Letter A Dictionary

A shares: This term has two distinct meanings with relatively equal usage. For stocks...
abandon: To not exercise or sell an option by expiry. An Abandoned Option is one that...
abandonment option: To not exercise or sell an option by expiry. An Abandoned Option is one that...
abatement: Generally, abatement is a reduction or lessoning in intensity. In taxes, abatement...
ABC agreement: When a brokerage firm purchases a New York Stock Exchange membership for an...
ABC Consumer Comfort Index - United States: Assessment of consumer sentiment toward the economy based on telephone interviews...
abeyance: Estate with no legal title holder or owner. Property is typically set in Abeyance...
ability to pay: Generally, ability to pay refers to one's ability to meet existing or future...
above par: Refers to the situation where the market value of a security (stock or bond)...
absolute advantage: The ability of one state, country, or entity to produce a given service or good...
absolute priority rule: The absolute priority rule specifies the peeking order of creditors during bankruptcy...
absorbed: The term is applied in financial context similarly to its laymen use1 When business...
absorption rate: Absorption Rate refers to the ability at which properties are able to be sold...
abstract of title: A transaction record for a piece of land, recording transfers and claims that...
abusive tax shelter: An abusive tax shelter refers to illegally reducing one's tax obligations....
accelerated benefits: Accelerated Benefits are an insurance option where policy holders may access...
Accelerated Cost Recovery System: The current method of gauging asset depreciation, as required by the United...
Accelerated Depreciation: "A depreciation method which allows faster write-offs than the straight line...
acceleration clause: A provision contained within a loan or credit agreement which allows the lender...
accept: "To agree to specified terms, as in a contract.",
acceptance: "The contractual agreement entered into when the drawee of a time draft writes...
accidental death benefit: The value paid to the beneficiary of a life insurance policy IN ADDITION to...
accommodation paper: A bill or note endorsed by one party (the accommodation party) on behalf of...
accommodative monetary policy: Central bank policy that strives to stimulate economic growth by increasing...
account: Financial relationship between two parties involving a transfer of funds, and...
account aggregation: The process of combining account information, such as credit accounts, customer...
account balance: The amount of money in an account. An account statement will be able to provide...
account executive: The officer assigned to serve as a liaison between the firm and the customer....
account reconciliation: The process of matching all checkbook debits and credits to the final bank statement....
account statement: Any document designed to summarize and record all transaction activity in a given accounting period, usually annual or monthly.
accountant: Any trained and qualified person with the requisite skills and knowledge to...
accountant's letter: An annual statement provided by an independent accountant which audits any financial...
accountant's opinion: See accountant.s letter
accounting: Accounting refers to a bookkeeping method that records how funds are paid and...
accounting equation: A form of double entry bookkeeping which identifies the debit and credit elements...
accounts payable: The amount owed by one party to its creditors. It must be paid after a previously...
accounts receivable: An amount of money that a firm is owed by another party for goods sold or services...
accounts receivable aging: "A periodic report showing all outstanding receivable balances, broken down by customer and month due.",
accounts receivable financing: "The selling of a firm's accounts receivable, at a discount, to a factor, who...
accounts receivable turnover: The average duration of an account receivable, equal to total credit sales divided by accounts receivable.
accredited investor: An investor which meets a certain list of Securities and Exchange Commission...
Accredited Personal Financial Planning Specialist: A qualified investment planner certified by the Certified Financial Planner...
accreted value: The price a bond would fetch in the open market assuming current market interest rates were held constant.
accretion: See 'accretion.'
accretive: Growing in size by external addition. Often used to refer to an acquisition which is expected to increase earnings per share.
accrual basis accounting: A method of accounting that tracks revenues and expenses as they are incurred....
accrual bond: A bond which does not pay periodic interest to the bondholder, but accrues interest...
accrual of discount: The annual addition to book value contributed by bonds purchased below par.The...
accruals: see accrual basis accounting
accrue: To compile events onto an accounting record whether or not any one given event incurred a debit or credit transaction.
accrued benefit: The benefits (usually in the form of pension payments) an employee earns on...
accrued dividend: A liability listed on a company.s balance sheet, where it remains until the...
