How to Bid on the Stock Market

Choose a ticker symbol that interests you and that you would like to buy if the price is right. The stock market does not limit you to just corporate stocks. You can also bid on the purchase of gold, foreign stock market indexes or individual sectors through the use of exchange-traded funds and also government bonds.
Enter the ticker symbol for your desired investment instrument into your stock broker's trading platform, if it is an electronic system or call your broker to place an order.
Place a 'limit' order for your desired ticker at your bid price. When you make a bid, you are advertising to the market the price you are willing to pay for the instrument. A limit order locks in a maximum price you will pay and is the stock market's equivalent to raising a bid sign at a live auction. As part of your limit order, you must include the total number of shares you wish to purchase.
Wait for your order to be executed. If the stock market trades your desired instrument at a price that meets the criteria of your bid, your limit order will 'fill' and you will now own the shares. However, the key distinction of a limit order is that execution is not guaranteed. Thus, if other bidders are willing to pay more than your bid, the market will likely not trade down to your price, and your order will sit without execution.
Cancel the limit order at any time you choose if you either change your mind, want to enter a new bid, or accept that the market is unlikely to trade at your bid price so you get a fill.

How to Calculate a Common Stock Required Rate of Return

Determine a stock's beta, a measure of its market risk. A beta of 1 means the stock has the same risk as the overall market, while a beta greater than 1 means the stock has more risk than the market. You can find a stock's beta in the quote section of a financial website that provides stock quotes. For example, use a stock's beta of 1.2.
Determine the market's risk-free rate of return---the return you can earn on an investment with zero risk. Use the current yield on U.S. treasury bills. The U.S. government guarantees these investments, which makes them virtually risk-free. You can find treasury yields widely published on financial websites or the business section of a newspaper. For example, use a risk-free rate of 1.5 percent.
Estimate the market risk premium, the excess return stock investors require over the risk-free rate of return for taking on the risk of investing in stocks. Subtract the risk-free rate of return from the expected return of the overall stock market to calculate the risk premium. For example, if you expect the overall market to generate 10 percent returns over the next year, subtract the 1.5 percent risk-free rate, or 0.015, from 10 percent, or 0.1. This equals a market risk premium of 0.085, or 8.5 percent.
Substitute the values into the CAPM equation, Er = Rf + (B x Rp). In the equation, 'Er' represents the stock's expected return; 'Rf' represents the risk-free rate; 'B' represents beta; and 'Rp' represents the market risk premium. In the example, the CAPM equation is Er = 0.015 + (1.2 x 0.085).
Multiply beta by the market risk premium and add the result to the risk-free rate to calculate the stock's expected return. For example, multiply 1.2 by 0.085, which equals 0.102. Add this to 0.015, which equals 0.117, or an 11.7 percent required rate of return.