How much do you know about the stock market? The specialized language and shifting headlines of the investment world may become easier to understand when presented as a challenge. This trivia quiz begins with familiar investing terms, then covers market-shaping events from 1929 through 2026. Test yourself or play with friends!
One point per correct answer. Answer key at the end.
Investing Basics
1. What does the “S” in S&P 500 stand for?
2. What is a single ownership share in a company called?
3. What describes a market in which prices generally rise?
4. Which stock exchange is on Wall Street?
5. What is a company payment to shareholders?
6. True or false: You must be rich to start investing.
7. What does IPO stand for?
8. What strategy spreads money among investments to help manage risk?
9. True or false: The S&P 500 represents 500 leading U.S. companies.
10. What is the gain or loss earned on an investment called?
11. Who is known as the “Oracle of Omaha”?
12. What pooled investment buys a portfolio for many investors?
13. What is earning returns on principal and accumulated returns called?
Market History
14. What is the nickname for October 29, 1929?
15. Which federal agency was created in 1934 to oversee securities markets?
16. What 1987 event produced the Dow’s largest one-day percentage decline?
17. What mechanism pauses trading during severe market declines?
18. What late-1990s boom ended in a technology-stock decline in 2000?
19. Which bank’s 2008 bankruptcy defined the financial crisis?
20. What nickname describes the severe 2007-2009 downturn?
21. What was the rapid U.S. market plunge and rebound on May 6, 2010?
22. What global health crisis triggered the March 2020 bear market?
23. Which retailer became central to a January 2021 short squeeze?
24. What U.S. trade-policy tool contributed to sharp volatility in 2025?
Answer Key
1. Standard
2. A stock
3. A bull market
4. The New York Stock Exchange
5. A dividend
6. False
7. Initial Public Offering
8. Diversification
9. True
10. Return
11. Warren Buffett
12. A mutual fund
13. Compounding
14. Black Tuesday
15. The SEC
16. Black Monday
17. A circuit breaker
18. The dot-com bubble
19. Lehman Brothers
20. The Great Recession
21. The Flash Crash
22. The COVID-19 pandemic
23. GameStop
24. Tariffs
Markets change, but sound principles remain useful. Innovation, decline, and recovery are all part of the process and understanding basic principles helps keep the headlines in broader perspective. Schedule an appointment to learn more.
Remember, Your Best Tomorrow Starts Today!
Sources (accessed Sept. 23, 2026): S&P DJI; Investor.gov; NYSE; Federal Reserve; SEC; CFTC; Goldman Sachs; Investopedia.
S&P 500 | Investor.gov | NYSE | Fed History: 1929 | Fed History: 1987 | SEC/CFTC: 2010 | SEC: 2021 | SF Fed: tariffs
Note: For general educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not investment advice. All investments involve risk.
Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated. Member FINRA and SIPC.
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