Stock Exchange Glossary of Terms for investors

Account
When a brokerage firm admits a client, an account must be opened in the name of the client. The account will reflect activities of the client such as the buying and selling of securities.

Account Statement
A statement that includes all transactions, positions and open orders and indicates the status of a client’s account with a brokerage firm.

Accumulated Dividend
A dividend due to stockholders of cumulative preferred stock that has not been paid to them. Until the dividend is paid, it is carried on the corporation’s books as a liability.

Acknowledgment
Authentication of a signature on a brokerage document to ensure it is valid and has been sanctioned by an authorized individual. Acknowledgment, for example, is needed when a client wishes to transfer an account from one broker to another.

Across The Board
Movement, up or down, in the stock market that affects nearly all stocks in the same direction. That is, nearly all stocks are gainers (or losers).

Active Market
An active market occurs when a security, or the exchange as a whole, experiences heavy trading volume. The spread between the securities bid and asked price is usually narrower in an active market than in an inactive market.

Agent
"Agent" means a person appointed by a member of a Stock Exchange to act on his behalf for the purposes recognized by a Stock Exchange and includes a sub broker or head of a branch office. Source: Members Agents and Traders (Eligibility Standards) Rules, 2001