Analyst

Someone typically working for a brokerage house, who publishes buy/hold/sell recommendations and earnings forecasts for a stock. Buy side analysts work for institutional buyers, and sell side analysts work for brokerages. 

Annual Report

A publication, including financial statements and a report on operations, issued by a company to its shareholders at the company’s fiscal year-end.

Anonymous Trading

Permits Participating Organizations to voluntarily withhold their true broker identities when entering orders and trades on TSX trading systems.

Ask or Offer

The lowest price at which someone is willing to sell the security. When combined with the bid price information, it forms the basis of a stock quote.

Ask Size

The aggregate size in board lots of the most recent ask to sell a particular security.

Asset Allocation

The process of dividing your funds among different classes of investments such as stock, bond, or real estate. You could further allocate your stock funds into value, growth, foreign, etc.

Assets

Everything a company or person owns, including money, securities, equipment and real estate. Assets include everything that is owed to the company or person. Assets are listed on a company’s balance sheet or an individual’s net worth statement.

Write

To write an option is to sell an option. The person who sells the option is considered to be the writer.