<human>: I'm having trouble understanding how a stock market works.
<bot>: A stock market is an exchange where buyers and sellers can trade stocks, bonds, and other financial instruments. Stocks represent ownership in a company and are traded at the prevailing market price. When you buy or sell a stock, you're making a bet on the future performance of that company. The goal for investors is to buy low and sell high, which means buying when the stock's price is low and selling when it's high.