What is Issue Price: Definition & Meaning Explained

Beta Coefficient

Beta coefficient is used to measure the volatility of stocks in relation to changes in the market. Basically, Beta helps investors understand the risks associated with a stock compared to the market.

The formula to calculate the Beta coefficient is:

Beta (β) = Covariance (Ri, Rm) / Variance (Rm)

Where:

Ri = a stock's return
Rm = overall market's return
Covariance = ups & downs of stock returns versus ups & downs of market returns
Variance = the difference between market returns and its average

Generally, Beta values are of four types:

Beta < 1.0: stock less volatile than the market
Beta = 1.0: stock just as volatile as the market
Beta > 1.0: stock more volatile than the market
Negative Beta: stock shares inverse relation with the market

Defensive Stock

A defensive stock refers to the shares of iconic companies that generate stable and consistent returns and dividends, regardless of the market conditions.

Defensive stocks are rare because companies that have defense against every market condition are rare.

While defensive stocks may not generate high returns, they are known to add stability and defense against declining economic conditions. In India, stock of ITC Limited is an example of a defensive stock.

52 Week High

A 52-week high is the highest closing price of a stock or ETF in the last 365 days. Say for example you’re checking the history of a stock on 01-01-2022. Then its 52 week high will be the highest price it closed at between 01-01-2021 and 01-01-2022. 52 week highs are used as technical indicators by traders.

Insider Trading

Insider trading refers to the often illegal act of trading shares based on information that is not publicly available, typically obtained through dubious sources.

This privileged access to confidential information is termed “insider trading” because information is generally sourced through insiders or employees working at a publicly traded firm.

Basis Trading

Basis trading means futures trading strategies that use the difference between the spot price and the futures contract price of a stock or commodity.

The difference between the spot and futures prices forms the “basis” for the trading strategy. Hence the name basis trading. These are the two ways in which a trader may use the basis: