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A bear market is a market environment where a major index or stock falls 20% or more from its recent highs. It’s the opposite of a bull market.

Blue-chip stocks are the stocks of large, industry-leading companies, typically with good reputations. The term was derived from blue gambling chips, the highest-valued chips in casinos.

A firm or person who executes your buy and sell orders for stocks or other securities. Some brokers also provide advisory services.

A bull market is the opposite of a bear market and is a market experiencing a prolonged period of increasing stock prices that are at least 20% above a recent low.

Day trading is the practice of buying and selling a stock or security within the same trading day, often with the intention of profiting from small fluctuations in price.

An Initial Public Offering (IPO) is the first sale or offering of a stock by a company to the public. 

A collection of assets that makes up a trader or investor’s portfolio. Your portfolio can contain a single stock or an infinite number of stocks and other securities.

A stop-loss order directs a stockbroker or share trader to sell a stock when it reaches a predetermined price. It is usually used by investors who want to limit their potential losses on a particular share.

Volatility can either refer to an individual stock's price movements or the movements of a financial index. Stocks that fluctuate wildly in price over a short period of time are considered highly volatile, while those that move slowly are deemed less volatile.

No, the company must be listed on a stock exchange such as the London Stock Exchange (LSE) or Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Do your research to check which exchange is best for you.

No, you will need to choose an advisory or discretionary broker for advice on which shares to buy and sell.

After a broker has been instructed to carry out a trade, they will try to find another broker looking to trade in the same shares. They will then negotiate a price for the shares and strike the deal. 

How much you pay will depend on when the deal is made, rather than when you placed the order. During working hours, most brokers offer a ‘Quote and Deal’ instruction, where you’re given the best price and usually have 15 seconds to accept. 

If this isn’t possible, the broker must locate a specialist who offers the types of share they’ve been instructed to trade. You could choose an order that gets the broker to buy at the best price possible when they find a deal, or you can set limits for the maximum you’re willing to pay or the minimum price at which you’re prepared to sell.

Processes vary by broker, so check what kinds of orders you can make with your chosen provider.

Yes, if an app is available through the company you’re using. Before you use an app to make trades, you’ll need to set up an online account and transfer money into it. If mobile access is important to you, make sure your broker offers this before you sign up, as not all do.

Consider signing up for a frequent trader account if you think you’ll make multiple trades per month – this could reduce the cost of each individual trade, although you should always check each company’s terms before signing up.