Marketable Lot

A fixed minimum number, in which or in multiples of which, shares are bought and sold on the stock exchange. For shares whose face value is Rs. 10, the marketable or trading lot may be 50 or 100. For Rs. 100 shares the market lot is usually 5 or 10. Companies may, however, decide on other lots, such as 1 share for Rs. 500, although it is now rare. Any number of share less than the marketable lot makes an odd lot, difficult to buy and disadvantageous to sell. When companies issue bonus or rights shares in less than 1:1 ratio, odd lots are often the result.