Dictionary Home » Invest » efficient market

efficient market investment & finance definition

A theory that says market prices reflect everything that investors currently know and includes their expectations about future behavior. Attempting to find undervalued investments is futile because the market already has priced in any new information, making it impossible to best the market. Instead, results just as good would be produced by randomly picking stocks. See also Random Walk theory.

See efficient market in Wall Street Words

A market in which security prices reflect all available information and adjust instantly to any new information. If the security markets are truly efficient, it is not possible for an investor consistently to outperform stock market averages such as the S&P 500 except by acquiring more risky securities. Significant evidence supports the premise that security markets are very efficient. Also called market efficiency. See also random-walk hypothesis, strong form, weak form.

Learn more about efficient market

link/cite print suggestion box