accrued expense: An accounting expense that is recognized and already recorded in a firm.s records...
accrued interest: Interest that has accumulated on a bond from the previous payment date, all the way up to the settlement date.
accrued market discount: The increase in a Discount Bond.s market value due to its approaching maturity,...
accumulated depreciation: The net depreciation expense a producing asset has incurred to date. Also known...
accumulated dividend: The dividend due to shareholder.s, but not yet paid. Usually applied in context to holders of cumulative preferred stock.
accumulated earnings: The earnings not paid out as dividends but instead reinvested in the core business...
accumulated earnings tax: A penalty tax (labeled at 39.6%) levied on a firm or company.s retained earnings...
accumulation: "The act of purchasing over a period of time. For example, this might be done...
accumulation bond: Accumulation Bonds do not make regular payments of interest - instead accumulating...
accumulation period: In investment terms, accumulation period refers to the phase of an investor.s...
accumulation unit: A measurement of a fixed or a variable payment which increases an individuals,...
Accumulative Swing Index (ASI): The Accumulative Swing Index, based on the Swing Index, is a swing or wave system...
ACH: Acronym for Automatic Clearing House. A nationwide electronic funds transfer...
acid-test ratio: A test designed to determine whether or not a firm has enough short-term assets...
acknowledge: "Certify the authenticity of a signature on a brokerage or bank document, such as for an account transfer.",
acquisition: The act of obtaining control of a corporation, called a target, either by stock...
acquisition cost: The net sum of costs required in order to obtain a property, equipment, or client....
across the board: A market-wide fluctuation where most stock and sectors move in the same direction....
ACRS: Acronym for Accelerated Cost Recovery System. Depreciation methods applied to...
action: Price action refers to the movement of price and volume during a certain window...
action to quiet title: A lawsuit brought to court in order to review and preside over all land disputes,...
active account: An account at a brokerage firm or a bank which generates more activity and transactions then normal.
active asset: An item of economic value that is used on a daily basis to facilitate the routine...
active income: Income received in return for a performed service. Examples include wages, tips,...
active management: A portfolio-management strategy which focuses on outperforming a benchmarked...
active market: A condition in the market typified by heavy transaction volume in a certain commodity, security, or stock.
active money: Money and coins that are circulated in the hands of consumers and businesses....
active participant: An individual who participates in a retirement plan sponsored either by his/her...
activity: The volume of a stock or exchange over a given period of time.,
actual market: A condition of the market typified by heavy transaction volume. This may occur...
actuals: A term used to refer to physical commodities which require delivery of said...
actuarial assumption: In the case of retirement plans, an estimate made for the purposes of calculating...
actuarial equivalent: An insurance term used to refer to the expectation of loss and the benefits to be paid out in such an occurrence.
actuarial evaluation: A life-expectancy calculation by a professional actuary.,
actuary: A professional statistician in the employ of an insurance agency. Duties include...
ad valorem: A term derived from the Latin phrase ad valentiam which translates to: .to the...
add-on service: The amount paid in addition to the par-value (the dollar value) assigned to a particular stock, bond, or security.
additional paid-in capital: "Capital contributed to a corporation by investors on top of the par value of...
additional principal payment: A payment by a borrower of more than the scheduled principal amount due in order...
adequacy of coverage: The degree to which the value of asset is protected against potential losses...
adhesion contract: A legally binding contract between two parties where one side has essentially...
adjudication: Also known as a court's ruling. The examination and subsequent settlement of...
adjustable life insurance: A form of insurance coverage where the policyowner can change the face value,...
adjustable rate: "Any kind of interest rate that changes on a periodic basis. The change is generally...
Adjustable Rate Mortgage: An Adjusted Rate Mortgage (ARM) is a loan where the interest rate may vary for...
adjustable rate preferred stock: Preferred stock whose dividend changes, generally quarterly, according to changes...
adjusted balance method: A formula used to calculate finance charges by adjusting for payments and costs...
adjusted basis: A base price from which to compute the capital gains or losses on a particular...
adjusted book value: The .book value. (value transcribed on business records) adjusted for market value.
adjusted debit balance: The balance owed to a broker after factoring in any paper profits or losses,...
adjusted futures price: The cash-price equivalent reflected in the price of a futures contract.
