stock exchange question

[poker1O1]

hey, silly question, but I realize the price of a single stock changes every second. My question is, who or what decides the price of this stock every single second?

Martha Stewart

No, Alan Greenspan uses a pattern mapper to do it.

[poker1O1]

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Martha Stewart

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ok seriosly

[ttw22]

Supply and demand. Desperate buyers drive prices up; desperate sellers drive prices down.

[Paluka]

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hey, silly question, but I realize the price of a single stock changes every second. My question is, who or what decides the price of this stock every single second?

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The price of the stock is simply the last price it was bought or sold at. It does not change every second, by the way.

[DesertCat]

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hey, silly question, but I realize the price of a single stock changes every second. My question is, who or what decides the price of this stock every single second?

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The price of the stock is simply the last price it was bought or sold at. It does not change every second, by the way.

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And stocks have "bid" and "ask" prices. The "bid" reflects the highest price any buyer will pay for a share, and the "ask" the lowest price a seller will accept. Typically the ask is higher than the bid, and for most stocks nothing happens for minutes at a time. For smaller, less liquid stocks, sometimes nothing changes for hours, days or even weeks. But eventually some buyer raises his bid price to the ask, or some seller lowers his ask price to the bid, and finally some shares exchange hands. It's just like the miracle of life, only with money...

[Sniper]

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hey, silly question, but I realize the price of a single stock changes every second. My question is, who or what decides the price of this stock every single second?

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Like the price of anything else, it is determined by the point where, someone who wants to buy it and where someone else is willing to sell it, meet.

As others have pointed out, prices don't change every second.

[tek]

I always thought it was the MM's and Specialists /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[poker1O1]

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But eventually some buyer raises his bid price to the ask, or some seller lowers his ask price to the bid, and finally some shares exchange hands.

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Ok, understood. Now, how is the price that we see, for exapmle, a stock chosen. Simple answer is buy a buyer or seller, but which buyer or seller is posting that price? Is it the CFO of a company? More specifically, what buyer is deciding the price of a stock at any given time. And also, do you think there will be a big enough demand for a stock broker in 5-10 years with the convenience of online trading?

[poker1O1]

also, what are some good resources to learn about the stock market and how to use it?

[Sniper]

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but which buyer or seller is posting that price? Is it the CFO of a company? More specifically, what buyer is deciding the price of a stock at any given time.

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Stock is freely traded on the open market... price is determined by the buyers and sellers themselves, based on what price they each individually are willing to either buy or sell (and sometimes both).

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And also, do you think there will be a big enough demand for a stock broker in 5-10 years with the convenience of online trading?

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There are significantly fewer stock brokers than there were a few years ago, due to the ease of access to electronic trading and information.

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There are significantly fewer stock brokers than there were a few years ago, due to the ease of access to electronic trading and information.

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Do you have specific numbers on this? I was under the impression that stock brokers have simply developed into financial advisors, selling a wider range of products/services. Also, I believe the high net worth(private bank) business is actually growing.

[Sniper]

http://www.bls.gov/

Thanks, is this what you were referring to? Doesn't look "that" bad.
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Job Outlook

Employment of securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2012. As people’s incomes continue to climb, they will increasingly seek the advice and services of securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents to realize their financial goals. Growth in the volume of trade in stocks over the Internet will reduce the need for brokers for many transactions. Nevertheless, the overall increase in investment is expected to spur employment growth among these workers, with a majority of transactions still requiring the advice and services of securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents.

Baby boomers in their peak savings years will fuel much of this increase in investment. Saving for retirement has been made much easier by the government, which continues to offer a number of tax-favorable pension plans, such as the 401(k) and the Roth IRA. The participation of more women in the workforce also means higher household incomes and more women qualifying for pensions. Many of these pensions are self-directed, meaning that the recipient has the responsibility for investing the money. With such large amounts of money to invest, sales agents, in their role as financial advisors, will be in great demand.

Other factors that will affect the demand for brokers are the increasing number and complexity of investment products, as well as the effects of globalization. As the public and businesses become more sophisticated about investing, they are venturing into the options and futures markets. Brokers are needed to buy or sell these products, which are not traded online. Also, markets for investment are expanding with the increase in global trading of stocks and bonds. Furthermore, the New York Stock Exchange has extended its trading hours to accommodate trading in foreign stocks and compete with foreign exchanges.

Employment of brokers is adversely affected by downturns in the stock market or the economy. Turnover is high for beginning brokers, who often are unable to establish a sizable clientele even in good times. Once established, securities and commodities sales agents have a very strong attachment to their occupation because of their high earnings and the considerable investment in training. Competition usually is intense, especially in larger companies with more applicants than jobs. Opportunities for beginning brokers should be better in smaller firms.

The number of financial services sales agents in banks will increase faster than average as banks expand their product offerings in order to compete directly with other investment firms.
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[poker1O1]

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also, what are some good resources to learn about the stock market and how to use it?

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