Glossary
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Account Executive
- A stockbroker by any other name.
More specifically, the term refers
to a NASD-registered securities
representative, but also is used
generically to describe almost any
salesperson.
Accredited Investor
- Wealthy investors, generally maintaining
a net worth of at least $1 million
or earning at least $200,000 per
year, with the privilege of investing
in risky private stock sales and
other securities. The term itself
is defined under Regulation D of
the Securities Act.
Accrual Accounting
- Accounting procedure where income
and expenses are recognized when
entered into the books of a company,
as opposed to the time when they
are actually paid or received in
cash. So if it's not cash, then
it must be accrual! (See "Cash
Basis Accounting")
Accrued Interest
- Interest payments due to the seller
of a bond or other fixed-income
investment by the buyer; the amount
of the coupon pro-rated to the number
of days since the last coupon payment
-- the buyer pays this portion,
then collects the full amount of
the next coupon.
Accumulation -
Term used by technical analysts
describing a stock whose price is
holding steady, thus implying that
investors are willing purchase or
"accumulate" shares at
this price.
Active Market -
Term associated with stocks or other
securities that trade with a relatively
high measure of liquidity, typically
exhibited in high volume and narrow
spreads. It is also a matter of
opinion, as one man’s active
market may be another’s illiquid
market.
Affiliate - Any person
directly or indirectly holding 10%
or more of a corporation's outstanding
shares -- typically directors, elected
officers and immediate famil
y members.
As such, they are subject to reporting
stock sales and purchases and are
restricted from making certain transactions
in the company’s stock.
Aftermarket - Sometimes
called "secondary market,"
this term refers to the trading
in a security after its initial
public offering.
Agency - (1) Term
used to describe a security issued
by a U.S. Government agency; or
(2) a stockbroker buying or selling
a security without taking a financial
risk (i.e. making a market). In
the latter case, the broker simply
handles the transaction between
the buyer and seller for a commission.
All or None - (1)
Term used to describe a trading
order instructing the broker to
buy or sell the entire amount of
the order in one transaction or
not at all; or (2) a condition where
an underwriter must sell every share
or unit in a security's offering
or the issuing company has the right
to cancel the entire offering --
in modern underwritings, this condition
is seldom imposed.
American Depositary Receipt
(ADR) - Negotiable receipt
for a given number of shares of
stock in a foreign corporation.
A popular form of owning shares
of foreign companies, ADRs are subject
to the securities laws of the United
States and the rules of the member
exchanges.
American Stock Exchange
(AMEX) - Founded in 1921
and located in New York, it’s
the third-largest U.S. stock exchange.
While minimum listing requirements
are
similar to those of the more
popular Nasdaq stock market, shares
trade on the AMEX in the same "auction"
manner utilized by the much larger
New York Stock Exchange as opposed
to Nasdaq's "market making"
methods. In recent years, the AMEX
exchange has lost prominence in
stock listings and trading volume
to both Nasdaq and the NYSE. However,
the AMEX has enjoyed gains in trading
"derivative" securities
such as options and futures contracts.
Analyst - Person
or other party that purports to
serve as an authority on the evaluation
of a security for investment consideration.
Most established brokerage firms
employ analysts to review stocks
and other securities for "buy,"
"sell" or "hold"
recommendations. Many other analysts
operate independent of brokerage
firms and commonly publish their
analysis in newsletters or other
publications. However, analyst qualifications
run to extremes and many amateurs
or biased parties often distribute
securities analysis that may be
misleading or one-sided. Read Stock
Detective’s Guide to Pseudo
Stock Research and Phony Financial
Reports.
Annual Report -
Publication distributed once each
year by public corporations to inform
shareholders of company progress
and attract potential investors.
Most annual reports contain only
financial highlights and general
business information, but some also
include fancy graphics printed on
glossy paper -- reflecting a considerable
expense outlay. For detailed financial
reports and disclosures, all public
companies whose shares are listed
on the major U.S. stock exchanges
are required to file a detailed
annual report with the SEC via form
10-K.
Annuity - Contract
between an individual and an insurance
company, providing lifetime income
to the person on whose life the
contract is based in return for
either a lump-sum or periodic payment
to the insurance company.
