Shares, also known as equities, are units of ownership in a company. When a company raises capital by issuing shares, it is selling a portion of the company to investors. These investors become shareholders and have a claim to a portion of the company's profits and assets. The number of shares a company has issued is known as its share capital.Stocks and shares are often used interchangeably, but stocks generally refer to the overall market or market index, while shares refer to specific units of ownership in a particular company.For example, an investor can say "I own 50 shares of XYZ company" which means the investor owns 50/total shares issued by XYZ company. While an investor can say "I am invested in stock market" which means the investor has a portfolio of different shares of different companies.