Explainers

Covering everything from basic terms to advanced investing concepts. Explainers that make every concept easy to follow. Part of our free investment articles.

What Is a CFI Code? ISO 10962 Structure Explained

The CFI code is the 6-character ISO 10962 code that says what kind of instrument a security is, not which one. Learn the category and group letters, the four context-dependent attribute positions, worked examples like ESVUFR, and why a CFI is not a unique identifier.

MarketgeniusPublished May 15, 2026

What Is an LEI Code? Structure, ISO 17442, and Renewal

The LEI code is the 20-character ISO 17442 identifier for the company on the other side of a trade, not the security itself. This guide covers the structure piece by piece, the ISO 7064 check digit, Level 1 and Level 2 data, the regulations that mandate it, and why an LEI lapses.

MarketgeniusPublished May 14, 2026

Gordon Growth Formula: Fair Value and g = Retention × ROE

The Gordon Growth Formula values a dividend stock from three inputs: D1, r, and g. This guide covers V = D1 / (r - g), the sustainable growth derivation g = retention x ROE with a worked example, the sensitivity table, the DCF terminal value use case, and where the model fails.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 13, 2026

What Is the Dividend Discount Model: DDM Explained

The dividend discount model values a stock by adding up every future dividend a company will pay, discounted back to today. Learn how DDM works, the Gordon Growth shortcut, multi-stage variants, and the input sensitivity that makes it dangerous in the wrong hands.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 13, 2026

Dividend Growth Rate: What It Is and How to Calculate It

Dividend growth rate measures how fast a company raises its dividend payout each year. Learn how to calculate it, what a good rate looks like, and why long-term investors often care more about growth rate than starting yield.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 13, 2026

What Is a CUSIP Number? 9 Digits, US/Canada, How to Find It

CUSIP is the 9-character identifier CUSIP Global Services assigns to every US and Canadian security. This guide covers the format, the check digit, how every US ISIN embeds a CUSIP inside it, and how to find one.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 13, 2026

SEDOL Code Explained: 7 Characters, UK Stocks, ISIN Link

SEDOL is the 7-character identifier the London Stock Exchange assigns to every UK and Irish security. This guide covers the format, the check digit math, how SEDOL nests inside every UK ISIN, and how to look one up.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 13, 2026

Stock Certificates: Definition, History, Modern Status

Stock certificates are legal documents that prove ownership of corporate shares. After the Wall Street Paperwork Crisis, most US shares moved to book-entry form. Learn what a certificate contains, when investors still receive one, and what to do with an old paper certificate.

MarketgeniusPublished May 9, 2026

McKinsey 7-S Framework Explained: 7 Levers and Limits

The McKinsey 7-S Framework breaks a company into seven interconnected elements. See the seven levers, the hard versus soft split, an investor-focused example, and where the model falls short.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

Peter Lynch's PEG Rule: Why Under 1.0 Means Buy

Peter Lynch ran Fidelity Magellan from 1977 to 1990 and compounded the fund at 29.2% a year. Learn the PEG rule he used to find ten-baggers: why PEG under 1.0 meant buy, the dividend-adjusted version from Beating the Street, and where the rule breaks for cyclicals and unprofitable firms.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

What Is DCA: Buy Every Dip Without Trying

Dollar-cost averaging means investing a fixed amount at regular intervals, regardless of price. Learn why most investors already do it, when lump-sum investing wins, and how DCA turns market dips into buying opportunities instead of disasters.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

How Many Stocks Should You Own in a Portfolio

Academics recommend 20-30 stocks for diversification. Buffett and Munger say 3-6 is enough if you know what you own. The right number depends on your experience, time, and how deeply you research each position. Learn where the sweet spot is and why more stocks can mean worse returns.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

Reverse DCF: Find the Growth the Market Expects

A reverse DCF starts with the stock price and works backward to find the growth rate investors are pricing in. Learn how it works, when to use it, and how to spot stocks where the market expects too much or too little.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

Securities Identifier Codes: Key Codes Behind Every Trade

Every security traded worldwide carries one or more identifier codes that ensure absolute precision in trading and settlement. Learn how national and global securities identifiers work, when each applies, and how they relate to one another.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

P/E Ratio: The expensive truth about cheap stocks

Discover how P/E ratios reveal hidden value in stocks that look expensive. Learn why a high P/E stock can actually deliver better long-term returns than a low P/E 'bargain' with real examples.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

Stock Fundamentals: Key Metrics to Analyze Any Stock

Understanding stock fundamentals starts with mastering the key metrics professional investors use to analyze stocks. Learn valuation ratios, profitability indicators, and market context with clear explanations and practical applications.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

Market Cap: Sometimes size does matter

Discover how market capitalization reveals company size and risk level. Learn why a $5 stock can be worth more than a $500 stock with clear examples and simple formulas

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

Price to Sales (P/S): Spot growth before everyone else

Discover how to identify the next big winners early using P/S ratios. Find fast-growing companies before everyone else catches on and drives up prices.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 9, 2026

What Makes a Stock Price Go Up or Down

Stock prices move when buyers and sellers disagree on what a share is worth. Earnings, interest rates, news, and sentiment shift that balance every second. Learn how each driver feeds the order book, why prices fluctuate even on quiet days, and how long-term value relates to short-term price.

