Total beginner- what is the stock market?

I have no idea what the stock market is. There, I said it. Can you please educate me?

What is the dow and all that stuff? What does it mean when they say the pound hits a new high or low? Why are there people running around in Wall Street waving papers in the air shouting 'sell, sell' and all that?

via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2Dq9Wfr