Market Structure
IPOs, market cap, short selling, float, and market mechanics
57 articles in this category
What Is an IPO? How Initial Public Offerings Work
An IPO is when a private company sells shares to the public for the first time. Learn the full process, risks, and strategies for trading IPOs.
Penny Stocks: What They Are, Risks & How to Trade Them
Penny stocks are cheap but extremely risky. Learn the dangers of pump and dump schemes, low float traps, and how to approach them if you choose to trade.
Market Cap Explained: Mega, Large, Mid, Small & Micro Caps
Market cap classifies stocks by total value. Learn the tiers from mega-cap to micro-cap and how market cap affects volatility, liquidity, and risk.
Short Selling: How It Works, Risks & Mechanics
Short selling lets you profit when stocks fall. Learn the mechanics of borrowing shares, the risks of unlimited loss, and how short squeezes happen.
Stock Float: Why Low-Float Stocks Move More
A stock float is the number of shares available to trade. Learn why low-float stocks have explosive moves and how to use float in your scanning.
Stock Splits: What They Are & How They Affect Your Shares
Stock splits divide shares into more units at a lower price. Learn how regular and reverse splits work and whether they create trading opportunities.
Margin Trading: How It Works, Risks & Margin Calls
Margin trading lets you borrow money from your broker to increase position sizes. Learn how leverage works, margin call triggers, and risk management.
Blue Chip Stocks: What They Are & Why Traders Watch Them
Blue chip stocks are large, financially stable companies with reliable track records. Learn their characteristics and how traders use them for lower-risk plays.
Bid-Ask Spread: What It Tells You About Liquidity
The bid-ask spread is the difference between buy and sell prices. Learn how it reflects liquidity and how it impacts your trading costs.
Dark Pools: What They Are & How They Affect Stock Prices
Dark pools are private exchanges for large institutional trades. Learn how they work, why they exist, and how dark pool data can inform your trading.
Short Interest: How to Read & Trade Short Squeeze Setups
High short interest can lead to explosive short squeezes. Learn to read short interest data, days to cover, and identify potential squeeze setups.
Market Makers: Who They Are & How They Influence Prices
Market makers provide liquidity by continuously quoting bid and ask prices. Learn who they are, how they profit, and how they influence stock prices.
What Is a SPAC? Blank Check Companies Explained
SPACs are blank check companies that raise money through an IPO to acquire a private company. Learn how they work, their risks, and how to evaluate them.
OTC Stocks: What They Are, Risks & How to Trade Them
OTC stocks trade off major exchanges and come with unique risks. Learn how the OTC market works, the different tiers, and how to trade them safely.
Direct Listing vs IPO: How Companies Go Public Without Underwriters
Direct listings let companies go public without underwriters or new share issuance. Compare this approach to traditional IPOs and what it means for you.
Secondary Offerings & Stock Dilution: What Happens to Your Shares
Secondary offerings increase shares outstanding and can dilute existing shareholders. Learn how they work, why companies do them, and how price reacts.
Share Buybacks: Why Companies Repurchase Their Own Stock
Share buybacks reduce outstanding shares and can boost EPS and stock price. Learn why companies do them, how they work, and whether they help investors.
Trading Halts & Circuit Breakers: Why Stocks Get Halted
Trading halts pause a stock to prevent panic and ensure fair markets. Learn the different types of halts, why they happen, and how to handle them.
Pattern Day Trader Rule: $25K Requirement & How to Avoid It
The Pattern Day Trader rule requires $25K in your account to day trade freely. Learn how it works, when it applies, and legitimate ways to work around it.
ADR Stocks: How to Trade Foreign Companies on US Exchanges
ADRs let you trade foreign companies on US exchanges in US dollars. Learn how they work, the different levels, currency risk, and tax implications.
When Does the Stock Market Open? Market Hours Worldwide
The US stock market opens at 9:30 AM ET and closes at 4:00 PM ET, but trading happens beyond those hours. Get the full schedule including global markets.
Stock Warrants vs Options: Key Differences Explained
Stock warrants and options look similar but differ in key ways. Learn how warrants are issued, how they dilute shares, and how they compare to options.
Short Squeeze: How It Works, Famous Examples & How to Trade It
When short sellers get trapped and rush to cover, prices spike violently. Here's how a short squeeze works.
Types of Stocks: Common, Preferred, Growth, Value & More
Growth, value, income, blue chip, penny — stocks are classified in many ways. Here's a complete breakdown.
How the IPO Process Works: From Filing to First Trade
An IPO turns a private company into a public one. Here's every step from S-1 filing to the first trade on the exchange.
SEC Filings Explained: 10-K, 10-Q, 8-K & 13F for Traders
SEC filings are treasure troves of data — if you know what to look for. Here's a guide to the most important ones.
Shares Outstanding vs Float: What's the Difference & Why It Matters
Shares outstanding includes all shares. Float excludes insider and restricted shares. Low float stocks move faster.