Arbitrage - Versatile
little word that takes on many different
personalities, but essentially means
the act of profiting from a difference
in price. For example, arbitrage
could apply to buying and selling
currencies in different markets
to take advantage of price disparities,
or it may refer to an investor or
market maker buying one stock and
then selling it short to
profit
from the difference between bid
and ask prices. (See "Spread")
Arbitration - Two
parties agree to settle a dispute
by binding themselves to the decision
of a third-party referee outside
of the courts; frequently used for
customer disputes against stockbrokers
and their firms.
Ask - The lowest
price at which a dealer or market
maker will sell a security. (See
"Bid," "Offer,"
"Quote")
Asset - Anything that an
indiv
idual or a corporation owns.
In corporate finance, assets include
items of value such as cash, land,
equipment and even intellectual
properties, and are generally separated
on a company’s balance sheet
into two categories: current assets
(those which can be converted into
cash within a year or less) and
fixed assets (those which are expected
to remain fixed for longer than
one year).
Asset Financing
- Companies borrow money secured
by specific assets such as land,
buildings or equipment rather than
by general obligation. In some respects,
this is t
he corporate equivalent
of going to the pawnshop.
Associated Person
- Almost anyone who is employed,
owns or directs a brokerage firm,
including managers and salespersons
but generally excluding clerical
or administrative personnel.
At the Close -
Trade order specifically instructing
the transaction to be filled in
the last trade for a particular
security on a trading day or to
be canceled otherwise.
At the Money -
"Options speak" referring
to a secu
rity and an option strike
price which are the same. (See "In
the Money," "Out of the
Money.")
At the Open - Trade order
specifically instructing the transaction
to be filled in the first trade
for a particular security on a trading
day or to be canceled otherwise.
Authorized Stock
- Maximum number of shares that
a corporation may issue through
its charter. The corporation must
amend its charter or articles of
incorporation, usually by vote of
approval by a majority of shareholders,
in order to increase or decre
ase
this amount.
Automatic Reinvestment
- Applying to most mutual funds
and about 800 stocks, the vehicle
for enacting this strategy in stocks
is commonly known as a dividend
reinvestment plan (DRIP), which
allows shareholders to receive dividends
in the form of new shares rather
than cash. It works the same way
for mutual funds, and most funds
offer automatic reinvestment as
a choice for investors.
Average Down -
When you buy the same security at
different times and at sequentially
lower prices, in effect you are
lowering, or averaging down, your
cost per share. For example, if
you bought 100 shares at $18, then
100 shares at $14, you would have
invested a total of 200 shares at
an average cost of $16 per share.
Buy another 100 shares for $10 and
your average would drop to $14 per
share. Many investors who are confident
in the long-term potential for a
partic
ular stock will consider falling
prices a buying opportunity and
accumulate more shares at lower
prices.
Average Life -
Average time before a bond is likely
to be called or retired, which often
is less than the time until the
bond matures.
Average Maturity -
Average maturity of all bonds held
in a portfolio and weighted by the
dollar value of those holdings.
A long average maturity of, say,
15 years or more would indicate
higher current yields and sensitivity
to interest rate changes while a
short average maturity, say, five
years or less would indicate lower
current yields and less sensitivity
to interest rates.
Average Up - When
you buy the same security at different
times and at sequentially higher
prices, in effect you are raising,
or averaging up, your cost per share.
For example, if you bought 100 shares
at $10, then 100 shares at $14,
you would have invested a total
of 200 shares at an average cost
of $12 per share. Buy another 100
shares for $16 and your average
would rise to $14 per share.
Away from the Marke
t
- Trade orders that cannot be executed
because they are above or below
the current bid or ask. For example,
a limit order to sell 100 shares
of Microsoft at $95 when the best
or lowest offer is $89 will not
be filled and is said the be "away
from the market."
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Baby Bond - Bond with a
face value of less than the traditional
$1,000.
Back Office - Term
which refers to the administrative
and clerical departments within
a brokerage firm.
Balance Sheet -
Key financial statement showing
a corporation’s assets, liabilities
and shareholder capital.
Balanced Fund -
Mutual fund that invests in a portfolio
balanced between equity, such as
stocks, and debt instruments, such
as bonds.