MarketgeniusUpdated May 6, 2026

Analyst Expectations: Earnings Beats, Targets, and Bias

75% of S&P 500 companies beat analyst earnings estimates every quarter, and the bar is set low on purpose. Long-term EPS forecasts lose to a random walk past three years. Price targets miss their 12-month mark roughly 70% of the time. Here is what analyst expectations actually predict, where the bias comes from, and which numbers are worth your attention.

MarketgeniusPublished May 5, 2026

What Are Defensive Stocks? Sectors, Examples, and Returns

Defensive stocks are shares of companies selling essential goods and services that people keep buying through every economy. Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, and Johnson & Johnson all fit. Learn the sectors, the beta range, and where the label misleads investors.

MarketgeniusPublished May 2, 2026

Stock Splits Explained: Ratios, Math, and Why They Happen

A stock split changes share count and per-share price in lockstep, leaving total value unchanged. Nvidia's 10-for-1 in 2024 turned every $1,200 share into ten $120 shares overnight. Learn how splits work, why companies announce them, and when reverse splits are worth ignoring.

MarketgeniusPublished May 1, 2026

What Are Blue Chip Stocks? Criteria, Examples, Returns

A blue chip stock is a large, profitable, well-established company with a long history of paying dividends. Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft fit the profile in different ways. Learn what makes a stock blue chip, why investors hold them, and which once-safe names have failed.

MarketgeniusPublished April 30, 2026

What Is Free Float? Formula, Index Use, and Examples

Free float is the share count that can actually be bought and sold on the open market. It excludes insider, government, and locked-up shares, drives index weighting, and is the denominator behind short interest. Learn the formula, the practical uses, and how float changes over time.

MarketgeniusPublished April 29, 2026

What Is an ISIN? Format, Check Digit, and Country Codes

ISIN is the 12-character global stock identifier that lets every exchange, broker, and clearinghouse reference the same security. Learn the format with worked examples (Apple, BP, Nestlé), the Luhn check digit math, country-by-country structure, and the limits of what ISIN actually disambiguates.

MarketgeniusUpdated April 29, 2026

What Is a Value Trap? 7 Warning Signs Investors Miss

A value trap is a cheap-looking stock with a deteriorating business underneath. Low P/E and high yield look identical to a real bargain, but the outcome is the opposite. Learn the seven warning signs and the order to check them.

MarketgeniusPublished April 28, 2026

Cost of Goods Sold (COGS): Formula, Margin, and Pitfalls

Cost of Goods Sold sits one line below revenue and shapes gross margin. Learn the formula, FIFO vs LIFO impact, sector benchmarks from software to autos, and the manipulation pitfalls behind reported margins.

MarketgeniusPublished April 26, 2026

What Is Profit Margin? Formula, Sector Ranges, and Traps

Profit margin is the share of every revenue dollar a company keeps as profit. Three tiers strip different layers of cost. Learn the formulas with worked examples from Microsoft and Costco, sector benchmarks, and the limitations behind reported margins.

MarketgeniusUpdated April 26, 2026

Cyclical Stocks Think Backwards: Why counter-intuitive timing wins

Understand how economic cycles can make or break your investment returns. See why cyclical stocks require backwards thinking and when bad earnings signal good opportunities.

MarketgeniusUpdated April 26, 2026

What Is Short Interest? Formula, Range, and Squeeze Signals

Short interest counts every share borrowed and sold but not yet bought back. The percentage of float tells you how crowded the bearish trade is and whether a stock has the fuel for a squeeze. Learn the formula, the FINRA reporting calendar, the 10% and 20% thresholds, and how short interest played out at GameStop, Volkswagen, and Tesla.

MarketgeniusPublished April 25, 2026

EV/EBITDA: Formula, Benchmarks and What It Hides

EV/EBITDA (enterprise value divided by EBITDA) is the valuation multiple private equity anchors deals on. Learn the formula with a worked example, sector benchmarks from software to utilities, and where the multiple misleads, including Seth Klarman's classic two-company example that shows why identical multiples can hide very different businesses.

