Learn › Foundations

How the Market Works

Stocks, orders and the rules — from zero.

Beginner · 5 video lessons · 10 minutes · 5-question video exercise · certificate

What you'll learn

• You'll see what a share really is, and why price alone tells you nothing.
• You'll learn the hidden cost inside every trade.
• You'll master the four order types, and when each one protects you.
• And you'll learn the account rules that trip up almost every beginner.

Lessons

1. What a stock really is (2 min) — A share is a slice of a real business. Here's what you own, how the price moves, and how owners get paid.
2. Bid, ask and how a trade happens (2 min) — Every stock has two prices at once. Learn the spread, volume and market hours — and the hidden cost in every trade.
3. Order types: market, limit, stop (2 min) — Four order types decide what price you really get. Learn when each one protects you — and when it bites.
4. Indexes & ETFs: the market in one ticker (2 min) — "The market is up" means an index is up. Learn the big indexes, the ETFs that track them, and why traders check them first.
5. Brokers, accounts & the rules (2 min) — Cash or margin, settlement, day-trading limits and options levels — the account rules that catch beginners out.

Exercise and certificate

The course ends with a 5-question video exercise. Submit your answers, see your score and the reasoning instantly, and pass with 80% to earn the How the Market Works certificate.

Start this course free — sign up with Google or email.