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Company stocks are most commonly traded on exchanges. These can either be physical arenas full of excited brokers, like the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), or virtual exchanges that consist of a network of computers and databases, such as the NASDAQ, that handle all aspects of stock trading electronically.

The entire reason for a stock market is to make easier and more organized the exchange of stocks between buyers and sellers. Imagine the difficulty a company would have trying to call individuals to find buyers for their stock. Buyers as well have the advantage of a system of stock investing professionals (brokers) and one convenient place to find the information and stock picks they are looking for.

Bull Markets & Bulls An optimistic market where stock trading flourishes, gains are high and people are making money. Bulls tend to be optimistic in their stock investing and are willing take some risks.
Bear market & Bears A market on the down turn. Trading becomes somewhat sluggish and profits decline. Bears tend to be somewhat pessimistic and cautious in their stock investment practices.
Chickens Investors who live in fear of taking any loss whatsoever. They stay with very, very conservative investments or get out of the market all together. When a stock takes even a small dip, these investors will normally choose to sell to protect from further loss, rather than wait for recovery of their stock investment.
Pigs These are the big gamblers in the stock market investing world. They are always looking for that one big score even when the risk is very high. Pigs are impulsive and trade on tips without doing the research, often resulting in huge losses.