Stocks are securities that represent an ownership share in a company. For companies, issuing stock is a way to raise money to grow and invest in their business. For investors, stocks are a way to grow their money and outpace inflation over time.
When you own stock in a company, you are called a shareholder because you share in the company's profits.
Public companies sell their stock through a stock market exchange, like the Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange. Investors can then buy and sell these shares among themselves through stockbrokers. The stock exchanges track the supply and demand of each company's stock, which directly affects the stock's price.
Stock prices fluctuate throughout the day, but investors who own stock hope that over time, the stock will increase in value. Not every company or stock does so, however: Companies can lose value or go out of business completely. When that happens, stock investors may lose all or part of their investment. That's why it's important for investors to spread their money around, buying stock in many different companies rather than focusing on just one.
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Cryptocurrency is a form of payment that can be exchanged online for goods and services. Many companies have issued their own currencies, often called tokens, and these can be traded specifically for the good or service that the company provides. Think of them as you would arcade tokens or casino chips. You’ll need to exchange real currency for the cryptocurrency to access the good or service.
Cryptocurrencies work using a technology called blockchain. Blockchain is a decentralized technology spread across many computers that manages and records transactions. Part of the appeal of this technology is its security.
More than 10,000 different cryptocurrencies are traded publicly, according to CoinMarketCap.com, a market research website. And cryptocurrencies continue to proliferate, raising money through initial coin offerings, or ICOs.
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