Bank Quality -
Term describing the highest quality
of credit-worthiness by an issuer
of bonds or other debt securities;
debt rating of BBB or higher by
Standard & Poor's or Moody's.
Basis Point - One
hundredth of a percent; generally
used to describe changes in bond
yields. For example, a bond yield
that changes from 6.01% to 7.11%
is said to have gained 110 basis
points.
Bear Market - Popular
term describing a period where general
market conditions are marked by
declining securities prices. (See
"Bull Market")
Bear Spread - In
options, a strategy employing two
contracts designed to profit from
a drop in a stock’s price.
B
earer Bond - Class
of bonds which are not registered
in the name of any particular owner,
rather they are the property of
the party which holds physical possession
of the bond certificate. As such,
bearer bonds pay interest and principal
to whomever "bears" the
bond itself, much in the way cash
in your wallet is a "bearer"
certificate. Bearer bonds are rarely
issued any more by U.S. corporations,
and are more likely to be the subject
of a Hollywood cops-and-robbers
script than your portfolio.
Beneficial Owner
- Person or party that really owns
a security or "benefits"
from the ownership. The term is
used most often to describe the
real, or beneficial, owners of securities
when those securities are held in
"street name" in the person’s
brokerage or bank account.
Best Efforts -
In an underwriting of securities,
the term refers to an agreement
between the issuer and the underwriter
allowing the underwriter to call
off the offering if it cannot sell
the minimum agreed amount of securities.
Beta - Measurement
of the historical volatility of
a stock, portfolio or mutual fund
relative to the general market as
measured by the S&P 500 stock
index. A beta value greater than
1.0 represents greater volatility
than the general market; less than
1.0 represents less volatility than
the general market.
Bid - Highest price
at which a dealer or market maker
will purchase a security. (See "Ask,"
"Offer," "Quote")
Big Board - Nickname
for the New York Stock Exchange.
Block - Transaction
involving a large number of
shares
or other units of a security. Blocks
may vary in size depending on the
liquidity of the security traded
and the number of shares in the
block transaction. Often, however,
blocks are transacted at a discount
to the current market as an accepted
cost of trading a large number of
shares "away" from the
market.
Blowout - Slang
term referring to a party selling
a large number of shares into the
market without regard for the demand
for shares or potential effect on
the market price of the security.
Blue Chip - Financially
strong, established company.
Blue Sky - Refers
to securities registration or broker
licensing, or the securities regulatory
authorities of individual states.
For example, if a stock broker in
the state of New York has complied
with licensing or registration requirements
for Florida, Texas and Illinois,
then he or she is said the be "blue
skied" in those states and
may solicit sales from account holders
residing therein. Blue sky often
is referred to in private placements,
IPOs and secondary underwritings
to designate the states in which
securities may be sold. The term
also is frequently used with many
securities quoted on the OTC Bulletin
Board or the Pink Sheets.
Board of Directors
- Persons elected by a company’s
shareholders to make important decisions
such as electing officers of the
company. Directors are also considered
control persons and, as such, are
generally restricted from transacting
in the company’s securities
without proper reporting.
Boiler Room - Term
often used to describe a brokerage
firm or other sales organization
where investors are aggressively
solicited over the telephone; often
associated with high-pressure telephone
sales tactics in connection with
penny stocks and other risky investments.
Bond - Debt security
with a maturity of greater than
one year; a corporate IOU. Many
different kinds of bonds are available
to investors, such as convertible
bonds, which may entitle a holder
to shares of an issuer's stock.
Bond credit-worthiness is commonly
rated by Standard and Poor's and
Moody’s investor services.
(See "Baby Bond," "Bearer
Bond," "Bond Fund,"
"Corporate Bond," "Coupon
Bond," "Junk Bond,"
"Zero Coupon Bond").
Bond Fund - Type
of mutual fund whose aim is to provide
stable income with minimal risk.
It may invest in preferred stocks
as well as corporate, government
or municipal bonds.
Bond Power - Form used
to transfer ownership of a bond.
Book Value - Balance sheet
measure of a company’s net
worth. Generally calculated from
total assets minus total liabilities,
including any preferred shares,
and often expressed as a per-share
value when divided by the company’s
number of outstanding common shares.
