systems operate - it tells you what is being traded, how it is traded, who does the trading and and lets you in on how to evaluate both the shares and the proponents' claims. In his acclaimed lucid style, Michael Becket cuts through the investment hype and answers questions such as, What are shares and gilts? What are futures and options? How much money does it take to own shares? What does it cost to deal in shares? Where and how can you buy shares? What do newspapers' financial pages mean? How do you pick a share to buy? When should you buy or sell? Whose advice can you trust? There is money to be made and it does not require genius to make a fortune, but you do need care, commonsense, lots of luck and expert advice.