Open any share or ETF in your broker app and you’ll see a wall of numbers. Here’s what the important ones mean.
Identifying what you’re buying
- Ticker: the short code on an exchange (e.g. “AAPL”). The same company or ETF can have different tickers on different exchanges.
- ISIN: a 12-character code that identifies the exact security worldwide (e.g. starting “IE” for an Irish-domiciled fund). Use it to make sure you’re buying the right ETF.
- Exchange and currency: where this listing trades and in which currency. Pick a listing your broker supports cheaply.
The price numbers
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Last price | The price of the most recent trade. |
| Bid | The highest price someone is willing to pay right now — what you’d get if you sold. |
| Ask | The lowest price someone is willing to sell at — what you’d pay if you bought. |
| Spread | The gap between bid and ask; a hidden trading cost. Smaller is better. |
| Day range / 52-week range | The lowest and highest prices today and over the past year. |
| Volume | How many shares or units traded today. Higher volume usually means tighter spreads. |
Company numbers (for shares)
- Market cap: share price × number of shares — the stock market’s total value of the company.
- P/E ratio: price divided by earnings per share. A P/E of 20 means investors pay 20 for each 1 of yearly profit. Higher P/Es often reflect high growth expectations, not automatically “expensive”.
- Dividend yield: yearly dividends as a percentage of the price. A very high yield can be a warning sign that the market expects a cut.
- EPS: earnings (profit) per share.
Fund numbers (for ETFs)
- TER: the yearly fee taken from the fund. More on fees.
- Fund size (AUM): total money in the fund. Larger usually means more stable and cheaper to trade.
- Index: what the fund tracks.
- Distribution policy: accumulating or distributing. Which to pick?
- Replication: physical or synthetic.
The short version
Before buying, check the ISIN, the listing currency, the spread and — for ETFs — the TER and index. The rest is useful context, not a reason to buy or sell.
This guide is general education, not personal financial advice. Your situation, country and tax rules matter. Disclaimer.