Adjusted Gross Income: The income used to determine an individual or couple.s federal income tax. The...
Adjusted Retail Sales - Switzerland: Gauge for goods sold at retail outlets in the past month. Retail Sales is a...
adjusting entry: Journal entries recorded into a firm.s accounting records at the end of a predetermined...
adjustment: A deduction made to charge off a loss, as with a bad debt.
adjustment bureau: A company providing claims adjustment services to insurance companies without an internal claims department.
adjustment date: Exact day on which an Adjustable Rate Mortgage becomes effective. This means...
administrative systems: An internal office and accounting functions.
administrator: An individual appointed by a probate court to handle the estate of a person...
admitted carrier: A state-authorized insurance company. Authorization by a particular state implies...
adoption credit: A tax credit issued on a per-child basis given to individuals or couples adopting...
ADP: The ISO currency code for the Andorran Peseta, the currency of Andorra...
ADR: Acronym for American Depositary Receipt. A negotiable certificate issued by...
ADS: Acronym for American Depositary Share. The share issued under an American Depositary...
ADV form: A form detailing financial information regarding a registered investment advisor which is filed with the SEC commission.
advance: 1. An increase in the exchange rate for a currency pair or price of a security;...
advance rate: The amount for which a lender is willing to issue a loan. This is computed...
advance refunding: A method of paying off maturing bonds prior to their expiration date with newer bonds with a later maturation date.
Advance Retail Sales - United States: Monthly measure of sales of goods to consumers at retail outlets. The figure...
Advance-Decline Line: This is one the best known market breadth indicators. Each day, a certain number...
adventure capitalist: Entrepreneur willing to invest money in a risky or uncertain venture in an effort to expand the company in a different area.
adverse opinion: A secondary opinion provided by a professional auditor indicating that a firm.s...
advertising: Description or presentation of a product, idea, or organization, in order to...
advertising sales ratio: A key indicator of marketing efficiency, representing the ratio of advertisement expenditure to actual product sales.
advertorial: An advertisement disguised as editorial.
advisor: An individual or organization employed by an individual or mutual fund to manage...
advisory letter: Newsletters with the purpose of offering financial advisors to subscribers,...
ADX Directional Movement Index: ADX fluctuates between 0 and 100. Readings below 20 indicate a weak trend or...
AED: The AED, the currency of The United Arab Emirates (UAE)</. Learn...
AFA: The ISO code for the Afghani. Learn more about the Afghanistan and Afghanistan at GoCurrency.com
affidavit: A sworn statement made in writing under the supervision of a notary or other...
affiliate: A corporation which is closely related to another corporation, but not under direct control, much like a subsidiary relationship.
affiliated chains: A group of non-competing retail stores, whose association is designed to exploit economic advantages in large-scale purchasing.
affiliated person: Any person with the individual ability to directly influence the actions of a corporation (i.e. executives, owners, and directors).
affiliated wholesalers: Wholesalers sponsoring a group of affiliated retailers, generally providing...
affinity fraud: Investment fraud which preys upon specific and identifiable religious, demographic, or ethnic groups.
affirmative obligations: An obligation set by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) which...
affordability analysis: A detailed examination of an individual's ability to afford a house, taking...
affordability index: A standardized gauge used to determine whether a consumer.s financial standing...
Afghani: The official currency of Afghanistan. Learn more about the Afghanistan and Afghanistan at GoCurrency.com
after acquired clause: A clause added to legal contracts in order to afford more protection to lenders....
after hours trading: Also known as .late. trading, after-hours trading refers to the placement of...
after-acquired collateral: The property a debtor acquires rights to after the debtor agrees to the creation...
after-hours trading: After Hours Trading involves placing trades after the close of the market. This...
after-tax: An amount (generally income) after taxes have been subtracted.
after-tax basis: The standard used to compare rates of return between a corporate taxable bond and a municipal tax-free bond.
after-tax contributions: Any kind of Contributions to a retirement plan which are subject to federal income tax. Also known as voluntary contributions.
aftermarket: Also known as 'secondary market.' The immediate market response to an IPO....
against the box: A short sale made by the holder of a long position in the same stock. In other...