Although used as a measure of a
company’s fundamental net
worth, it may prove deceptive. A
company’s assets as expressed
on its "books" often includes
arbitrary adjustment for depreciation
and does not take into account their
fair market value if they were to
be sold.
Boston Stock Exchange (BSE)
- Regional stock exchange where
shares of securities often traded
on other U.S. exchanges, including
NYSE, AMEX and Nasdaq, are traded.
Branch Manager
- The person managing a branch office
of a brokerage firm and supervising
the activities of its affiliated
stockbrokers.
Breadth - Comparison
of issues traded on a stock exchange
on a given day to the total number
of issues listed for trading. Market
trends are considered confirmed
only upon reasonable breadth in
the market.
Breakeven - Point
at which neither a profit or loss
exists. The term is applied in various
ways. In options, for example, it
is sometimes synonymous with "at
the money," whereas "in
the money" refers to a potential
profit position and "out of
the money" a potential loss.
Breakout - Used in technical
analysis of securities, referring
to a pattern where the price of
a security changes significantly,
either up or down, from a previous
range where the price held relatively
steady.
Bridge Loan - Temporary
loan used to provide a company with
a portion of working capital while
arrangements for permanent financing
are executed. In initial public
offerings, the lead underwriter
often will provide a bridge loan
to the company, secured by shares
of the company’s stock. If
the IPO is successful, the underwriter
will typically be repaid its bridge
loan through the sale of the security's
shares in the IPO, and often at
a much higher price.
Broker - Or stockbroker;
any person who has been duly registered
by the National Association of Securities
Dealers and or a state’s securities
regulation authority to take customer
orders or to solicit the sale of
a security. Brokers are also called
Registered Representatives, as it
is most common to become a broker
by passing the NASD Series 7 examination.
Broker Loan - Rate
of interest charged by a brokerage
firm to its customers for securities
bought on margin.
Bucket Shop - Slang
term for a disreputable brokerage
firm that employs high-pressure
sales tactics to peddle risky stocks
and/or routinely engage in illegal
practices, including holding customer
orders until the firm can transact
at a price other than the one it
reported to the investor.
Bull Market - Popular
term describing a period where general
market conditions are marked by
rising securities prices. (See "Bear
Market")
Bull Spread - In
options, a strategy employing two
contracts designed to profit from
an increase in a stock’s price.
Bulletin Board
- More correctly called the NASD
OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB), a National
Association of Securities Dealers
quotation service for "unlisted
securities" not traded "over
the counter" and not on any
of the three major U.S. stock exchanges.
The OTCBB lists some 7,000 securities
of mostly small corporations, some
with little or no operating business.
Buy In - A person
or institution is forced to buy
a security because of an inability
to deliver the shares or make "good
delivery" from a previous sale
of said shares. Buy ins are often
associated with short sellers that
choose or are forced to buy back
underlying shares due to margin
requirements or other circumstances.
(See "Short Squeeze")
Buy Order - Any
request for a broker or other fiduciary
to buy a security on behalf of a
client.
Buy Recommendation - Analysts or
other financial editors publish
a recommendation to purchase a security.
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Cage - Area in a brokerage
office where cashiering activity
takes place.
Call - (1) Action
where a company redeems a security
prior to its maturity date; or (2)
a contract to purchase a specific
security at a specified price by
a certain date. (See "Options")
Call Feature - Feature
allowing the issuer to "call"
or repurchase certain securities,
typically corporate and municipal
bonds, at a specified price and/or
point in time. For example, XYZ
Corp. 6% bonds have a call feature
on March 1, 1999, at 105.
Call Price - Price
at which a "callable"
security may be repurchased.
Callable - Security
containing a call feature.
Called Away
- Security
called by the issuer from a client's
account
Cancel - Order
revoking a previous order to execute
a security transaction.
Capital - Accumulated
money or goods used to produce income.
Capital Gain - Gain or
profit from the sale of assets or
securities.
Capital Loss - Loss on
capital invested. Individuals who
incur a loss from the sale of a
security are credited with a capital
loss that may be used to offset
capital gains for purposes of calculating
income taxes.
Capital Stock -
All shares, common and preferred,
authorized and issued by a company.
Capital Surplus - Amount
a security's original purchase price
exceeds its par value.
