An insurance policy that allows U.S. banks to confirm letters of credit issued by foreign financial institutions, facilitating the purchase of domestic…

The central bank of Canada, that came into existence after the passing of the Bank of Canada Act in 1935, influences the country's economy and money supply…

Headquartered in the business district of Nihonbashi in Tokyo, the Bank of Japan is the Japanese central bank. The bank is responsible for issuing and…

The rate at which central banks lend funds to national banks. A central bank adjusts the supply of currency within national borders by adjusting the…

An act passed by the British government in 1797 to free the central Bank of England from converting bank notes and other financial claims into gold. The…

A negotiable promissory note issued by a bank and payable to the bearer on demand. The amount payable is stated on the face of the note. Banknotes are…

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…

The act of trading goods and services between two or more parties without the use of money. Bartering benefits companies and countries that see a mutual…

A particular time period whose data is used for comparative purposes when measuring economic data of other periods. Also referred to as "Reference Period…

A set of banking regulations put forth by the Basel Committee on Bank Supervision, which regulates finance and banking internationally. Basel II attempts…

An economic measure for the balance of payments that combines the current account and capital account balances. The basic balance represents an alternative…

A relatively fixed set of consumer products and services valued and used on an annual basis to track inflation in a specific market or country. The goods…

A widening of the yield curve caused by long-term rates increasing at a faster rate then short-term rates. This causes a larger spread between the two…

An international trading policy that utilizes currency devaluations and protective barriers to alleviate a nation's economic difficulties at the expense…

A field of economics that studies how the actual decision-making process influences the decisions that are reached. The two most important questions…

A commonly used name for the Fed report called the Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions by Federal Reserve District. It is published just…

A leading indicator of trends. A bellwether stock is a stock that is used to gauge the performance of the market in general. General Motors was an example…

A macroeconomic term used to describe a situation where an economy's short-run real gross domestic product (GDP) is currently lower than that same economy…

The chairman of the board of governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Bernanke took over the helm from Alan Greenspan on February 1, 2006, ending Greenspan…

Hypothesis proposed by mathematician Daniel Bernoulli that expands on the nature of investment risk and the return earned on an investment. Bernoulli…

A reference to the three largest automobile manufacturers in North America:1. General Motors2. DaimlerChrysler3. Ford Motor Co.The profits (and losses)…

A progressive branch of social science that seeks to integrate the disciplines of economics and biology for the sole purpose of creating theories that…

A figure that represents the net number of jobs provided from newly started businesses (births) and business closings (deaths) during a period of time…

A term coined by the forest-products industry to describe an abusive subsidy scheme within the industry. Black liquor is a byproduct of creating wood…

A type of economic activity that takes place outside of government-sanctioned channels.  Black-market transactions typically occur as a way for participants…

The name given to Thursday, October 24, 1929, when the New York Stock Exchange plummeted, leading to the Great Depression of the 1930s. As a result of…

When a domestic investor purchases a foreign asset and then transfers that asset to a domestic bank branch located offshore. Then, the funds from the…

A slang term for the uncontested market space for an unknown industry or innovation. Coined by professors W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne in their book…

A lending structure used in the Federal Reserve's security lending facility, whereby borrowers receive a loan of bonds, by using all or a portion of their…

A period of time during which sales or business activity increases rapidly. In the stock market, booms are associated with bull markets. Conversely…

A general term that refers to a benefit or improvement for investors. This can include such things as increased dividends, a stock market rally and stock…

A slang term for a significant emigration of educated or talented individuals. A brain drain can result from turmoil within a nation, from there being…

A location, other than the main office, where business is conducted. Most branch offices are comprised of smaller divisions of different aspects of the…

A 1944 agreement made in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, which helped to establish a fixed exchange rate in terms of gold for major currencies. The International…

A category of the money supply which includes: all funds in M3, individual holdings in accounts, savings bonds, T-bills with maturity of less than one…

A type of authorization that must be granted by a government or other regulatory body before  the construction of a new or existing building can legally…

A bond that is likely to increase in value in a bull market, when interest rates are declining. Most bonds tend to increase in value when interest rates…

A change in the yield curve caused by short-term rates falling faster than long-term rates, resulting in a higher spread between the two rates.A steepener…

A division of the federal government of the United States Bureau of Commerce that is responsible for conducting the national census at least once every…

A division of the U.S. federal government's Department of Commerce that is responsible for the analysis and reporting of economic data used to confirm…

A government agency that produces economic data that reflects the state of the U.S. economy. This data includes the Consumer Price Index, the unemployment…

An economics term made popular by the Big Mac Index published by The Economist. Burgernomics makes reference to the idea of the Big Mac PPP, which examines…

The recurring and fluctuating levels of economic activity that an economy experiences over a long period of time. The five stages of the business cycle…

Composite of leading, lagging and coincident indexes created by the Conference Board and used to forecast changes in the direction of the overall economy…

A compilation of statistics published by Dun & Bradstreet that reports the number of businesses – incorporated and unincorporated – that start each week…

A period of time during which economic growth decreases rapidly. In the stock market, busts are usually associated with bear markets. During busts, inflation…

A regulatory system that is meant to reduce certain kinds of emissions and pollution and to provide companies with a profit incentive to reduce their…

The maximum level of output of goods and/or services that a given system can potentially produce over a set period of time. In most cases, it is unlikely…

A fixed expense incurred by a company or organization in order to provide for or increase its ability to conduct business operations. Capacity costs generally…

The net result of public and private international investments flowing in and out of a country. The net results includes foreign direct investment, plus…