age-weighted plan: A retirement plan which allows employers to contribute to an employee.s retirement...
agency: Name for the arrangement where an agent intermediates between purchaseers and...
agency bond: A bond issued by a government agency, although the bonds are not fully guaranteed...
agency security: A security, generally a bond, issued by a U.S. government agency. Agency securities...
agent: One party authorized to act on behalf of another. The other is known as the...
agent bank: A bank that has been authorized by an individual to act as his/her agent. An...
agglomeration: Accumulating companies of several diverse and unrelated activities into a single entity. Examples include conglomerate companies.
aggregate: Total, sum.
aggregate corporation: A corporation with more than one shareholder.
aggregate demand: The total amount of goods and services demanded in the economy at a given overall price level and in a given time period.
aggregate demand curve: Parallel to the demand curve, a theoretical graph showing the aggregate demand at different price levels.
aggregate exercise price: The strike price of an option times the number of underlying securities in the...
aggregate supply: The total amount of goods and services produced within an economy at a given...
aggregate supply curve: Parallel to the supply curve, a theoretical graph showing the aggregate supply at different price levels.
aggressive: The strike price of an option times the number of underlying securities in the...
aggressive growth fund: A mutual fund whose purpose is to achieve the highest possible gains in capital....
AGI: Acronym for Adjusted gross income (AGI) is a number used to determine your federal...
aging schedule: A schedule classifying accounts receivable, inventory, or loans by the time...
agreement among underwriters: Contract between participating members of an investment banking syndicate....
AIG Performance of Service Index (Australia): AIG Performance of Service Index (Australia)Tracks monthly developments in the...
Albanian Lek: The currency of Albania. ISO Code ALL
alert: A notification, often by email or pager, of a market event such as a stock reaching a target price.
Algerian Dinar: The currency of the Algeria. ISO international currency code: DZD. Learn...
alien corporation: A company that conducts its operations in one country and is registered in another....
alienate: To transfer a property title.
alienation: The transfer of property, whether voluntary or involuntary, from one entity to another.
alienation clause: A type of clause which allows the lender to demand full payment when mortgaged property is conveyed to another owner.
alimony: Payments made to after separation or divorce to a former spouse. This is a...
ALL: The Albanian Lek, the currency of Albania. ISO Code ALL
All Industry Activity Index - Japan: Evaluates the monthly change in overall production by all sectors of the Japanese...
all or any part: A stipulation of a purchase or sell order for a discretionary account which...
all or none: A stipulation of a purchase or sell order which instructs the broker to either...
all-risks coverage: Property insurance that specifies exclusions to coverage. Losses from all causes...
allegation: An assertion of fact, to be proven in court.
allied member: General partner or voting stockholder in a firm which is a member of the New...
alligator spread: A position composed of a combination of put and call options that are collectively...
allocation: Designation of an item to a specific purpose or place. This may be done in...
allonge: Paper attached to a document for additional endorsements when there isn't enough space for the signatures.
allotment: The number of shares granted to each participating underwriting firm that they are permitted to sell during an IPO.
allottee: Any entity which has subscribed to purchase securities in an underwriting.
allowance: A sum set aside for an occurrence that may or may not come to pass. For example,...
allowance for depreciation: An accumulated expense used to write off a fixed asset. This lasts the duration...
allowance for doubtful accounts: Estimations regarding uncollected receivables which are made by a company and documented on its balance sheet.
alpha: A coefficient which measures risk-adjusted performance, factoring in the risk...
alternate account: A type of account which multiple individuals can draw against without permission from each other.
alternate payee: An individual who is recognized as having a right to receive some or all of...
alternative assets: Assets that have the potential to provide economic value to the owner but are...
Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT): Also known as AMT. An IRS system created to ensure that high-income individuals,...
alternative order: Order giving a broker a choice between two courses of action regarding one security.Also...
amalgamation: A consolidating merger. This is the formation of two or more separate businesses...
AMD: The currency of Armenia. ISO internation currency code: AMD Learn...
amended return: Form filed to correct, supplement, or replace an original tax return. This...
amendment: A change or addition to a legal document which, when properly signed, has the same legal power as the original document.
