Stocks Part 1 & 2

Dividends

A dividend is a distribution of a portion of a company's earnings, decided by the board of directors, to a class of its shareholders. Dividends can be issued as cash payments, as shares of stock, or other property.

Stock Certificate

A stock certificate is the physical piece of paper representing ownership in a company. Stock certificates will include information such as the number of shares owned, the date, an identification number, usually a corporate seal, and signatures. They are a bit bigger than normal piece of paper and most of them have intricate designs to discourage fraudulent replication.

Stocks

A stock is a type of security that signifies ownership in a corporation and represents a claim on part of the corporation's assets and earnings. There are two main types of stock: common and preferred. Common stock usually entitles the owner to vote at shareholders' meetings and to receive dividends. Preferred stock generally does not have voting rights, but has a higher claim on assets and earnings than the common shares. For example, owners of preferred stock receive dividends before common shareholders and have priority in the event that a company goes bankrupt and is liquidated.

In Street Name

A street name is when securities are held in the name of a broker or other nominee, as opposed to being held in the customer's name. Securities are sometimes held in street name because it makes transferring the securities easier. Securities held in street name remain in the broker's custody instead of having to be transferred to the customer and registered in the customer's name. Most securities today are held in street name, although it is possible for securities to be held in the customer's name.

Absolute Priority

An absolute priority is a rule that stipulates the order of payment - creditors before shareholders - in the event of liquidation. The absolute priority rule is used in bankruptcies to decide what portion of payment will be received by which participants. Debts to creditors will be paid first and shareholders (partial owners) divide what remains.

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

An initial public offering (IPO) is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking the capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately owned companies looking to become publicly traded.

Appreciation

Appreciation is an increase in the value of an asset over time. The increase can occur for a number of reasons including increased demand or weakening supply, or as a result of changes in inflation or interest rates. This is the opposite of depreciation, which is a decrease over time.

Debt Financing

Debt financing is when a firm raises money for working capital or capital expenditures by selling bonds, bills, or notes to individual and/or institutional investors. In return for lending the money, the individuals or institutions become creditors and receive a promise that the principal and interest on the debt will be repaid.

Equity Financing

Equity financing is the process of raising capital through the sale of shares in an enterprise. Equity financing essentially refers to the sale of an ownership interest to raise funds for business purposes.

Liquidation

In finance and economics, liquidation is an event that usually occurs when a company is insolvent, meaning it cannot pay its obligations as and when they come due. The company's operations are brought to an end, and its assets are divvied up among creditors and shareholders, according to the priority of their claims.

NYSE

The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is a stock exchange based in New York City, which is considered the largest equities-based exchange in the world based on total market capitalization of its listed securities. Formerly run as a private organization, the NYSE became a public entity in 2005 following the acquisition of electronic trading exchange Archipelago. The parent company of the New York Stock Exchange is now called NYSE Euronext, following a merger with the European exchange in 2007.