Looking for a stock market definition? The world stock market is a set of exchanges and markets who trade and issue bonds, equities and various other securities. An integral part of the global economy, it affords companies and investors the access to a transaction of capital for a certain amount of legal ownership. The stock market is also known as the equity market, with stocks can be defined in different ways, of the most common being from the country where the stock is contained. As of 2015 the total market capitalisation was worth £52 trillion.
We usually hear of those who work with the stock market before we encounter world stock markets for ourselves. There are various different positions associated with the stock market and stock market investment, ranging from stock brokers, stock analysts and traders to investment bankers and portfolio managers. Each of these positions are individual but many of them are linked and rely on each other for the smooth running of the market.
- Stock Brokers are licensed professionals who handle the buying and selling of securities on behalf of the investors. The broker behaves as the mediator between the investor and the stock exchange, by selling and buying on the investors behalf.
- Stock Analysts are the researchers who rate the security as buy, sell or hold. Their conclusive research gets circulated between interested parties and clients who then decide whether to buy or sell the stock in question.
- Traders buy and sell financial securities on the financial markets for themselves or on behalf of a company or client.
- Investment Banker is a person who works for an institution whose business raises the capital of governments, companies and other entities or an individual who works for a large bank in this particular division.
- Portfolio Managers are professional investors who work with collections of securities and portfolios for clients. Mutual fund companies, pension plans and hedge funds all use portfolio managers to strategise and make important investment choices for the money that they hold.