American Association of Individual Investors (AAII): American Association of Individual Investors is a non-profit organization that...
American Depositary Receipt: An issue made by the U.S. depositary bank, representing one or more shares of a foreign stock or a fraction of a share.
American Depositary Share: Share issued under a deposit agreement representing the underlying ordinary share which trades in the issuer's home market.
American Municipal Bond Assurance Corporation: AMBAC. A corporation which offers insurance policies on new municipal bond offerings....
American option: An option which can be exercised anytime during its lifespan. The lifespan...
American Stock Exchange: Abbreviated as AMEX, refers to the second-largest stock exchange in the U.S.,...
American-style option: A type of option that can be exercised at any time between the purchase date...
AMEX: See 'American Stock Exchange.'
amortization: The gradual elimination of debt in regular payments over time. This is a specified...
amortization method: A distribution calculation method for making penalty-free early withdrawals...
amortization of premium: Charges made against the interest received on a debt in order to offset a premium...
amortization schedule: See 'amortization.'
amortization term: Time it takes to completely pay off a debt.
amortize: See amortization.
amortized: See amortization.
amortized value: The value of a security as determined by the process of amortization.
amount: Quantity or value, as in a transaction or account balance.
amount recognized: The amount of gain reportable and subject to tax.
analysis: The examination and evaluation of the relevant information to select the best course of action from among various alternatives.
analyst: An employee of a bank, brokerage, advisor, or mutual fund who studies firms...
analyze: To study and interpret past, present and projected corporate, economic and market...
Andorran Franc: The currency of Andorra.See GoCurrency World Currencies Page & Currency Converter
Andorran Peseta: The currency of Andorra (ADP). First, it was pegged to the Spanish Peseta,...
Andrews Pitchfork: The lines formed by Andrews' Pitchfork can help predict channels of support...
ANG: The currency of Netherlands-Antilles. ISO internation currency code:...
angel: An individual who provides capital to one or more startup firms. The individual...
angel investor: An individual who funds small start-ups. This individual is usually a family...
Angolan Kwanza: The currency of Angola. ISO international currency code: AOA Learn...
announcement date: The date on which a firm's directors meet to announce the date and amount of...
annual: Yearly.
annual exclusion: The maximum amount that an individual is allowed to give another person without...
Annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - Germany - Euro-zone: The Gross Domestic Product is a comprehensive measure of a Germany's overall...
annual meeting: The firm gathering, generally held at the end of each fiscal year, at which...
annual mortgagor statement: A report sent to the mortgagor once a year, detailing the taxes and interest...
Annual Percentage Rate: The effective interest rate charged on an installment loan.Abbreviated 'APR.'...
Annual Percentage Yield: The effective annual rate of return including the effect of compounding interest.Abbreviated...
annual report: Audited document required by the SEC and sent to a public firm's or mutual fund's...
annual return: The increase in value of an investment, expressed as a percentage per year....
annualize: To extrapolate a value so that it reflects an expected or approximate total...
annualizing: The making of calculations for a period of less than a year as if the period...
annuitant: An individual who is entitled to receive benefits from an annuity.
annuitize: To begin to receive payments from an annuity.
annuity: Payment received over a period of regular intervals. This typically refers...
annuity factor method: A distribution calculation method for making penalty-free early withdrawals...
annuity unit: An accounting measure used to determine the quantity of an annuity payment....
antedate: A date assigned to a contract or instrument which precedes the date that contract or instrument was written or executed.
anticipated holding period: The projected duration of a limited partner's possession of an asset. In the...
anticipation: The paying of a bill or debt obligation before it is due.
anticipation note: A type of short term bond which will be paid off with the proceeds from a subsequent,...
antidilution provision: A provision in an option or a convertible security which protects an investor...
antidilutive: Term used to describe a convertible security which could increase a corporation's...
antique: A collectible or other item which is old (generally at least 100 years old)...
antitrust laws: The Federal laws forbidding businesses from monopolizing a market or restraining free trade.
ANZ Commodity Price Index - New Zealand: Measures the monthly price change of New Zealand 's seventeen main commodity...
ANZ Job Advertisements - Australia: A monthly report measuring the number of jobs advertised in the major daily...