Capitalization
- Total value of a company’s
capital investment, including the
amount raised from sale of common
stock, preferred stock, bonds and
retained earnings. Also refers to
a company’s "market capitalization,"
or shares outstan
ding multiplied
by the current share price.
Carry Forward - Asset created
from the value of tax losses incurred
in previous years and available
to be used in future periods to
offset taxable income. A corporation
with a $1 million tax-loss carry
forward may save as much as $340,000
in corporate income taxes by using
the loss in future periods.
Cash Basis Accounting -
Accounting method where all transactions
are posted for the amount of cash
exchanged instead of accruing income
and expenses. (See "Accrual
Accounting")
Cash Conversion Cycle -
Length of time required for a business
to convert raw materials into finished
goods, finished goods into sales,
and accounts receivable into cash.
These factors vary according to
the type of industry and scale of
production, which varies in turn
with seasonality and the rise and
fall of sales. The cash conversion
cycle is funded by working capital.
(See "Working Capital")
Cash Flow - Measurement
of cash a company gained or lost
during an accounting period and
adjusted for any previous accounting
for accruals and other non-cash
transactions. Calculated as follows:
earnings after interest and taxes,
less preferred dividend if applicable,
with depreciation added back. It
is possible for a company to report
an operating profit while incurring
a loss of cash for the same period
as well as reporting an operating
loss while incurring an increase
in cash flow.
Certificate - Document
issued by a corporation in evidence
of ownership or "title"
to a security.
Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE)
- First and largest organized marketplace
for trading specific put and call
options.
Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT)
- Largest exchange for trading of
futures contracts, best known for
grains and metals futures; parent
organization of CBOE.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange
- Second-largest commodities exchange;
best known for futures in agricultural
commodities.
Churning - Illegal or unethical
practice by a broker or other fiduciary
to cause excessive transactions
in a client’s account to b
enefit
the broker or fiduciary through
increased transaction fees.
Clearing Firm -
Brokerage firm with the fiduciary
responsibility to transfer and receive
all securities held or transacted
on its own or by corresponding firms.
Often, many small and mid-sized
brokerages and financial services
companies use a clearing firm which
acts as the fiduciary for a client’s
account holdings and transfers while
the brokerage firm principally acts
as the sales and/or advisory agent.
Close - Time when
a marketplace ceases its regular
trading activities. The New York
and other major U.S. stock exchanges
close at 4:00 pm Eastern.
Closed-End Fund
- Mutual fund that does not accept
new investments or withdrawals after
its initial formation; essentially
acts as a holding corporation for
the purpose of investing in other
public corporations. The typical
closed-end fund trades on a major
U.S. stock exchange and is bought
and sold in the secondary market
in the manner of corporate shares.
Closely Held -
Term used to describe when most
of the shares of a company’s
stock are held by a relatively small
group of investors.
Closing Quote -
Last price quoted for a security
at the close of the market.
Commercial Paper - Short-term
corporate debt actively traded by
institutions. Many mutual funds
and money market funds invest in
these notes, which may mature in
as little as one day, to achieve
interest on short-term, liquid investments
and cash equivalents.
Commingling - Illegal
act of combining securities or other
assets of a client’s account
with those of the brokerage or fiduciary
in order to boost the fiduciary's
financial status.
Committee on Uniform Securities
Identification Procedures (CUSIP)
- Group that assigns identification
numbers and codes to all securities,
to be used when recording all buy
and sell orders.
Commodity - Any
bulk good traded on an exchange
or in the cash, or spot, market.
Examples include metals, grains
and meats.
Common Stock -
Regular shares of ownership issued
by corporations.
Common Stock Equity
- Total assets minus total liabilities
divided by a corporation's common
shares outstanding. Essentially
the same as shareholder’s
equity except in cases where a significant
amount of preferred shares is outstanding.
Common Stock Equivalent
- Securities which may be convertible
into common stock in the future,
including warrants, stock options
and convertible debentures. Counted
as common stock when determining
a corporation’s value per
share on a fully-diluted basis.
Compliance - Refers
to the department in a brokerage
firm where a watchful eye is supposed
to be maintained on all activities
regulated by government and self-regulatory
organizations. Also, companies that
keep u
p with required SEC filings
are said to be "in compliance."
