Stock is a stock issued by a joint stock limited company to investors when raising capital. Stock represents the ownership of its holder (that is, shareholder) to a joint-stock company. This kind of ownership is a comprehensive right, such as attending the shareholders' meeting, voting, and participating in major decisions of the company. Receive dividends or share dividends, etc. Every stock in the same category represents the equal ownership of the company. The share of ownership of the company owned by each shareholder depends on the proportion of shares held by each shareholder to the total share capital of the company. Generally, stocks can be traded and transferred with compensation, and shareholders can recover their investment through stock transfer, but they cannot ask the company to return their investment. The relationship between shareholders and the company is not a creditor-debtor relationship. Shareholders are the owners of the company, and are limited by their capital contribution, taking risks and sharing profits.

Stock is the product of socialized mass production and has a history of nearly 400 years. As the fruits of human civilization, joint-stock system and stock are equally applicable to China's socialist market economy. Enterprises can raise funds for production and operation by issuing shares to the public. By controlling majority ownership, the state can control more resources with the same funds. Currently in Shanghai. Most companies listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange are state-owned holding companies.

Stocks have the following basic characteristics:

Ability to repay without compensation. Stock is a kind of negotiable securities with free repayment period. After investors subscribe for shares, they can no longer ask for withdrawal, but can only sell them to third parties in the secondary market. Share transfer only means the change of the company's shareholders, and does not reduce the company's capital. As far as the term is concerned, as long as the company exists, the stock it issues exists, and the term of the stock is equal to the duration of the company.

(2) participation. Shareholders have the right to attend the shareholders' meeting, elect the board of directors of the company and participate in major decisions of the company. Shareholders' willingness to invest and economic benefits are usually realized by exercising shareholders' right to participate.

The right of shareholders to participate in the company's decision-making depends on the number of shares they hold. In practice, as long as the number of shares held by shareholders reaches the actual majority needed to influence the decision-making results, the company can grasp the decision-making control power.

(3) profitability. Shareholders have the right to receive dividends or bonuses from the company by virtue of the shares they hold, and to obtain investment income. Dividends or bonuses mainly depend on the company's profit level and the company's profit distribution policy.

The profitability of stocks is also manifested in the fact that stock investors can obtain the price difference or realize the preservation and appreciation of assets. By buying people at a low price and selling stocks at a high price, investors can profit from the difference. Take the stock of Coca-Cola Company in the United States as an example. If you invest 1000 at the end of 1983 to buy the company's shares, you can sell them at the market price of 1 1 554 before July of 1994, and earn more than 10 times the profit. During the period of inflation, the stock price will rise with the replacement price of the company's original assets, thus avoiding the depreciation of assets. In the period of high inflation, stocks are usually regarded as the first choice for investment.

(4) liquidity. The liquidity of stock refers to the tradeability of stock among different investors. Liquidity is usually measured by the number of shares that can be circulated, the trading volume of shares and the sensitivity of stock prices to trading volume. The more tradable shares, the greater the trading volume, the less sensitive the price is to the trading volume (the price will not change with the trading volume), and the better the liquidity of the stock, and vice versa. The circulation of stocks enables investors to sell stocks in the market and get cash. Through the circulation of stocks and the changes of stock prices, we can see people's judgments on the development prospects and profit potential of related industries and listed companies.

Those industries and companies that attract a large number of investors in the circulation market and keep their share prices rising can continuously absorb a large amount of capital into production and business activities by issuing additional shares, thus achieving the effect of optimizing resource allocation.

(5) Price fluctuation and risk. As the trading object in the trading market, stocks, like commodities, have their own market quotations and prices. Because the stock price is influenced by many factors, such as the company's operating conditions, the relationship between supply and demand, bank interest rates, public psychology and so on, its fluctuation has great uncertainty. It is this uncertainty that may make stock investors suffer losses. The greater the uncertainty of price fluctuation, the greater the investment risk. Therefore, stock is a high-risk financial product. For example, the share price of International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), which dominates the world computer industry, was as high as $ 170 when its performance was extraordinary, but when its position was challenged and its business blunder caused losses, its share price fell to $40. If you buy stocks at a high price at an inappropriate time, it will lead to serious losses.

