Investopedia Flashcards
Alligator Spread
An unprofitable spread that occurs as a result of large commissions charged on the transaction, regardless of favourable market movements. Usually used in the options market.
Bear market
A market condition in which the prices of securities are falling, and widespread pessimism causes negative sentiment to be self-sustaining.
Black market
Economic activity that takes place outside the government sanctioned channels. Allows participants to avoid government price or controlled taxes.
Bubble theory
A school of thought that believes that the prices of assets can temporarily rise far above their true values and these bubbles are easily identifiable.
Capital Gain
An increase in the value of a capital asset (investment or real estate) that gives it a higher worth than the purchase price.
Capital markets
Markets for buying and selling equity and debt instruments.
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
The mean annual growth rate of an investment over a specified period of time more than one year.
CAGR = (end value/beginning value)^(1/no. Of years)-1
Dead Cat Bounce
A temporary recovery from a prolonged decline or bear market, followed by the continuation of the downtrend.
Depreciation
A method of allocating the cost of a tangible asset over its useful life. Businesses depreciate long-term assets for both tax and accounting reasons.
Draghi effect
The calming effect of European Central Bank President, Mario Draghi, on global financial markets.
Due Diligence
An investigation or audit of a potential investment. Due diligence serves to confirm all material facts in regards to sale.
Elephants
Slang for large institutions that have funds to make high volumes of trades.
Emerging markets ETF
An exchange traded fund that focuses on the stocks of the emerging market economies.
Endowment effect
In behavioural finance, the endowment effect describes a circumstance in which an individual values something which they already own more than something which they do not yet own.
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)
ETFs are tools that provide more diversification. They track other ETFs rather than individual stocks, bonds or derivatives.
Financial instrument
A real or virtual document representing a legal agreement involving some sort of monetary value. Usually equity or debt based.
Fisher effect
An economic theory proposed by economist Irving Fisher that describes the relationship between inflation and both real and nominal inflation rates. It states that the real interest rate equals the nominal interest rate minus the expected inflation rate.
Abenomics
Nickname for the multi-pronged economic program by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abenomics seeks to remedy two decades of stagnation by increasing the nation’s money supply, boosting government spending and enacting reforms to make the economy more competitive.
Game Theory
A model of optimality taking into consideration not only benefits less costs, but also the interaction between participants.
Goldilocks Economy
An economy that is not so hot that it causes inflation and not so cold that it causes recession.
Gorilla
A company that dominates an industry without having a complete monopoly.
Group of Ten (G10)
Eleven industrialised nations that meet on an annual basis to consult each other on international finance matters.
Halo Effect
The halo effect is a term used in marketing to explain the bias shown by customers towards certain products because of a favourable experience with other products made by the same manufacturer or maker.
Insurance
Insurance is a contract purchased by individuals or companies that manage their risk.
J-Curve Effect
A type of diagram where the curve galls at the outset and eventually rises to a point higher than the starting point.
Law of Demand
A microeconomic law that states, all factors being equal, as the price of a good or service increases, consumer demand for the good or service will decrease.
Letter or Intent
Used in most major business transactions, a letter of intent outlines the terms of a deal and serves as an agreement between two parties.
Lion Economics
A nickname given to Africa’s growing economies, which had a collective GDP of $1.6 trillion in 2008, close to Russia’s and Brazil’s.
Liquidity
Describes the degree to which an asset or security can be quickly bought and sold in the market without affecting the assets price.
Mad Hatter
A CEO or managerial team whose ability to lead a team is highly suspect.
Marlboro Friday
A reference to Friday 2nd April 1993, when Phillip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, announced that it would be cutting the price of Marlboros to compete with generic cigarette makers.
OPEC
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries. 12 member states.
Operating Margin
Margin or ratio used to measure a company’s pricing strategy and operating efficiency.
Pension Fund
Established by an employer to facilitate and organise the investment of employees’ retirement funds contributed by the employer and employees.
Present Value
The current worth of a future sum of money or stream of cash flows given a specified rate of return.
Candlestick
A chart that displays the high, low, opening and closing prices for a security for a single day. The wide part of the candlestick is called the “real body” and tells investors whether the closing price was higher or lower than the opening price.
Profit Margin
Profit margin is part of a category of profitability ratios calculated as net income divided by revenue, or net profits divided by sales.
Quick Ratio
An indicator of a company’s short term liquidity.
Recession
A significant decline in activity across the economy, lasting longer than a few months.
Reinsurance
Insurance purchased by an insurance company from other insurance companies to manage their risk.
Return on Investment (ROI)
A performance measure used to evaluate the efficiency of an investment or compare the efficiency of a number of different investments.
Return on invested capital
A calculation used to assess a company’s efficiency at allocating the capital under its control to profitable investments.
ROIC = (Net Income - Dividends)/ Total Capital
Revenue
The amount of money that a company actually receives during a specific period, including discounts and deductions for returned merchandise.
Robin Hood Effect
A phenomenon where the less well-off gain at the expense of the better-off. (income inequality and education inequality).
Shanghai Stock Exchange
The largest stock exchange in mainland China.
Shadow Market
The informal market, which is generally defined as economic activities, enterprises and workers that are not regulated or protected by the state.
Stock Market Crash
A rapid and often unanticipated drop in stock prices.