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
- U.S. government index of prices
for a variety of consumer goods
and a widely followed inflation
measure for inflation. Example:
The CPI, adjusted to 100 in 1983,
stood at approximately 162 in March
1998, a 62% increase.
Control Person - Any person
employed by a company and in position
to control the company’s actions,
such as a CEO, Chairman of the Board
or a large shareholder.
Convertible - Any
security which may be converted
into units of another security.
Often associated with preferred
shares and some debentures, conversion
usually is specified in common shares.
(See "Fully Diluted")
Cooling-off Period -
20-day period after a company files
its prospectus with
the SEC but
before its initial public offering.
During this period, the company's
relations with investors are greatly
restricted.
Corporate Bond - Any debt
or debenture issued by a corporation.
Corporation - Form
of business organization characterized
by a state charter or articles of
incorporation enabling certain rights
separate from its owners. Common
features of a corporation include
limited liability of the owners,
issuance of stock in evidence of
ownership, election of directors
and officers by vote of shareholders
and taxation of the corporation
separate to that of the owners.
Coupon - Amount
of interest paid periodically by
the issuer of a bond or other interest-bearing
security.
Coupon Bond - Bond
bearing a coupon or paying a periodic
distribution of interest. Most bonds
are considered coupon bonds.
Cover - Act of
purchasing futures contracts to
offset a short position, or shorting
futures to offset a long position.
(See "Covered Option")
Covered Option
- Option contract backed by the
shares underlying the option. This
strategy is commonly used by individuals,
mutual funds and other investors
to increase the current yield of
stocks held and to take advantage
of or hedge against unfavorable
price declines of the underlying
shares. A relatively conservative
investment strategy, covered writers
risk only giving up future potential
profits without taking additional
monetary risks.
Crossed Market
- Orders for buying and selling
stocks are imbalanced to the extent
that the highest bid is greater
than the lowest offer; shares will
not trade until market makers or
exchange specialists adjust bids
and asks accordingly.
Cumulative Preferred Stock
- Preferred shares whose dividends
accumulate during periods when they
are not paid or distributed to shareholders.
Current Market Value -
Current price of an asset or security
if it were to be sold; often used
to describe the value of a portfolio
of securities held in a customer's
account. Assets on the balance sheet
are reported at book value or at
their original acquisition cost,
less any depreciation or write-down.
However, some assets, such as real
estate, m
ay appreciate in fair market
potential and not reflect the current
market value if sold.
Current Assets
- Assets which normally are converted
into cash in 12 months or less,
including accounts receivable and
liquid investments such as stocks
and bonds.
Current Liabilities -
Liabilities or debts which come
due in 12 months or less, typically
including short-term borrowings
and the portion of long-term bor
rowings
due in the next 12 months as well
as accounts payable and rent due.
Current Ratio - Current
assets divided by current liabilities.
Fundamental analysis looks at this
ratio to determine if a company
may have problems meeting its short-term
obligations. If the current liabilities
exceed current assets, the ratio
is less than 1.0 and generally seen
as a measure of short-term financial
weakness. Conversely, a ratio greater
then 1.0 is seen as a measure of
short-term financial strength.
Current Yield - Current
rate of interest,
or yield, if a
bond or other fixed-income security
were purchased at current market
prices; calculated by taking the
coupon rate and dividing by the
security price. Example: XYZ Corp.
bonds pay a coupon rate of 8.75%
and may be purchased at the current
market price of 105, for a current
yield of 8.3% (8.75/105=8.3).
Custodian - Person or institution
acting under authority to direct
the investment activities of another
party’s account; often done
in connection with accounts held
for the benefit of minors or persons
unable to manage their own investments.
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Daisy Chain
- Illegal act of creating the illusion
of trading activity in a stock through
collusion of a number of brokers
or brokerage offices. (See "Painting
The Tape")
Day Order - Order
to buy or sell securities that expires
at the end of the day it is entered.
Day Trader - Buyer
or seller of stocks or other securities
for the purpose of speculating on
short-term price changes rather
than long-term appreciation. Day
traders oft
en rely on technical
analysis to make trading decisions.
(See "In And Out")
Dealer - Refers to a securities
dealer or any brokerage firm.
Debenture - Debt
security of an issuer, or a bond
by any other name.