Funds have broad and narrow definitions. Fund in a broad sense is the general name of institutional investors, including trust and investment funds, unit trust funds, provident funds, insurance funds, retirement funds and funds of various foundations. Funds in the existing securities market, including closed-end funds and open-end funds, have the characteristics of income function and value-added potential. From the accounting point of view, capital is a narrow concept, which refers to funds with specific purposes and uses. Because the investors of government agencies and institutions do not require investment returns and investment recovery, but require funds to be used for designated purposes in accordance with the law or the wishes of the investors, funds are formed.

The funds we are talking about now usually refer to securities investment funds.

Securities investment fund is an indirect way of securities investment. By issuing fund shares, fund management companies concentrate investors' funds, which are managed by fund custodians (that is, qualified banks) and managed and used by fund managers to invest in financial instruments such as stocks and bonds, and then * * * bear the investment risks and share the benefits. According to different standards, securities investment funds can be divided into different types:

According to whether fund units can be increased or redeemed, they can be divided into open-end funds and closed-end funds. Open-end funds are not listed and traded, but are generally purchased and redeemed by banks, and the fund scale is not fixed; Closed-end funds have a fixed duration, and the fund size is fixed during the duration. Generally listed on the stock exchange, investors buy and sell fund shares through the secondary market.

open-ended fund

It is a fund with variable issuance, and the total number of fund shares (units) can be increased or decreased at any time. Investors can purchase or redeem it at the business place designated by the fund manager according to the quotation of the fund. Compared with closed-end funds, open-end funds have the characteristics of unlimited issuance, transaction price based on net asset value, over-the-counter transaction and relatively low risk, which is especially suitable for small and medium-sized investors to invest.

The development history of world funds is the history from closed-end funds to open-end funds. Take the United States, the most mature fund market, as an example. 1 in September 1990, there were 3,000 open-end funds in the United States, with total assets of1trillion dollars; There are only 250 closed-end funds with total assets of $60 billion. By 1996, the assets of American open-end funds were $3,539.2 billion, while the assets of closed-end funds were only128.5 billion, accounting for 27.54 ∶ 1. In 1940, the ratio of the two is only 0.73: 1. In Japan, before 1990, closed-end funds accounted for the vast majority, and open-end funds were in a subordinate position; However, after the 1990s, the situation has changed fundamentally, and the asset size of open-end funds has reached about twice that of closed-end funds.

In Hongkong, Thailand, Taiwan Province, Singapore, the Philippines and other countries and regions where Asian investment funds were developed earlier, closed-end funds were mainly developed at the initial stage, and gradually the two types of funds coexisted. From a global perspective, the net assets balance of open-end investment funds in the world in 1990 was US$ 2,355.4 billion, and by 1995 it had jumped to US$ 5,340.7 billion.

Open-end funds have gradually become the mainstream of investment funds in the world.

Most investment funds in the world are closed at the beginning. This is because in the early stage of the development of investment funds, the handling fee for buying and selling closed-end funds is far lower than that for redeeming open-end fund shares. From the perspective of fund management, because there is no pressure to redeem beneficiary certificates, investors' funds can be fully utilized to implement their investment strategies, so as to maximize returns.

close-ended fund

Belonging to the trust fund, it refers to the investment fund whose scale has been determined before issuance, fixed within a specified period after issuance and traded in the securities market.

Because closed-end funds are traded by bidding in securities trading, the transaction price is affected by the relationship between market supply and demand, which does not necessarily reflect the fund's net asset value, that is, the transaction price of closed-end funds has a premium and discount phenomenon relative to its net asset value. The practice of foreign closed-end funds shows that the transaction price often has the price fluctuation law of first premium and then discount. Judging from the operation of closed-end funds in China, no matter how the fundamental situation changes, the transaction price trend of closed-end funds in China has never deviated from the price fluctuation law of first premium and then discount.

According to different organizational forms, it can be divided into corporate funds and contractual funds. A fund is established by issuing fund shares to establish an investment fund company, which is usually called a corporate fund; The establishment of fund managers, fund custodians and investors through fund contracts is usually called contractual funds. At present, China's securities investment funds are all contractual funds.

Company fund

Also known as * * * mutual fund, it means that the fund itself is a joint stock limited company, and the company raises funds by issuing shares or beneficiary certificates. When an investor buys a company's shares, he becomes a shareholder of the company, receives dividends or bonuses with the shares, and shares the income from the investment.

trait

1.*** are both joint-stock companies, but different from ordinary joint-stock companies, and their business is mainly securities investment trust.