MarketgeniusPublished April 23, 2026

Total Shareholder Yield: Beyond the Dividend

Total shareholder yield adds dividends, net buybacks, and debt paydown into a single payout number. Learn the formula, why buybacks now dominate US corporate cash returns, a worked example, and where the metric misleads on debt-funded buybacks and stock-based compensation.

MarketgeniusPublished April 21, 2026

What Is the 7% Sell Rule and Does It Work?

The 7% sell rule is William O'Neil's discipline for cutting every losing trade at 7-8% below the buy point. Learn the math behind the number, how it fits the CAN SLIM system, when it works, and where it fails buy-and-hold investors.

MarketgeniusPublished April 20, 2026

What Is EBITDA? Formula, Margin, and Why Buffett Rejects It

EBITDA strips interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization out of earnings to show core operating profit. Learn the formula, sector benchmarks, adjusted EBITDA traps, and why Buffett and Munger refuse to use it.

MarketgeniusPublished April 19, 2026

Terminal Growth Rate: The Number That Owns 70% of a DCF

The terminal growth rate is the single input that decides most of what a DCF returns. Learn how to anchor it to long-run GDP, why nominal and real must match, how to cross-check against an exit multiple, and where most analysts go wrong.

MarketgeniusPublished April 18, 2026

What Is Debt Paydown Yield? Returning Cash by Cutting Debt

Debt paydown yield measures the value returned to shareholders when a company shrinks its debt. Learn the formula, see a worked example, and understand why debt reduction is the third leg of total shareholder yield alongside dividends and buybacks.

MarketgeniusPublished April 18, 2026

DCF Valuation: How to Find the Fair Value of a Stock

A discounted cash flow model turns a business into a stream of future cash flows and shrinks them back to today. Learn the three inputs that drive every DCF, walk through a worked example, and see why small changes in the discount rate can rewrite the answer.

MarketgeniusUpdated April 18, 2026

What Is a DRIP: The Snowball Most Investors Ignore

A dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) uses your dividend payouts to buy more shares automatically. Over decades, the compounding effect can multiply your returns several times over. Learn how DRIPs work, when reinvesting beats taking cash, and the tax detail most investors miss.

MarketgeniusPublished April 16, 2026

Founder vs Professional Management: How leadership impacts returns

Understand how management structure shapes growth, risk, and returns. See why founder-led firms often outperform and what it means for your investment strategy.

MarketgeniusUpdated April 15, 2026

Earnings per Share (EPS): The Key Metric That Beats Headline Profits

Understand how share count can make or break your investment returns. See why EPS matters more than headline profits and how to spot truly profitable stocks.

MarketgeniusUpdated April 15, 2026

PEG Ratio: The growth hunter's best friend

Discover how PEG ratio reveals hidden bargains in growing stocks and can help you find better buying opportunities. With understandable examples showing why P/E alone isn't enough.

MarketgeniusUpdated April 15, 2026

What Are Share Buybacks: How Companies Return Cash

A share buyback is a company spending its own cash to buy its own stock. The math looks simple, but the consequences for earnings per share, valuation, and long-term shareholder value are anything but. Learn how buybacks work, why companies use them, and when they backfire.

MarketgeniusPublished April 14, 2026

What Does It Mean When Insiders Are Buying Shares

When corporate insiders spend their own cash on their own stock, they are making a statement. Learn which buys count, which ones are noise, and how to read the context that turns a single filing into a real signal.

MarketgeniusPublished April 13, 2026

How to Invest in Stocks With Little Money

Fractional shares and $25 monthly deposits can beat waiting a year to save $300. Learn how to turn a small budget into a working stock portfolio with ETFs, dollar-cost averaging, and the habit that makes compounding actually work.

MarketgeniusPublished April 11, 2026

Negative Free Cash Flow: Red Flag or Growth Signal

Negative free cash flow means a company spends more cash than it generates. That can signal aggressive growth investment or a business in trouble. Learn the formula, the difference between levered and unlevered FCF, and how to tell good negative cash flow from bad.

MarketgeniusPublished April 9, 2026

How Often Do Stocks Pay Dividends

Most stocks pay dividends quarterly, but schedules vary by company and region. Some pay monthly, others semi-annually or once a year. Learn how payment timing works, what ex-dividend dates mean, and why profitable companies like Amazon and Berkshire choose not to pay dividends at all.

MarketgeniusPublished April 8, 2026

WKN Number: Germany's 6-Digit Code for Identifying Securities

Discover how WKN numbers uniquely identify German securities, prevent trading errors, and work behind every transaction. Learn the 6-character structure and how WKN relates to ISIN.

MarketgeniusPublished February 25, 2026