Before you start investing, it's important to understand how the stock market works.

The stock market is an exchange, which means every time you buy a stock, it's being sold by someone else, and every time you sell a stock, it's being purchased by someone else. When you purchase a stock for a specific amount and the value of that stock appreciates in value (the share is worth more than you paid for it) that is what's known as unrealized gains. Only when you sell the stock you can lock in those gains, and the result is you making money on that stock. If it helps here's another breakdown of how the market works from Investor.gov.

We at Public cannot give investment advice, and it is totally up to you when you want to buy or sell but one of the great things about the app is that it provides a great deal of information so you can research and make your own educated decision.

If you ever have questions, the team is always here for you, so feel free to give us a shout on the app’s Chat or via email at support@public.com.
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