2.*** The capital of the same fund is the capital of the company as a legal person, that is, shares.

3.*** The structure of the same fund is the same as that of a general joint-stock company, with a board of directors and a general meeting of shareholders. Fund assets are owned by the company, and investors are the shareholders of the company and the ultimate holders of its assets. Shareholders exercise their rights at the shareholders' meeting according to the size of their shares.

4. According to the articles of association, the board of directors is responsible for the safe proliferation of fund assets. For the convenience of management, mutual funds often have fund managers and custodians. The fund manager is responsible for the investment management of fund assets, and the custodian is responsible for supervising the investment activities of the fund manager. The custodian may (not necessarily) open an account in the bank and register the fund assets in his own name. In order to clarify the rights and obligations of both parties, * * * has a contractual relationship with the fund company and the custodian, and the responsibilities of the custodian are clearly stipulated in the Custody Agreement signed by him and * * * with the fund company. If the fund of * * * has problems, investors have the right to directly ask the fund company of * * *.

Unit trust fund

Also known as unit trust fund, it refers to a fund management company established by specialized investment institutions (banks and enterprises). As a client, the fund management company issues a beneficiary certificate-"certificate of fund unit holding" by signing a "trust deed" with the trustee to raise idle funds in society.

trait

Unit Trust is a management company established by a document named trust deed. In terms of organizational structure, it has no board of directors. The fund manager company establishes the fund as the entrusting company, and employs the manager to manage the operation and operation of the fund by himself or again. Usually, securities companies or underwriting companies are responsible for the issuance, trading, transfer, trading, profit distribution, repayment and payment of benefits and principal and interest.

The trustee accepts the entrustment of the fund manager company to register and open an account for the fund in the name of the trustee or trust company. The fund account is completely independent of the account of the fund custody company. Even if the fund custody company goes bankrupt due to poor management, its creditors cannot use the assets of the fund. Its duties are to manage, keep and dispose of the trust property, supervise the investment work of the fund manager, and ensure that the fund manager abides by the investment regulations listed in the prospectus, so as to make its investment portfolio meet the requirements of trust deed. When the unit trust fund has problems, the trustee has the responsibility to claim compensation from investors.

According to the difference of investment risk and income, it can be divided into growth fund, income fund and balanced fund.

According to different investment objects, it can be divided into stock funds, bond funds, money market funds and futures funds.

Stock fund

It is an investment fund with stocks as the investment object, and it is the main type of investment fund. The main function of stock funds is to concentrate the small investments of mass investors into large funds. Investing in different stock portfolios is the main institutional investor in the stock market.

classify

Stock funds can be divided into preferred stock funds and common stock funds according to their investment objects, and preferred stock funds can obtain stable income. The risk is smaller. Income distribution is mainly dividends; Common stock fund is the largest fund at present, which aims at pursuing capital gains and long-term capital appreciation, and the risk is greater than that of preferred stock fund. According to the degree of diversification of fund investment, equity funds can be divided into general common stock funds and specialized funds. The former refers to the diversification of fund assets into various common stocks, while the latter refers to the investment of fund assets in some special industry stocks, which is risky but may have better potential returns. According to the purpose of fund investment, equity funds can also be divided into capital appreciation funds, growth funds funds and income-earning funds. The main purpose of capital appreciation fund investment is to pursue rapid capital growth, thus bringing capital appreciation. This kind of fund is risky and has high returns. It is risky for growth funds to invest in common stock with growth potential and income. Stock income funds invest in stocks issued by companies with stable development prospects, and pursue stable dividends and capital gains. This kind of fund has low risk and low income.

trait

1. Compared with other funds, equity funds have diversified investment targets and purposes.

2. Compared with investors' direct investment in the stock market, the risks of equity funds are scattered. Low cost and the like. For ordinary investors, individual capital is limited after all, and it is difficult to reduce investment risks by diversifying investment types. However, if you invest in stock funds, investors can not only share the benefits of all kinds of stocks, but also spread the risks among all kinds of stocks by investing in stock funds, which greatly reduces the investment risks. In addition, investors who invest in stock funds can also enjoy the relative advantages of large-scale investment in funds, reduce investment costs, improve investment returns, and obtain benefits of scale.

