Market

A market is any arrangement that brings buyers and sellers together so they can exchange goods, services, financial assets or currencies. It can be a physical place, such as a street market or a trading floor, or an electronic system, such as a stock exchange's order book or a crypto exchange. In a market, prices emerge from the interaction of supply and demand and move towards an equilibrium where the quantity offered matches the quantity wanted. Markets are grouped by what they trade, including stock, bond, currency, commodity and crypto markets, and by how trades happen, such as exchange-traded or over-the-counter. A liquid market has many active participants and trades easily. In everyday speech, "the market" often means the stock market as a whole, and phrases such as bull market describe its overall direction.