If you buy a stock for $25 per share and it increases in value to $35, you have $10 per share in unrealized capital gains. Capital gains are not "realized" until you sell the stock, and therefore, are not taxed.

When analysts change their opinions on a stock in a positive direction, they may issue an upgrade, which normally boosts the price of the stock.

Value investors look for undervalued stocks, normally with low price-to-earnings ratios. Their philosophy is that these stocks will eventually return to a market multiple, producing capital gains for the value investors.

Venture capitalists are early stage investors in privately held corporations. Normally, they expect their money to fund a business's growth until it can be taken public via IPO. This is where venture capitalists make their real money.

Volatility is a measure of a stock's price fluctuations. A stock that spikes up or down on the slightest news has high volatility, while one that could survive nuclear war with barely a hiccup has low volatility. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility.

Literally, a street in Manhattan on which the New York Stock Exchange is located, as well as various other financial institutions. Figuratively, "Wall Street" is used to describe almost anything connected with stocks, bonds, or money in general.

Technical jargon that some say is used to scare off novice investors. For example, the majority of this glossary is loaded with what many would consider Wall Street gibberish.

Similar to an option, a warrant is a security that gives its holder the right to buy a stock (or other security) at a set price within a given time frame. The difference between warrants and options is that warrants are issued directly by companies and normally given as a "sweetener" to get investors to buy their bonds.

The most inclusive stock market index in the United States. While it used to track just 5,000 stocks, the Wilshire 5000 is now composed of more than 6,700. It is not intended to be a large cap, small cap, or mid cap index, but an all cap measurement of the broad market.

The act of creating an option out of thin air is called writing the option. Almost any investor can write either a call or a put option and sell it on the open market. Of course, if the option is exercised, this will require the writer to fulfill his obligations under the options contract.