What is the stock market?

The stock market is where shares of publicly traded companies are bought and sold. It's less a single physical place and more a network of exchanges and buyers and sellers agreeing on prices throughout the day.

Companies use the market to raise money by selling shares to the public, and investors use it to buy pieces of those companies. Once shares are out there, people trade them among themselves, and prices shift with demand.

At its heart the market is just millions of people and institutions deciding what companies are worth right now. That collective judgment is constantly changing, which is why prices move all the time.

When you buy a share through an app, you aren't buying it from the company directly. You're buying it from another investor who wants to sell, at a price you both accept.