Float
Free float — the portion of a company's outstanding shares freely available to trade, excluding closely-held and locked-up stakes. A smaller float means thinner liquidity and sharper price swings.
Related terms
Related lessons
Outstanding Shares
How many shares a company actually has: the difference between authorised, issued, outstanding and treasury shares, how the count changes through issuance and buybacks, what dilution means for your ownership, and why the outstanding count underpins ownership percentage, earnings per share and market cap.
Common Stock
The ordinary shares most investors own: what common stock is, the rights it carries (voting and a residual claim on profits and assets), how you make money from it through growth and dividends, why it sits last in line, and how it differs from preferred stock.
Float
The shares actually available to trade: what free float is, how it differs from the outstanding count, what gets excluded (insiders, strategic holders, lock-ups), and why float drives liquidity, volatility and how much a single buyer or seller can move the price.
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