How do you calculate the total cost of shares in a trade?

• A. Multiply the price per share by the number of shares, then add any trading fees.
• B. Multiply the number of shares by the annual dividend.
• C. Add the last traded price to the fee.
• D. Compute the average price over the day.

Answer: (A)

Total cost of buying shares is determined by multiplying the price per share by the number of shares, then adding any trading fees. If you buy N shares at P dollars each, the cost of the shares is N × P, and you must include broker commissions, exchange fees, and any other charges to complete the purchase. The resulting sum is the total cash outlay to acquire the position. Dividends relate to income you may receive later, not the purchase cost. The last traded price plus a fee doesn’t necessarily reflect the actual executed cost, and averaging a price over the day is an intraday metric, not the total one-time cost of a trade.