ANZ Job Vacancies - New Zealand: Figure that gauges the availability of employment in the New Zealand job market...
AOA: The currency of Angola. ISO international currency code: AOA Learn...
applicable federal rate: The interest rate published by the U.S. Treasury that is used in computing the...
applied economics: Employing economic theories in real-world business.
applied research: Utilizing pure research to develop real-world products.
appraisal: A professional opinion, generally written, of the market value of a property,...
appraiser: An individual qualified by education, training, and experience to provide appraisals. Also known as evaluator.
appreciation: The increase in value of assets such as stocks, bonds, currency, and property. opposite of depreciation.
appropriation: 1. In government spending, appropriation refers to the authorization of a government...
approved list: Bonds or other securities that a bank may hold as investments.Also known as...
APR: Acronym for Annual Percentage Rate. The yearly cost of a loan, including interest,...
APT: Acronym for Arbitrage Pricing Theory. An alternative asset pricing model to...
APY: Acronym for Annual Percentage Yield. The rate of return on an investment for...
arbitrage: Profit made from a price discrepancy between markets when securities are purchased...
arbitrage house: A financial institution that generates revenue primarily by exploiting price...
Arbitrage Pricing Theory: A theory held in asset pricing which holds that the expected return of a financial...
arbitrageur: An investor who pursues profit from price inefficiencies. This is attempted...
arbitration: A process in which a disagreement between two or more parties is resolved by...
arbitrator: A private, neutral person chosen to arbitrate a disagreement, as opposed to...
Argentine Peso: The currency of Argentina. ISO international currency code: ARS Learn...
arithmetic mean: Simple average, equal to the sum of all values divided by the number of values.This...
arm's length price: The price at which two unrelated and non-desperate parties would agree to a...
arm's length transaction: A transaction between two related or affiliated parties that is conducted as...
Armenia Dram: The currency of Armenia. ISO internation currency code: AMD Learn...
Arms Index: A technical indicator which determines market balance.Also known as 'TRIN.'...
Arms Index (TRIN): The Arms Index, also referred to as TRIN, was developed in 1967 by Richard Arms....
arrearage: Unpaid, overdue debt. This may refer specifically to the portion of a serial...
arrears: The amount of debt due to be paid, overdue in payment.
ARS: The currency of Argentia.. ISO international currency code: ARS Learn...
Articles of Association: Petitions of grievances made by the 13 colonies to Great Britain drafted by the first Continental Congress in 1774.
Articles of Incorporation: A set of documents filed with a government body for the purpose of legally documenting the creation of a corporation.
Aruban Guilder: The currency of Aruba. ISO international currency code: AWG Learn more about Aruba and the Aruban Guilder at GoCurrency.com
as is: Term in an agreement, such as for software licensing, indicating that no expressed or implied warranty is provided.
ascending bottoms: A technical analysis term for a chart pattern in which each successive low price...
ascending tops: A technical analysis term for a chart pattern in which each successive high...
Ascending Triangles Chart Pattern: With ascending triangles, trend lines converge with a horizontal trend line...
Asian dollars: U.S. dollars located in Asia.
Asian option: An option whose payoff depends on the average price of the underlying asset...
ask: The lowest price that any investor or dealer has declared that he/she will sell...
ask size: The number of shares a seller is willing to sell at any given price. Often...
asked price: The price at which a security or commodity is offered for sale on an exchange or in the over-the-counter market.
asking price: The sale price of a given item.Also known as 'ask price,' 'asked price,' 'ask,'...
assembly plant: Location of physical assembly plant where an assembly line is located and production-line assembly work occurs.
assessed value: Dollar value assigned to property for purposes of assessing taxes. This value...
assessment: The process of placing a value on an asset for the purpose of taxation. Also...
assessment bond: Municipal bond that is repaid from taxes imposed on those who benefit directly...
assessor: A public official who performs assessments
asset: Any item of economic value owned by an individual or corporation, particularly...
asset acquisition: A buy-out strategy in which key assets of the target firm are purchased, rather...
asset allocation: Long-term investment plan strategy under which all of the investor's investable...
asset allocation fund: A mutual fund that splits its investment assets among stocks, bonds and other...
