The first joint-stock company was founded in 1602, and went by the name of Dutch East India Company. This stock was traded in the Amsterdam Exchange. In the modern world there is a known stock market in nearly every country’s economies. The world’s largest stock markets are in the United States, UK, Japan, and India.
When you hold stock within a company you have a claim for that company in some way no matter what percentage you have, you part-own it in some way. When you have the claim you will earn a set amount of money depending on how the economy is holding up. The better the economy, the more you make. As for the economy doing bad, you’re out of luck. When you are a shareholder you have a choice to either keep the stock, or get sell it at a time you think is best. You wouldn’t want to buy a stock at a high price and end up selling it when it hits rock bottom. Many people think it’s an easy thing to do, but when you think about it, predicting the future can’t always be easy.
To buy a stock, most people would decide to hire a “Stock Broker”. This is completely optional. They are supposedly professionals at knowing what to and I guess they predict the future for you while you sit there and watch them go. Sounds like the greatest thing in the world, right? Well with everything comes a price. The stock broker will have to be paid a percentage of what you earn no matter what. You could also choose to go about it yourself. To save on broker fees, you can buy some stocks directly from the company. Doing this could be the best decision of your life, if you get lucky in that area of the market, of course. Otherwise if you don’t feel like luck is on your side, don’t be greedy and leave it to the professionals. The stock market is a very dangerous thing. It could ultimately make you, or kill you.