What is Wall Street?

What is Wall Street? That’s a good question, and it could have several answers, from an actual street to an investing concept.

Yes, Wall Street is an actual street in the financial district of New York City. Wall Street is home to the New York Stock Exchange, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as well as several other major financial institutions.

Because it is a literal hub of economic activity, Wall Street is also a concept. You can see this reflected in popular culture in the form of films, such as The Wolf of Wall Street, and in social movements, such as Occupy Wall Street.

Wall Street is also a general term for economic institutions, such as big banks, as well as the stock market as a whole. Pundits take about the activity on Wall Street or the Wall Street bubble. You might hear radio hosts say that Wall Street reacted to certain good or bad news or that it made big moves.

More important for investors, though, is how they approach Wall Street and investing in general. Fortunately, it’s a lot easier today than it was in previous years.

Today, online investment advisories provide expert opinions on what stocks to buy and where the market is headed. And online brokerage sites like TD Ameritrade or E*Trade Financial allow you to create and manage your own investment accounts without having to hire a personal broker.

Put simply, the Internet has given self-directed investors more tools to do it themselves than ever before. Investing in stocks isn’t as scary as you think. Investing on your own is empowering and educational, and profitable.

To learn more, and get an introduction to investing, download and read your FREE copy of our report, How to Invest in Stocks, and Other Investing Basics today.