asset class: Category of Assets, such as cash equivalents, stocks, bonds, and their subcategories,...
asset conversion loan: A short-term loan that repaid by converting an asset into cash. Examples of...
asset coverage: The extent to which a company's net assets cover a particular debt obligation, class of preferred stock, or equity position.
asset financing: Financing which converts assets into working cash in exchange for a vested security interest in those assets.
asset management: 1. The management of a client's investments by a financial services company....
asset management account: Record of financial transactions which is held in a brokerage house.Also known...
asset play: A stock which is valued incorrectly but is still attractive because its combined asset value is greater than its market capitalization.
asset stripper: An individual or corporate raider who takes over a company planning to sell large assets in order to repay debt.
asset swap: Exchange of one asset for another for the purpose of improving the quality of a bank's loan portfolio.
asset turnover: Measure of efficiency of asset use in generating sales revenue. This is a ratio...
asset-backed security: Bonds or debt securities collateralized by the cash flow from a pool of auto...
asset-based finance: A specialized method of providing structured working capital and term loans...
asset-based lending: A business loan secured by offering collateral such as inventory, accounts receivable and/or other balance-sheet assets.
asset-liability management: A form of management employed by companies which coordinates the handling of...
asset/equity ratio: Total assets divided by shareholder equity. Asset/equity ratio is often used...
assets under management: The total value of assets that a mutual fund, hedge fund, or other portfolio...
assign: To transfer ownership of a property or right to another party by signing a document.
assignability: The ability of an asset to be transferred from one party to another.
assignee: Individual to whom a title, claim, property, interest, or right has been transferred.
assignment: The receipt of an exercise notice by an option writer that requires him/her...
assignment of mortgage: A written document serving as evidence of a transfer of a loan obligation from the original borrower to a third party.
assignment of rents: A contract which transfers rents and income from the tenant of a property to...
assignment to creditors: The transfer of a property for the benefit of creditors or in trust.
assignor: An individual who transfers a title, claim, property, interest, or right to another person.
assimilation: When a new issue of a stock or a bond is fully absorbed by the public the issue...
associate member: Designation for a member of a stock exchange who does not have a seat on the exchange.
association: A group of individuals who meet for a common purpose.
assumable mortgage: A form of mortgage which allows the borrower to transfer the unpaid balance...
assumed bond: Corporate bond which is issued by one company but payable by another because the liability has been assumed by the latter.
assumption: The taking over of an obligation or liability from another party.
at best: Most advantageous outcome. This is an idiom used to describe not the ideal,...
at call: Any transaction which occurs in the call money market.
at par: An idiom used to state that a price is the same as the face value. Usually...
at risk: Any security which is exposed to the danger of loss. More than the possibility...
at sight: Denotes a negotiable instrument when presented to the drawee. Examples include a bill of exchange.
at the bell: The immediate open or close of trading. This term comes out of the tradition...
at the close: Also known as 'on close.' The end of a trading session. Sometimes this refers...
at the figure: At the nearest whole number. Often meaning the integer closest to a decimal bid or ask.
at the full: At the nearest whole number. Often meaning the integer closest to a decimal bid or ask. Also known as at the figure.
at the market: A purchase or sell order in which the broker is to execute the order at the...
at the money: A condition in which the strike price of an option is equal to (or nearly equal to) the market price of the underlying security.
at the opening order: An order to purchase or sell a given equity at the price when the market opens....
ATM: Automated Teller Machine. Located at bank branches among other places, this...
ATS: The currency of Austria. ISO international currency code: ATS. The...
attachment: The act of seizing a debtor's property and placing it under a court's control.
attest: To affirm as true.
attorney in fact: An order to purchase or sell a given equity at the price when the market opens....
auction: A method for selling an asset to the highest bidder.
auction market: A system in which purchasers enter competitive bids and sellers enter competitive...
AUD: The currency of Australia. ISO international currency code: AUD....
audit: An examination and correction (if necessary) of any individual or firm's financial...
audit trail: A record from which all accounting data can be tracked back to their source....
audited financial statements: A firm's financial statements which have been prepared and certified by a Certified...
auditor: An individual licensed to check the accuracy of financial records. Generally...
auditor's report: The official report made by a public accountant following the completion of...
