The purchase or sale of stock in a large quantity, normally 10,000 shares or more.
Block volume
The aggregate volume of trades of 10,000 shares or more.
Blue chips
Shares with the highest status and quality as investments. Blue-chip stocks are normally relatively high-priced stocks with a long record of dividend payments.
Bonus issue
Book transfer
The transfer of title to a buyer without a physical movement of the product.
Book value
Common shareholder's equity on a per share basis. It is calculated by subtracting liabilities from assets and dividing the result by the number of outstanding shares of stock. The book value is not necessarily the same as the market value.
Borsa
Italian for stock exchange.
Bourse
French for stock exchange. The word Bourse is thought to originate from the town of Bruges in Belgium. In the early 13th century, merchants from the main commercial centres, particularly from Genoa and Venice, used to gather in front of the house of the Van der Buerse family in Bruges.
Briefkurs
The asked (offered price) on German and Swiss stock exchanges.
Broker
An agent, often a member of a stock exchange firm, who executes public orders to buy and sell securities and commodities. For this service a commission is usually charged. Brokers are agents working on commission and not principals or agents acting on their own account.
