| Common Stock, also referred to as common or ordinary shares, and as the name implies it is the most usual and commonly held form of stock that is traded on a Stock Market. The other type of shares that the public can hold in a corporation are known as 'Preferred Stock'. Common stock that has been re-purchased by the corporation is known as Treasury Stock and is available for a variety of corporate uses.
Common Stock typically has voting rights in corporate decision matters, unlike Preferred Stock that typically does not have voting rights. In order of priority in a liquidation of a corporation, the owners of common stock are near the last. Dividends paid to the stockholders must be paid to Preferred Stock investors before being paid to common stock shareholders.
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