FT MarketWatch

Learn Center – Start Your Market Education Here

How to use this page: start with the Investing section if you are new to the markets, then branch out into trading, mutual funds, bonds and other topics as your interests grow.

Step 1 – Learn the investing basics

If you are just getting started, begin with our Investing guides. They cover the fundamentals in plain language: what investing is for, how stocks and ETFs work, how to think about risk, and simple portfolio structures you can actually maintain.

Investing Guides – Start Here

A curated path through our core investing content, including Investing 101, What Are Stocks, ETF Basics, Risk & Diversification, Dollar-Cost Averaging, Asset Allocation, 3-Fund Portfolios and TFSA vs RRSP.

Recommended if you want to build a long-term plan before exploring more specialised trading topics.

Step 2 – Explore specific topics

Once you have the basics down, you can dive deeper into individual areas. These sections use the same straightforward style as our investing guides.

Day Trading

Articles on the realities of short-term trading, risk management and how day trading differs from long-term investing.

Mutual Funds

Guides to how mutual funds work, fee structures and how they compare with ETFs for long-term investors.

Bonds

Plain-language explanations of bond investing, interest rates and how bonds can add stability to a portfolio.

Options

Educational content on calls, puts and basic option strategies, with a focus on risk and suitability.

Forex

Introductions to currency markets, leverage and the specific risks of forex trading.

Futures

Basics of futures contracts, margin and how futures differ from spot positions in commodities and financial markets.

Retirement Planning

Content focused on long-term retirement saving, account types and how to align your investing approach with retirement goals.

Stock Trading Sites

Overviews of online brokerage platforms and considerations when choosing where to execute trades.

Reference: market terms and definitions

When you run into unfamiliar language, our dictionary section can help decode common market terms without jargon.

Market Dictionary

Short, plain-language definitions for key concepts across stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, forex and more.