Stock is a savory cooking liquid that forms the basis for many dishes, particularly soups, stews and sauces. It is made by simmering animal bones, meat, seafood or vegetables in water or wine for an extended period. This is done to extract the rich flavor from the marrow and other connective tissue, which can then be converted into gelatin that thickens the stock. It may be seasoned with mirepoix and other aromatics for additional flavor. Stock can be made from beef, chicken or fish. It is also possible to make vegetarian stock by simmering vegetables, tofu or beans in water and wine.

A share of a publicly-traded company is a fractional ownership stake in that corporation. Owning a stock entitles you to voting rights and a claim on the corporation’s future earnings and assets. Most equity investors own publicly-traded common stocks, though there are other types of shares available for purchase. Regardless of type, a prudent investor will diversify their stock portfolio to reduce near-term exposure to market volatility and price collapses.

In the stock market, a company’s share prices reflect supply and demand. As more people want to invest in a particular stock, its price will rise; as more people want to sell their shares, the stock’s price will fall. A number of factors influence the supply and demand for a stock, including analyst reports and business forecasts.

If you’re looking to beat the market, figuring out a stock’s intrinsic value is a crucial step. However, many investors fall prey to the efficient market hypothesis, which states that all information already is reflected in a stock’s current price.

To calculate a stock’s intrinsic value, you must first determine how many shares of the company are outstanding. You can find this information on the investor relations page of a company’s website or by searching for its symbol on websites such as Yahoo! or Google Finance. The next step is to compare the number of shares outstanding with the company’s current stock price.

The final step is to compare the stock’s price to the market average, which you can obtain by using data feeds from brokerages. This method can help you figure out whether you’re paying too much for a company or if you’ve found a bargain buy. It’s also a great tool for tracking the performance of your stock portfolio over time.