Equity Shares represent ownership in a company that entitles its holders share in profits and the right to vote on the company’s affairs.
Investments in equity shares reward investors in two ways: dividend & capital appreciation.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are mutual funds that have the features of a mutual fund but can be traded. Like a stock they are listed on the stock exchange so they can be traded all day long. ETFs usually track some index when it comes to equity oriented funds while they can also track the price of a commodity like gold.
Shares and units are credited to the Demat A/c of an investor. Opening a demat a/c is now very easy and online.