But running this massive operation wasn't cheap.

但這筆大生意做起來可不便宜。

In order to fund their expensive voyages, the company turned to private citizens—individuals who could invest money to support the trip in exchange for a share of the ship's profits.

為了擁有大筆資金遠航，公司轉向普通公民──那些能夠投資航行以換取部分獲利的個人戶。

This practice allowed the company to afford even grander voyages, increasing profits for both themselves and their savvy investors.

這個辦法讓公司得以進行更大規模的航行，替自己和有遠見的投資人提升獲利。

Selling these shares in coffee houses and shipping ports across the continent, the Dutch East India Company unknowingly invented the world's first stock market.

藉由在各地的咖啡廳和港口販售這些股份，荷蘭東印度公司不知不覺間發明了世界上第一個股票市場。

Since then, companies have been collecting funds from willing investors to support all kinds of businesses.

自那時開始，公司向有意的投資人收集資金，來進行各項商業活動。

And today, the stock market has schools, careers, and even whole television channels dedicated to understanding it.

在今日，甚至有學校、職業和一整個電視頻道專門在研究股票市場。

But the modern stock market is significantly more complicated than its original incarnation.

但現代的股票市場遠比一開始的樣貌複雜許多。

So how do companies and investors use the market today?

所以今日的公司及投資人是如何利用市場的？

Let's imagine a new coffee company that decides to launch on the market.

想像一間新的咖啡公司決定要上市。

First, the company will advertise itself to big investors.

首先，該公司會向大型投資人宣傳並推銷自己。

If they think the company is a good idea, they get the first crack at investing and then sponsor the company's initial public offering, or IPO.

如果他們認為該公司發想不錯，他們就會進行首次投資，然後贊助公司的首次公開募股，或稱為 IPO。

This launches the company onto the official public market, where any company or individual who believes the business could be profitable might buy a stock.

這讓公司正式上市，任何相信該企業有利可圖的公司或個人皆可購買股票。

Buying stocks makes those investors partial owners in the business.

購買股票讓那些投資人成為該公司的部分所有人。

Their investment helps the company to grow, and as it becomes more successful, more buyers may see potential and start buying stocks.

他們的投資幫助公司成長，而當公司成功，更多的買家或許會注意到它的潛力，開始購買股票。

As demand for those stocks increases, so does their price, increasing the cost for prospective buyers, and raising the value of the company's stocks people already own.

當那些股票的市場需求提升，價格隨著提升，也就增加了潛在買家的花費，已購買的該公司股票也增值。

For the company, this increased interest helps fund new initiatives and also boosts its overall market value by showing how many people are willing to invest in their idea.

對公司而言，這些增加的獲利幫助進行更多新計畫，並藉由讓人知道有多少人願意投資他們的想法，來增加該公司的整體市場價值。

However, if for some reason a company starts to seem less profitable, the reverse can also happen.

然而，要是一間公司出於某原因顯得不那麼有利可圖了，情況就可能翻轉。

If investors think their stock value is going to decline, they'll sell their stocks with the hopes of making a profit before the company loses more value.

如果投資人認為他們的股票價值要下跌了，他們就會在公司貶值更多之前賣掉股份，試圖獲利。

As stocks are sold and demand for the stock goes down, the stock price falls, and with it, the company's market value.

隨著股票被販售，市場對該股票的需求降低，價值就會降低，公司的市場價值也隨之下跌。

This can leave investors with big losses⏤unless the company starts to look profitable, again.

這可能令投資人損失慘重，除非該公司的價值恢復以往。

This see-saw of supply and demand is influenced by many factors.

供需的蹺蹺板被許多因素影響。

Companies are under the unavoidable influence of market forces, such as the fluctuating price of materials, changes in production technology, and the shifting costs of labor.

公司難免受到市場力量的影響，例如原料通貨膨脹、生產技術的改變，以及人力成本的增減。

Investors may be worried about changes in leadership, bad publicity, or larger factors like new laws and trade policies.

投資人或許會擔憂公司領導人換人做、負面宣傳，或是新法案和貿易政策等較大因素。

And of course, plenty of investors are simply ready to sell valuable stocks and pursue personal interests.

而理所當然的，多數投資人基本上隨時準備好販售有價值的股票、追求個人利益。

All these variables cause day-to-day noise in the market, which can make companies appear more⏤or less⏤successful.

這所有變動性會造成每日市場波動，使得企業的成功度起起伏伏。

And in the stock market, appearing to lose value often leads to losing investors, and in turn, losing actual value.

而在股票市場，看似即將貶值將導致投資人出走，因此失去實際價值。

Human confidence in the market has the power to trigger everything from economic booms to financial crises.

人們對市場的信心程度足以使經濟突飛猛進，或是造成金融危機。

And this difficult-to-track variable is why most professionals promote reliable long-term investing over trying to make quick cash.

基於這種難以預測的變動性，多數專業人士推薦值得信賴的長期投資，而非短期獲利。

However, experts are constantly building tools in efforts to increase their chances of success in this highly unpredictable system.

然而專家隨時在設計工具，企圖在這難以預測的系統中增加自己成功的機會。

But the stock market is not just for the rich and powerful.

但股票市場並非專屬於權貴。

With the dawn of the Internet, everyday investors can buy stocks in many of the exact same ways a large investor would.

隨著網路的到來，普通的投資人都能像大型投資人一樣購買股票。

And as more people educate themselves about this complex system, they, too, can trade stocks, support the businesses they believe in, and pursue their financial goals.

而隨著越來越多人學習這套複雜的系統，他們同樣能夠購買股票、贊助他們相信的企業，並且追求自己的財務目標。

The first step is getting invested.

第一步就是開始投資。