We will move across the table from left to right, providing an explanation for each column.
Code: The code refers to the unique combination of letters used to refer to a particular company. For the ASX it is 3 letters, but other exchanges may have a different standard. In this case BHP refers to BHP Billiton Limited.
Last: Last refers to the last price that a trade took place. In this case $35.65.
%Chg: This is the percentage change from the close of the last trading day. In this example the share price has gone down -1.03%.
Bid: The bid is the highest amount that people hoping to invest will purchase the share.
Offer: Alternatively, the offer is the lowest amount that people hoping to sell their shares, will sell them.
Open: The open is where the first trade of the day occurred. BHP opened at $35.67 in this example.
High: This is the highest point that the share has traded today, for BHP this was $35.90.
Low: Conversely, this is the lowest point that the share has traded today, in this example $35.51.
Vol: Vol refers to the volume traded in the day so far. The volume means the number of shares traded, in this case 6,510,155.
I hope this will help you in illuminating journey to financial literacy! Next week we will be discussing the implications of these numbers.
