Stock markets offer the two primary types of shares in several forms. Authorized shares are the total number of shares that a company has opted to sell. This is not the number of shares on the market as some of those shares may be unissued. Unissued shares are often referred to as treasury shares. These shares exist, but are held by the company and not sold or given to employees. Restricted shares are shares that are given or sold to employees, for example. These shares perform just the same as common stock does, but the owner may not sell the shares without permission from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

When someone referrers to a company’s outstanding shares, what is being measured is the total number of shares the company has issued. This number equals the total of the restricted shares and the “Float,” which is the number of shares that have been issued and can be purchased on a stock market. These different share types are often measured and then are used to analyze a company’s performance and structure. A large percentage of unissued shares protects the company from a takeover, but restricts the amount of cash the company can raise on the stock market. Using the Oracle Trader you can then trade with confidence.