What Is a Stock?
A stock is a tiny ownership slice of a company. When you buy one share of Apple (ticker AAPL), you own a fraction of Apple Inc. Companies list shares on exchanges (NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX) so anyone can trade them quickly.
What’s a Symbol / Ticker?
A ticker is the short code the market uses for each stock. Examples:
AAPL– Apple Inc.MSFT– MicrosoftTSLA– TeslaSPY– S&P 500 ETF
StockVyze uses these tickers everywhere: symbol search, watchlists, scanner conditions, columns, and charts. When a company changes names or merges, its ticker can change too.
Types of Symbols You’ll See
- Common stocks:
AAPL,TSLA - ETFs:
QQQ,XLF - ADRs (foreign listings):
BABA,NVO - Share classes:
GOOGvsGOOGL,BRK.AvsBRK.B
Exchanges & Market Hours
| Exchange | Typical hours (ET) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NASDAQ | 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM | Tech-heavy listings |
| NYSE | 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM | Many blue chips |
| AMEX | 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM | Smaller caps, ETFs |
StockVyze also sees limited pre-market (4:00–9:30 AM) and after-hours (4:00–8:00 PM) data, but scans refresh slower outside regular hours.
Quote Basics (What Each Column Means)
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Price (c) | Latest traded price (close). | AAPL = 190.15 |
| Change % (roc(1)) | Percent change since yesterday’s close. | +1.2% |
| Volume (v) | Number of shares traded today. | 25M shares |
| Market Cap | Company value = price × shares. | 2.9T (Apple) |
| RSI(14) | Momentum indicator (0-100). Under 30 = oversold, over 70 = overbought. | |
| ATR% | Average daily range as % of price. Higher = more volatile. |
You’ll see these names in scans and watchlists; formulas reference the short codes (c, roc(1), v, etc.).
Watchlists vs Scans vs Screens
- Watchlist: Your custom list of symbols. Think “Favorites” or “Earnings to watch.”
- Scan: Conditions applied to a list of symbols. Output = stocks that pass your rules.
- Screen: A saved scan setup you can reopen or monitor in a pane.
How StockVyze Uses Symbols
- Symbol search: Press
/or type a ticker when no input is focused. Linked panes move to that symbol. - Watchlists: Keep focused lists of names you care about.
- Scanner: Choose a universe or watchlist, then add conditions.
- Advanced formulas: Reference metrics per symbol (
rsi(14),market_cap, etc.) when the visual builder is not enough.
Ready to Scan?
- Try the StockVyze overview to see the full workflow.
- Follow Run Your First Scan for a step-by-step walkthrough.
- Browse the Glossary if a term looks unfamiliar.