How Many Trading Days in a Year? Market Calendar Explained
There are about 252 trading days in a year. Here's the breakdown, plus market hours and holidays that affect your trades.
Stock Market Holidays 2026: Full Calendar & Early Closes
The stock market closes for 9 federal holidays and has 2 early close days in 2026. Here's the full calendar.
Reverse Stock Split: What It Means & Why Companies Do It
A reverse stock split consolidates shares — 1-for-10 turns 100 shares at $1 into 10 shares at $10. Your total value stays the same.
What Is Insider Trading? Legal vs Illegal & How to Track It
Not all insider trading is illegal. Executives buy and sell shares legally — and tracking their moves can be informative.
Most Expensive Stocks: Why Some Shares Cost Thousands
Berkshire Hathaway costs over $500K per share. But high price doesn't mean overvalued — it means they never split.
Circuit Breakers & Limit Up/Limit Down: How Markets Prevent Crashes
Circuit breakers halt the entire market during extreme drops. LULD halts individual stocks. Here's how the rules work.
Bid and Ask Price: What They Mean & How the Spread Works
Every stock has a bid price and ask price. The gap between them — the spread — is a cost you pay on every trade.
What Is a Spread? Bid-Ask, Options & Trading Spreads Explained
Spread has multiple meanings in trading — bid-ask, options spreads, and more. Learn what each one means.
Margin Account vs Cash Account: Which Should You Use?
Cash accounts require full payment. Margin accounts let you borrow. Learn the rules, risks, and which is right for your trading style.
Secondary Market: Where Stocks Actually Trade After the IPO
The secondary market is where stocks trade after the IPO. Learn the difference between primary and secondary markets.
Stock Exchanges: NYSE, Nasdaq & How They Work
Stock exchanges match buyers and sellers. Learn how the NYSE and Nasdaq work and what happens when you place an order.
SIPC Insurance: How Your Brokerage Account Is Protected
SIPC insures your brokerage account up to $500,000 if the broker fails. Learn what is covered and what is not.
OTC Pink Sheets: The Riskiest Corner of the Stock Market
Pink sheet stocks trade OTC with minimal regulation. Learn the risk tiers, the dangers, and why most traders stay away.
Short Sale Restriction (SSR): What Triggers It & How It Works
SSR activates when a stock falls 10% in a day, restricting short selling to upticks only. Learn how it works and how traders adapt.
Gamma Squeeze: How Options Market Makers Fuel Price Spikes
A gamma squeeze forces market makers to buy more stock as prices rise, creating an accelerating feedback loop.
Buy to Cover: How Short Sellers Close Their Positions
Buy to cover closes a short position by buying back borrowed shares. Learn the mechanics and when short sellers cover.
Consumer Staples: The Defensive Sector Traders Watch in Downturns
Consumer staples sell essentials people buy in any economy. Learn why this sector is defensive and how traders use it.
Emerging Markets: Higher Growth, Higher Risk & How to Access Them
Emerging markets offer faster growth but higher risk. Learn what defines them and how to get exposure through ETFs and stocks.
SEC Form 4: How to Track Insider Buying & Selling
Form 4 shows when insiders buy or sell their company's stock. Learn how to read filings and what insider activity signals.
Central Banks: How the Fed & Others Move the Stock Market
The Fed and other central banks set interest rates and control money supply. Learn how their decisions move every market.
Fed Tapering: What It Means & How It Affects Your Portfolio
Tapering means the Fed is slowing its bond purchases. Learn why it matters and how markets typically react.
Payment for Order Flow (PFOF): How Brokers Make Money on Free Trades
Brokers sell your order flow to market makers. Learn how PFOF works and whether it costs you money on execution quality.
How to Use Dark Pool Data: Short Volume, Block Trades & Signals
Dark pool data reveals what institutions are doing. Learn to read dark pool prints, short volume, and block trade signals.
Biotech Stocks: What Makes the Sector Unique for Traders
Biotech stocks move on FDA decisions, trial data, and pipeline catalysts — not earnings like most sectors.
Margin Account vs Cash Account: Key Differences Explained
Margin accounts offer leverage but add risk. Cash accounts keep it simple. Here are the key differences.
Shares Outstanding vs Float: What Traders Need to Know
Shares outstanding counts every share issued. Float is what actually trades on the open market.
Primary vs Secondary Market: Where Securities Are Born & Traded
New shares are created in the primary market. After that, they trade between investors in the secondary market.
SPAC vs IPO: Two Paths to Going Public
IPOs follow the traditional underwriting process. SPACs offer a faster, less regulated route to public markets.
IPO vs Direct Listing: How Each Path to Public Markets Works
IPOs issue new shares and raise capital. Direct listings skip the underwriter and let insiders sell existing shares.
What Are Shares Outstanding?
Shares outstanding represents the total number of issued shares held by shareholders — the basis for calculating EPS, market cap, and ownership percentages.