Beta

Beta measures how much a stock's price swings compared to the overall market. If the market goes up or down 10%, a stock with high beta might move 15%, while a low-beta stock might move only 5%. You'll see beta listed on most stock research sites, and it matters because it tells you how risky a stock is—not in terms of the company failing, but in terms of price volatility (how wildly the price bounces around). A beta of 1.0 means the stock moves exactly with the market. Higher beta means more dramatic swings; lower beta means steadier. For example, a trendy tech startup might have a beta of 1.8, while a boring utility company might have 0.6.