Why do stocks go up? (I suppose I could as easily ask why they go down, but I'm trying to keep a positive attitude here.) Here are a few popular answers. This isn't an exhaustive list, but then it really can't be, because stock prices, like many complex phenomena, are subject to over causation. (Which is another way of saying "it's complicated.")
A derivative is a financial instrument—or, simply put, a contractual agreement between two parties—that has a value, based on the expected future price movements of the "underlying asset" to which it is linked. »
Dividend Aristocrats are those "safe" companies that have raised their dividend rates at least once, consecutively every year, for a minimum of the previous 25 years.»
Definitions of basic options terms.»