Introducing: The Moneycontrol Classroom

The stock market can be both inviting and yet intimidating at the same time. Inviting because of the promise of untold riches it holds. And intimidating because like in any other field, there are rules and concepts an aspiring investor has to master before he or she can hope to succeed.

The stock market of today is far more transparent and well-regulated than what it was in the late '80s and early '90s when retail investors first started taking notice of it. But that does not mean that getting rich from stocks has become any easier. If anything, it has become even harder because a lot more information is now publicly available than it was in the past.

But like human nature, the fundamental character of the stock market has not changed over the years. Fear and greed remain the dominant emotions that throw up opportunities or can bring about ruin. And while investment is a game that is affected by a variety of factors, basic principles like buying well-managed companies in good lines of business, and being patient, have stood the test of time.

So what does it take to be a good investor? Most veterans would say it is knowledge, experience and of course luck.

Experience can come only with time, and lady luck is known to be fickle. But knowledge can be acquired.

And that is where Moneycontrol aims to make a difference, by helping our users become more aware and take better-informed decisions on their equity investments.

Starting today, we will be publishing a daily article as part of a Classroom series that seeks to answer commonly asked questions about markets and investing.

Remember, there are no definitive answers for most of the questions, but our team of in-house and external contributors have tried to explain things as lucidly as possible. We hope that you will enjoy this learning experience.