Stock Market for Beginners

Stock Market for Beginners, a Breni path, explains how stock markets work: why companies list shares, how exchanges match buyers and sellers, and what moves prices. It has 7 courses on exchanges, share prices, indexes, financial statements, valuation ratios, corporate actions and market regulation. Learners finish able to read an index, a set of company accounts and a P/E ratio. The path describes how markets work rather than what to buy or when. Company accounts must be finished before valuation, since each course unlocks after the previous one.

• 7 courses
• 10 learning objectives
• Level: beginner
• Language: English
• Price: Subscription, free trial

What you will be able to do

• Explain how a share is created in an IPO and then traded on an exchange
• Read an order book and describe what moves a share price
• Describe how the S&P 500 and other indexes are calculated
• Read a company's income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement
• Calculate earnings per share, a P/E ratio and a dividend yield

Full curriculum

Part 1 · Inside the market

1. Stock Market Basics: Understanding the Market

Explain why companies sell shares and what an exchange does. Units, in order: Why companies issue shares; Stock exchanges such as the NYSE, LSE and NGX; Primary and secondary markets; Brokers and market makers; A short history of stock markets.

• — Why Companies Issue Shares
  Learn why businesses sell shares to raise money.
  • Raising Capital
  • Sharing Risk
• — Major Stock Exchanges
  Explore top stock exchanges like the NYSE, LSE, and NGX.
  • What is an Exchange?
  • Global Exchanges
• — Primary and Secondary Markets
  Understand where shares are first sold and later traded.
  • The Primary Market
  • The Secondary Market
• — Brokers and Market Makers
  Discover how middlemen help trades happen smoothly every day.
  • Role of Brokers
  • Market Makers
• — History of Stock Markets
  Trace how modern stock markets grew from early trade roots.
  • Early Beginnings
  • Modern Growth

2. How Share Prices Move

Explain how supply, demand and news move a share's price. Units, in order: Buyers, sellers and the order book; Market capitalisation; Earnings and company news; Interest rates and the economy; Bubbles and crashes.

3. Stock Market Indexes

Describe what an index measures and how it is built. Units, in order: What an index is; The S&P 500, FTSE 100 and NGX All-Share; Price-weighted and market-cap-weighted indexes; Bull and bear markets; Reading an index chart.

Part 2 · Reading companies

4. Company Financial Statements

Read the three main financial statements of a listed company. Units, in order: The income statement; The balance sheet; The cash flow statement; Annual reports and filings; Red flags in the accounts.

5. Valuation Basics

Use common ratios to describe how the market values a company. Units, in order: Earnings per share; The price-to-earnings ratio; Dividend yield; Growth and value companies; Why a low ratio is not a bargain on its own.

Part 3 · Markets and you

6. IPOs, Dividends and Corporate Actions

Explain the events that change a company's shares. Units, in order: How an IPO works; Dividends and ex-dividend dates; Stock splits; Share buybacks; Mergers and takeovers.

7. Market Risks and Regulation

Describe the risks of the stock market and how regulators protect investors. Units, in order: Market risk and company risk; Volatility and circuit breakers; Insider trading rules; The role of securities regulators; Common stock market scams.

Sample: Stock Market Basics: Understanding the Market

The opening tier, (Why Companies Issue Shares). Learn why businesses sell shares to raise money.

Raising Capital

Companies sell shares to get money for growth and new projects.

Sharing Risk

Selling shares lets owners share business risk with the public.

Questions about Stock Market for Beginners

How does the stock market work?

The stock market is a set of exchanges where shares in companies are bought and sold. Prices move as buyers and sellers react to company results, news and the economy, which Breni's path explains course by course.

Is this stock market course financial advice?

No, it is not financial advice. The path explains how markets work and their risks, and it never says which shares to buy or sell.

What is the difference between the stock market and investing?

The stock market is where shares trade. Investing is a long-term approach to putting money into assets, which the Investing for Beginners path covers.

Does the path cover markets outside the US?

Yes. It uses examples from the New York Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange and the Nigerian Exchange, and the ideas apply to most stock markets.

Do I get a certificate for the stock market course?

Yes, completing all 7 courses earns a Breni certificate of completion. It does not qualify you to give investment advice.

Related learning paths

• Investing for Beginners
• Bookkeeping Basics
• Financial Literacy
• Real Estate Basics
• Trading for Beginners
• Accounting Basics
• Copywriting
• C++ for Beginners
• Arabic for Beginners

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