Apr 18, 2016

Finance English practice: Unit 32 — Share Prices

12 cards
, 49 answers
  • Complete the sentences below. Use the key words if necessary.
    • Influences on share prices

      key words
      predicted      ○      price-sensitive information


      Share prices depend on a number of factors:
      • the financial situation of the company
      • the situation of the industry in which the company operates
      • the state of the economy in general
      • the beliefs of investors — whether they believe the share price will rise or fall, and whether they believe other investors will think this.

      Prices can go up or down and the question for investors — and speculators — is: can these price changes be , or seen in advance? When — news that affects a company’s value — arrives, a share price will change. But no one knows when or what that information will be. So information about past prices will not tell you what tomorrow’s price will be.

      Predicting prices

      key words
      random walk hypothesis      ○      random      ○      efficient market hypothesis      ○      accurately      ○      patterns      ○      trends      ○      Technical analysis      ○      analysts      ○      Fundamental analysis


      There are different theories about whether share price changes can be predicted.
      •The . Prices move along a ‘random walk’ — this mean day-to-day changes are completely or unpredictable.
      • The . Share prices always or exactly reflect all relevant information. It is therefore a waste of time to attempt to discover or — general changes in behavior — in price movements.
      . Technical are people who believe that studying past share prices does allow them to forecast future price changes. They believe that market prices result from the psychology of investors rather than from real economic values, so they look for trends in buying and selling behavior, such as the ‘head and shoulders’ pattern.
      . This is the opposite of technical analysis: it ignores the behavior of investors and assumes that a share has a true or correct value, which might be different from its stock market value. This means that markets are not efficient. The true value reflects the present value of the future income from dividends.

      Types of risk

      key words
      systematic risk      ○      unsystematic risk      ○      diversified portfolio      ○      market risk      ○      diversification


      Analysts distinguish between and . Unsystematic risks are things that affect individual companies, such as production problems or a sudden fall in sales. Investors can reduce these by having a : buying lots of different types of securities. Systematic risks, however, cannot be eliminated in this way. For example cannot be avoided by : id a stock market falls, all the shares listed on it will fall to some extent.

    • Match the two parts of the sentences.
      • The random walk theory states that  . . . 
        it is impossible to predict future changes in stock prices.
        • stocks are correctly priced so it is impossible to make a profit by finding undervalued ones.
        • studying charts of past stock prices allows you to predict future changes.
        • it is impossible to predict future changes in stock prices.
        • you can calculate a stock’s true value, which might not be the same as its market price.

      • The efficient market hypothesis is that  . . . 
        stocks are correctly priced so it is impossible to make a profit by finding undervalued ones.
        • it is impossible to predict future changes in stock prices.
        • stocks are correctly priced so it is impossible to make a profit by finding undervalued ones.
        • you can calculate a stock’s true value, which might not be the same as its market price.
        • studying charts of past stock prices allows you to predict future changes.

      • Technical analysts believe that  . . . 
        studying charts of past stock prices allows you to predict future changes.
        • stocks are correctly priced so it is impossible to make a profit by finding undervalued ones.
        • it is impossible to predict future changes in stock prices.
        • studying charts of past stock prices allows you to predict future changes.
        • you can calculate a stock’s true value, which might not be the same as its market price.

      • Fundamental analysts believe that  . . . 
        you can calculate a stock’s true value, which might not be the same as its market price.
        • it is impossible to predict future changes in stock prices.
        • you can calculate a stock’s true value, which might not be the same as its market price.
        • stocks are correctly priced so it is impossible to make a profit by finding undervalued ones.
        • studying charts of past stock prices allows you to predict future changes.

    • Are the following statements true or false?
      • Fundamental analysts think that stock prices depend on psychological factors — what people think and feel – rather than pure economic data. clue
        — Fundamental analysis ignores the behavior of investors and assumes that a share has a true or correct value.
        • false
        • true

      • Fundamental analysts say that the true value of a stock is all the income it will bring an investor in the future, measured at today’s money values. clue
        — Fundamental analysis assumes that a share has a true or correct value, which reflects the present value of the future income from dividends.
        • true
        • false

      • Investors can protect themselves against unknown, unsystematic risks by having a broad collection of different investments. clue
        — Investors can reduce these by having a diversified portfolio.
        • false
        • true

      • Unsystematic risks can affect an investor’s entire portfolio. clue
        — Unsystematic risks are things that affect individual companies (and their shares).
        • true
        • false

    • Match the statements to the theories.
      • Share prices are correct at any given time. When new information appears, they change to a new correct price. —  . . . 
        efficient market hypothesis
        • efficient market hypothesis
        • fundamental analysis
        • technical analysis

      • By analyzing a company, you can determine its real value. This sometimes allows you to make a profit by buying underpriced shares. —  . . . 
        fundamental analysis
        • technical analysis
        • fundamental analysis
        • efficient market hypothesis

      • It’s not only the facts about a company that matter: the stock price also depends on what investors think or feel about the company’s future. —  . . . 
        technical analysis
        • efficient market hypothesis
        • technical analysis
        • fundamental analysis

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