Slang used to refer to an "unofficial rule" under which the banking industry once operated, which alludes to it being noncompetitive and simplistic.The…

A slang term used to describe a significant amount of money. The amount implied typically depends on the person, company or situation. We may all have…

The distortion that is caused in a company’s financial statements due to accounting rules and regulations that must be followed. Accounting noise makes…

A slang term describing an acquisition or merger in which the companies involved have trouble integrating with one another. Acquisition indigestion may…

A market-wide directional movement, or a market condition in which most stocks and sectors are moving in the same direction. These movements are usually…

This refers to the physical location in a brokerage where securities are kept. These securities are usually held as collateral for customers' margin…

A method of budgeting in which the activities that incur costs in every functional area of an organization are recorded and their relationships are defined…

A social condition arising from the desire to be more wealthy, successful or to "keep up with the Joneses". Affluenza is symptomatic of a culture that…

After the close of the stock market. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) closes its trading day with the ringing of a bell.

A trade that has only one agent acting for the buyer and seller. Also known as Dual Agency. Agency crosses occur when a broker receives perfectly offsetting…

An increase in the price of food that occurs as a result of increased demand from human consumption and use as an alternative energy resource. While the…

A stock that experiences a sudden drop, similar to a plane hitting an air pocket. Air pocket stocks are usually the result of investors reacting to negative…

In real estate, when the cost of mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance and maintenance on a rental property is greater than the income it brings…

An unprofitable spread that occurs as a result of large commissions charged on the transaction, regardless of favorable market movements. An alligator…

An exchange-traded fund that invests in companies engaged in industries serving alternative energy production and research. Some companies found within…

An investment that is not one of the three traditional asset types (stocks, bonds and cash). Most alternative investment assets are held by institutional…

A slang phrase used when quoting the price of a fixed-income instrument with accruing interest. When revealing the sale price of a bond, a broker or salesman…

A slang term for investment-grade bonds which pay a lower interest rate, due to the higher credit rating of the issuing company. Angel bonds are the opposite…

An index made up of a selection of stocks from companies associated with actress Angela Jolie. Seen as one of the world's most influential celebrities…

Stock issues with a market capitalization of less than $500 million. Also known as "small cap" stocks.  These issues can appear to be more speculative…

Visible bids and offers on the market without the identity of the bidder and seller being revealed. Anonymous trades allow the high profile investors…

The antitrust laws apply to virtually all industries and to every level of business, including manufacturing, transportation, distribution, and marketing…

A type of investor who attempts to profit from price inefficiencies in the market by making simultaneous trades that offset each other and capturing risk-free…

A market theory that states stock prices and aspirin production are inversely related. The Aspirin count theory is a lagging indicator and actually hasn…

An individual or company, which purchases a corporation with the intention of dividing that corporation up into its parts and selling these parts for…

The absorption of stock by the public from a new issue. Underwriters hope to sell all of a new issue to the public.

A situation in which one party in a transaction has more or superior information compared to another. This often happens in transactions where the seller…

A slang term for an uneducated or unsophisticated investor. The term is considered a derogatory remark in the financial sector, often used to refer to…

An economic policy or program that increases or decreases automatically to offset the current economic trend without government assistance. An example…

When the bid on an order is lower (or the ask price is higher) than the current market price for the security. In this case, the bid/ask spread is above…

A common nickname given to the U.S. regional telephone companies that were formed from the breakup of AT&T ("Ma Bell") in 1984. Baby Bells were created…

A nickname given to the hypothetical companies that would have formed if the Justice Department had broken up Microsoft Corporation. Using the first…

A person who was born between 1946 and 1964. The baby boomer generation makes up a substantial portion of the North American population. Representing…

A slang term that refers to the representation of the basic components of a business model excluding any fine details. It incorporates only the core ideas…

Slang that refers to the purchase of a large position in a stock or other financial asset by an investor or trader. Typically, when someone is willing…

A check drawn on a nonexistent account or on an account with insufficient funds to honor the check when presented.  "Passing" bad checks is illegal, and…

The negative effect felt by a company when shareholders and the investment community find out that is has done something that is not in accordance with…

An informal investment term used to describe an investor who holds a position in a stock which decreases in value until it is worthless. Typically, the…

A slang term that represents a stock or other security that is approaching $0 in price. Arriving in bagel land is usually the result of one or more major…

A phrase originating from Europe that describes an employee that is learning something the hard way, like being immersed in their field of employment…

A difficult situation that a company or individual experiences that will result in either success or failure. Examples include Initial Public Offerings…

The existence of high start-up costs or other obstacles that prevent new competitors from easily entering an industry or area of business. Barriers to…

A period in which prices of stocks increase during a bear market. A bear market rally is usually a short-lived market increase following a period of market…

A fall in the price of a stock, sector, or market, or investor sentiment that assumes a fall will happen soon. A bear tack is usually used to describe…

A slang phrase used when an investor purchases or sells a security at a beneficial price by executing a trade before the market can respond to new information…

A stock that is believed to be a leading indicator of the direction of a sector, industry or market as a whole. Bellwether stocks are often used to determine…

A stock that represents the most optimal investment choice for a specific sector or industry due to its high quality compared to its competitors. This…

A slang term for an investor who sells shares at or below the bid price. This is considered outside the norm, as sellers normally settle for a price between…

A nickname for the New York Stock Exchange. Founded in 1792, the NYSE is the oldest exchange in the United States, on which more than 2,000 common and…

A retail store that occupies an enormous amount of physical space and offers a variety of products to its customers. These stores achieve economies of…