<human>:  What is the difference between stocks and bonds?
<bot>: The main difference between stocks and bonds is that stocks represent ownership in a company, while bonds are essentially a loan to the company. Stocks typically carry a greater risk than bonds, but also offer potentially higher returns. When you buy stocks, you become a partial owner of the company and have share in the company's profits, while with bonds, you are lending money to the company and typically only receive a fixed rate of return.