Publicly traded companies are a key component of the American economy, allowing anyone to own shares of a company and earn a profit in return.
Shares are bought and sold on any number of stock exchanges — the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Nasdaq are the most prominent in the United States. By being listed, these companies must quickly adapt to increased scrutiny, since all their financials are now open for potential investors to inspect. But they also benefit from the increased visibility of going public (also known as an initial public offering, or IPO), which typically attracts new customers, employees, partners and investors who view the company’s listing as a sign of success.
There are thousands of publicly traded companies…
