Stock market glossary

Market cap plus total debt minus cash.

Share price multiplied by the total number of shares outstanding.

Share price divided by earnings per share over the last twelve months.

Market capitalization divided by shareholders' equity on the balance sheet.

Market capitalization divided by the last twelve months of revenue.

The average of analysts' forecasts for a company's upcoming EPS.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Net income divided by the number of shares outstanding.

The difference between reported EPS and the analysts' consensus estimate.

Cash from operations minus capital expenditures.

Current assets divided by current liabilities.

Total debt divided by shareholders' equity.

Net income as a percentage of revenue.

Net income divided by shareholders' equity.

Annual dividends per share divided by the share price.

The first trading day on which a buyer of the stock will NOT receive the next dividend.

Dividends per share divided by earnings per share.

The date on which a company checks its books to see who is owed the dividend.

A company purchasing its own shares in the market.

The annual report every US public company files with the SEC.

The quarterly report US public companies file for the first three quarters of each fiscal year.

The filing officers, directors and 10% owners must make within two business days of trading their company's stock.

A 'current report' a company must file within four business days of a material event.

Company insiders buying or selling their own company's stock and reporting it to the SEC.

The document sent to shareholders before the annual meeting.

The SEC rule requiring companies to share material information with all investors at the same time.

A pre-arranged plan that lets insiders trade on a fixed schedule.

A filing required when an investor acquires more than 5% of a company with intent to influence it.

The average daily trading range, including overnight gaps, usually over 14 days.

A 20-day moving average with bands two standard deviations above and below it.

A close beyond a defined support or resistance level, ideally on rising volume.

A recognisable shape in price history — triangles, flags, head and shoulders — that traders use to anticipate the next move.

The 50-day moving average crossing below the 200-day moving average.

The 50-day moving average crossing above the 200-day moving average.

Moving Average Convergence Divergence: the 12-day EMA minus the 26-day EMA, with a 9-day signal line.

The average closing price over a set number of days, recalculated each day.

A 0–100 momentum oscillator comparing recent gains with recent losses.

Price zones where buying (support) or selling (resistance) has repeatedly stopped a move.

A running total of advancing stocks minus declining stocks each day.

A fund that holds a basket of securities and trades on an exchange like a stock.

How many stocks are participating in a market move.

An index of 500 of the largest US companies, weighted by market capitalization.

Recurring patterns in returns at particular times of the year.

Money moving from one group of industries to another as the economic cycle and sentiment change.

The market's expectation of S&P 500 volatility over the next 30 days, derived from option prices.

How much a stock tends to move for each 1% move in the overall market.

Compound annual growth rate: the steady yearly rate that turns a starting value into an ending value.

Earning returns on your previous returns as well as on your original money.

Investing a fixed amount at regular intervals regardless of price.