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Glossary

Terms, defined plainly

Covered callOptions
Owning shares and selling a call against them: premium income, capped upside, stock downside remains.
Lesson: Covered calls and protective puts
DividendMarkets
Cash a company distributes to shareholders out of its profits.
Lesson: What a share actually is
EPSFundamentals
Earnings per share: net income divided by shares outstanding. Can rise from buybacks alone.
Lesson: Revenue, earnings, and what sits between
Market capitalisationMarkets
Share price times shares outstanding: the market's price for the entire company.
Lesson: What a share actually is
Option premiumOptions
The price of an option, quoted per share; one standard contract usually covers 100 shares.
Lesson: Calls and puts: rights and obligations
P/E ratioFundamentals
Price per share divided by earnings per share; what investors pay for each unit of current earnings.
Lesson: Valuation multiples and their traps
Position sizingRisk
Choosing share count from portfolio risk budget divided by the per-share distance to invalidation.
Lesson: Risk management and position sizing
Protective putOptions
Owning shares and buying a put to set a floor, at the cost of the premium.
Lesson: Covered calls and protective puts
VolumeTechnicals
Shares traded in a period; a measure of participation, with no direction of its own.
Lesson: Trend structure and volume confirmation