A candlestick chart is a type of price chart widely used by technical analysts. Candlesticks capture the same price information as a bar chart: the open, high, low and close. A thick box (known as the body of the candle) joins the open and close values. Thin lines on either end of the body (known as shadows) join the high and low prices. If the open value is higher than the close value, the body of the candle is solid or colored. Conversely, if the close is higher than the open then the body of the candle is clear, white or unshaded.

Financial markets where debt and equity-backed securities are bought and sold, facilitating the allocation of capital to businesses and governments.

An entity that acts as a middleman in trades to reduce risk. If one side defaults, the CCP ensures the trade is completed.

A mechanism used by exchanges to halt trading temporarily when prices fall too fast, aiming to prevent panic and allow rational decision-making.

Under financial regulation (like MiFID), clients are classified into Retail, Professional, or Eligible Counterparties to define their level of protection.

The process of validating and confirming trade details before settlement (the actual exchange of assets).

Financial instruments considered standard enough to be processed by a central clearinghouse.

Infrastructure terms indicating how trades move through post-trade processing—understanding them helps with liquidity timing, trade settlement, and risk management.

Assets such as money or securities that belong to clients but are held by financial firms on their behalf.

A state of a trading account where you can only close your open positions.

The last price at which a security is traded on a given trading day.

Assets pledged as security for a loan or trading obligation - usually cash or securities.

Transaction costs directly affect execution efficiency—vital for understanding net profitability, especially when chasing tight price movements or rapid entries/exits.

When a financial firm has competing obligations, like profiting from a product it sells while advising a client to buy it.

A real-time feed that combines price and volume data from multiple trading venues into a single view.

A financial contract that works like insurance against a company or government defaulting on its debt.

Trading strategies involving multiple markets to exploit differences or hedge positions.