3. From the perspective of asset liquidity, equity funds have the characteristics of strong liquidity and high liquidity. Equity funds invest in stocks with excellent liquidity, with high asset quality and easy realization.

4. For investors, equity funds operate stably and earn considerable profits. Generally speaking, the risk of stock funds is lower than that of stock investment. So the income is relatively stable. Not only that, after the closed-end stock fund goes public, investors can also get the bid-ask difference by trading on the exchange. After the fund expires, investors have the right to distribute the remaining assets.

5. Equity funds also have the function and characteristics of financing in the international market. As far as the stock market is concerned, the degree of internationalization of its capital is lower than that of foreign exchange market and bond market. Generally speaking, the stocks of all countries are basically traded in their own markets, and stock investors can only invest in stocks listed in their own countries or stocks listed in a few foreign companies. In foreign countries, stock funds have broken through this restriction, and investors can invest in the stock markets of other countries or regions by purchasing stock funds, which has played a positive role in promoting the internationalization of the securities market. Judging from the current situation of overseas stock markets, a large part of the investment objects of equity funds are foreign company stocks.

According to different investment objects, securities investment funds can be divided into: stock funds, bond funds, money market funds, hybrid funds and so on. If more than 60% of the fund's assets are invested in stocks, it is a stock fund; If more than 80% of the fund assets are invested in bonds, it is a bond fund; Money market funds that only invest in money market instruments; If it invests in stocks, bonds and money market instruments, and the ratio of stock investment to bond investment does not meet the requirements of bonds and stock funds, it is a mixed fund. From the perspective of investment risks, the risks brought by several funds to investors are different. Among them, equity funds have the highest risk, money market funds have the lowest risk and bond funds have the middle risk. Due to different investment styles and strategies, the risks of the same type of investment funds will be different. For example, stock funds can be divided into: balanced, stable, exponential, growth and growth according to the degree of risk. Of course, the greater the risk, the higher the rate of return; The risk is small, and the income is correspondingly lower.

Novices can buy, sell or invest in funds by bringing their ID cards to securities companies to open trading accounts in Shanghai and Shenzhen or open accounts in banks. The minimum purchase price for trading funds on the floor is 100 shares, like 163503. At present, the closing price is above 0.5 yuan, and it is enough to buy 100 shares above 50 yuan. Since 300 yuan, different banks will have different regulations. There are many kinds of funds bought with securities accounts, including almost all kinds of funds, which can be bought and sold on the market and purchased and redeemed off the market. For example, Harvest 300 is a variety that can be bought and sold in the market or purchased outside the market. The transaction fee in the market is the lowest, only 0.3%, far lower than the subscription fee of the bank 1.5% and the redemption fee of 0.5%, saving 1.

Securities companies can buy and sell open-end funds, index funds, closed-end funds, LOF funds, stocks, warrants and bonds. There are more than 590 kinds of open-end funds.

One. Bank subscription: it is the worst way to buy and sell funds: front-end fee 1.5%, redemption fee 0.5%, and back-end fee about 2%. However, if it is held for less than half a year, the redemption fee is charged year by year. Generally, there is no redemption fee for holding for more than three years. Each bank can probably buy 100 kinds of funds, and the money will arrive in 4-7 days, which takes a long time. Maybe the market has changed and you want to reapply, but the money hasn't arrived yet. This is the worst way to buy and sell funds.

Two. Go directly to the fund company to purchase from the Internet: 1.5% of the subscription fee can be discounted by 60%, and the redemption fee is 0.5%. Each fund company can buy its own fund and register several fund companies online. When opening an online bank, it takes 4-7 days for the money to arrive at the account when it is redeemed, which takes a long time. Maybe the market has changed and you want to reapply, but the money hasn't arrived yet. It is troublesome to open online banking and register a number of fund companies online, which is a poor way to buy and sell funds.

Three. Open a securities account and apply online at home without going to the bank. Buying a fund in a securities company: the subscription fee is 0.3% and the redemption fee is 0.3%. Open-end funds, such as South China's active allocation and South China's high-growth small-cap funds, can also buy index funds, that is, eight ETF funds, such as E Fund 100 ETF Huaxia SSE 50 and AIA Dividend ETF. The advantage is that the cost is low, and the handling fee for buying and selling funds in securities companies is 0.3%, and stamp duty is not charged.