Australian Dollar: The currency of Australia. ISO international currency code: AUD....
Austrian Schilling: The currency of Austria. ISO international currency code: ATS. The...
AutEx: Electronic alert system for brokers. This system notifies brokers that other...
authentication: The verification that a legal document is genuine or valid, such as through a seal from an authorized public official.
authority bond: Bond issued by and payable from the revenue of a government agency or a corporation...
authorize: Grant the right to perform certain acts.
authorized shares: The company.s maximum number of shares which it can legally create under its Articles of Incorporation.
authorized stock: The maximum number of shares that a corporation is legally permitted to issue, as specified in its articles of incorporation.
Auto Sales - Japan: The number of automobiles sold in Japan each month, based on the number of new...
autocorrelation: A technique used to detect cyclic activity within the market.Also known as 'lagged...
Automated Order Entry System: An electronic system which bypasses the floor broker in order to expedite the execution of smaller orders.
Automated Pricing and Reporting System: The system the NYSE uses to process and determine the price for qualified odd-lot...
Automatic Clearing House: A system of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank that provides electronic funds transfer (EFT) between banks.
automatic exercise: The procedure that prevents in-the-money equity options from expiring and becoming...
Automatic Funds Transfer: Direct transfer of funds between accounts without direct management. Facilitated...
automatic investment plan: An investment plan where contributions are allowed to be made over a period...
automatic reinvestment plan: An investment program which reinvests capital gains or other income received from investments automatically.
automatic stabilizers: Built-in changes in government spending and taxation which usually serve the purpose of cooling down the economy.
automatic withdrawal: A mutual fund program that fixes payments to shareholders each month or each...
autoregressive: Predicting future data using past information. Making use of technical analysis,...
availability float: The time period (or sometimes, the dollar amount) represented by checks that have been deposited but not cleared.
available assets: Assets that may be sold relatively quickly, to meet an immediate need.
average: An arithmetic mean of a group of stocks designed to represent the overall market...
average accounting return: The average accounting return measures the return on an investment, after taxes...
average collection period: The average time period for which receivables are outstanding. Equal to accounts...
average contribution percentage: A test applied to retirement plan contributions in order to prevent the plan...
average daily balance: The average amount that exists in an account over a period of time. The number...
average daily balance method: A technique for calculating finance charges (such as in a bank account, charge...
average daily volume: The number of shares traded per day, averaged over some time period, generally one year.
Average Directional Index ADX: ADX fluctuates between 0 and 100. Readings below 20 indicate a weak trend or...
average down: The purchasing of additional shares of a stock that one already holds a position...
Average Earnings Increase (AEI) - UK: An indicator for earnings growth. The data excludes bonuses, which might distort...
average effective maturity: A measure of a bond's maturity which takes into consideration the possibility...
average equity: Average daily balance in a brokerage account. Brokerages use this amount to calculate their mark-to-market.
average life: The length of time that will pass before one-half of a debt obligation has been retired.
average nominal maturity: A measure of a bond's maturity which, unlike average effective maturity, does...
average option: An option whose payoff depends on the average value of an underlier over a specified period.
average price per share: The most common method for calculating taxes owed on mutual fund redemptions,...
Average True Range: Average True Range (ATR) is a volatility indicator. It is also used as part...
average up: The purchasing additional shares of a stock which one holds a position in, and...
average weighted maturity: The length of time until the average security in a fund will mature or be redeemed...
averaging: see dollar cost averaging, value averaging, averaging down. More generally,...
away from the market: Idiom used to describe when the bid on a Limit Order is lower or the offer price is higher than the current market price.
AWG: The currency of Aruba. ISO international currency code: AWG Learn more about Aruba and the Aruban Guilder at GoCurrency.com
Azerbaijan Manat: The currency of Azerbaijan. ISO international currency code: AZM Learn...
Azerbaijan Manat New Spot: The new currency of Azerbaijan. ISO international currency code: AZM Learn...
AZM: The currency of Azerbaijan. ISO international currency code: AZM Learn...
AZN: The currency code for the new currency of Azerbaijan. The full name of the...
Azores Escudo: The currency of Azores.