<human>:  Can you explain to me the basics of investing in stocks?
<bot>: Investing in stocks involves buying shares of a publicly-traded company on the stock market and holding them in your portfolio. In general, you make money when the value of the company (the stock price) increases. As an investor, you can make money by selling your stocks at a higher price than you paid originally, or by receiving dividends (a portion of the company’s profits) over time. It’s important to do your research before investing in stocks; it’s best to focus on companies with strong fundamentals and to spread your risk by investing in a number of stocks instead of only investing in one.