human
I've always been a little confused about how the stock market works. Can you explain it to me?
assistant
The stock market is a marketplace where investors can buy and sell stocks, which are essentially shares of ownership in publicly traded companies. Stocks are bought and sold at a price that reflects their value relative to other stocks. Investors who want to participate in this process must first open an account with a broker or online trading platform, then decide what type of investments they would like to make (e.g. buying individual stocks). Once an order has been placed, the investor will need to wait for the transaction to be completed, usually within 24 hours.