Stocks and shares whilst used interchangably in the United States refer to different things in the UK. Stock is actually the money which is raised from the selling of shares. In the UK it can also refer to other financial securities such as government bonds. Someone who owns a partial share of a company's stock is known as a shareholder.
Share prices are published daily in most national newspapers, on the internet and also mentioned daily in the news (though this is normally market news in general as opposed to the rise and fall of individual companies' shares).
Shares are a popular investment for many people as the fees for dealing in them are relatively low, and over a long period of time, the market as a whole is generally worth more. One of the more popular investments are penny shares, so called because they cost a few pennies at most. Although this requires more skill than normal trading, the rewards can be much greater. There are several books in publication which go into great detail on the way to locate the best penny share deals in the market.
For buying shares, the most common way is to find a broker who will buy and sell the shares for you. They will monitor the market and, with instructions from you, buy when it is good to do so, and sell when its better.
Another way to invest in shares is through a stocks and shares ISA. ISAs come in several forms and are available from many sources such as banks. Quotes for these and expected rates of return will be available on the appropriate website.
