📘 Glossary of Trading Terms

Basic Terms

  • Bid
    The highest price a buyer is willing to pay for a stock or asset.
  • Ask
    The lowest price a seller is willing to accept.
  • Spread
    The difference between the bid and ask price.
  • Volume
    The number of shares or contracts traded in a given period.
  • Liquidity
    How easily an asset can be bought or sold without affecting its price.

Trading Essentials

  • Support
    A price level where a stock tends to stop falling and may bounce back up.
  • Resistance
    A price level where a stock tends to stop rising and may reverse downward.
  • Breakout
    When a stock moves above resistance or below support, often with high volume.
  • Pullback
    A temporary dip in price during an overall upward trend.
  • Trend
    The general direction of price movement—up, down, or sideways.

Risk & Strategy

  • Stop-Loss
    An order that automatically sells your position if the price drops to a set level.
  • Take Profit
    An order that locks in gains by selling your position once a target price is hit.
  • Risk-to-Reward Ratio (R:R)
    The ratio comparing potential loss to potential gain on a trade.
  • Position Size
    The amount of shares or contracts you take in a single trade, based on your risk tolerance.
  • Leverage
    Using borrowed funds to increase the size—and potential risk—of a trade.