Stocks
Units of ownership in a corporation, traded on exchanges. Long-term, broad stock markets have historically been the highest-returning major asset class.
A stock (or share) represents partial ownership of a publicly traded corporation. Owners have a claim on the company's future profits (via dividends), voting rights on major corporate decisions, and rights to a share of the company's assets if liquidated.
Stocks are bought and sold on exchanges (NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, etc.) at prices set by supply and demand among investors.
Long-term, broadly diversified stock holdings have historically returned ~7% annually after inflation in major developed markets — far above bonds, cash, or most other asset classes. However, returns are volatile in the short term, and the vast majority of individual stock pickers and active fund managers underperform low-cost index funds tracking broad markets over long periods.