Debt Security -
Evidence of debt, such as a bond,
issued by a corporation, municipality
or government.
Deep Discount -
Any significant discount from the
price of a security. Also used to
describe discount stock brokerages
which charge commissions far less
than what were commonly charged
for similar trades only a few years
ago. Many of these deep-discount
firms apply their lowest commissions
to on-line trades made via the Internet.
Default - Occurs when an
issuer of a debt obligation fails
to make a required payment of interest
or principal.
Defensive Strategy
- Investment method where an investor
seeks to minimize the risk of losing
principal. Defensive stocks are
generally c
onsidered to be established
companies in industries relatively
unaffected by business cycles.
Deficiency Letter
- SEC notification to an issuer
that a prospectus or other contemplated
filing needs to be modified before
being accepted or made "effective"
by the agency.
Delivery - Act
of transferring security ownership
or title from a seller to a buyer.
Delivery Against Payment
- When payment and delivery of a
security transact simultaneously;
often occurs with warrants and options
exercising.
Depository Trust Company
(DTC) - Self-regulating
organization which serves as a central
clearinghouse between transfer agents
representing issuers of securities
and brokerage firms, individual
investors and other fiduciaries
representing the beneficial owners
of securities. The DTC plays a vital
role in maintaining the accuracy
and safe transfer of securities,
not unlike the Federal Reserve in
clearing banking transactions.
Depreciation -
Accounting concept for a decline
in the value of an asset because
of use or obsolescence.
Dilution - Reduction
in earnings per share of a common
stock that occurs when a company
issues additional shares.
Director - Person
serving on a corporation's board
of directors. Directors are considered
control persons or insiders for
the purpose of fiduciary responsibility,
and their trading in the securities
of the company whose board they
serve upon is regulated.
Disclosure - Act
of providing appropriate information
about a corporation's financial
status and other significant operating
activity.
Discount - Difference
between the price paid for a security
and the security's face value.
Discount Broker - Stock
brokerage that charges low trading
fees or commissions in exchange
for providing reduced research and
advice. (See "Full-Service
Broker")
Discount Rate -
Interest rate the Federal Reserve
charges its member banks for short-term
loans; often used as a benchmark
for other institutions charging
interest on loans, credit cards
and other debts.
Discretionary Account
- Account with a brokerage or other
financial institution where the
client has permitted the firm or
account manager to execute trades
without obtaining prior permission.
Discretionary Order - Order
placed at the discretion of an account
manager without specific permission
from the client. (See "Discretionary
Account")
Distribution -
Term used to describe any large
stock sale to shareholders; often
used with a payment
from a mutual
fund to its shareholders for capital
gains, dividends and interest.
Dividend - Payment of a
declared distribution in cash or
in kind (i.e. stock or other security).
When paid, the value of the remaining
securities will be adjusted for
the amount of the dividend. (See
"Ex Dividend")
Dividend
Payout Ratio
- Percentage of earnings paid to
common stockholders as dividends;
electric and telephone utilities
tend to possess the highest payout
ratios, while young growth companies
usually reinvest all earnings and
pay no dividends.
Dividend Reinvestment Plan
(DRIP) - Plan allowing
shareholders to receive dividends
automatically in the form of new
shares rather than cash.
Dividend Yield - Amount
of interest derived from the payment
of a dividend. For example, if XYZ
Corp. pays a $1.00 dividend to its
shareholders four times per year
and its stock currently trades for
$100 per share, the dividend yield
is 4%.
Dollar Cost Averaging
- Investment strategy where the
same security is purchased periodically
in order to achieve an average cost.
For example: John Smith purchases
100 shares of XYZ Corp for $80 each
on May 1. On June 1, he purchases
another 100 shares of XYZ for $60
each. As a result, Mr. Smith now
owns 100 shares of XYZ at an average
cost of $70 per share. If Mr. Smith
later sells 200 shares of XYZ for
$75 each, he earns for a total profit
of $5 per share on 200 shares even
though he purchased the first 100
shares for $80 per share. This strategy
is often advocated for long-term
investors with regular savings habits,
as the market’s long-term
overall direction is generally higher
Don’t Know (DK)
- A trader's term referring to an
unrecognized order or a rejection
of a trade confirmation.
Double Bottom -
Technical analysis term used to
describe a pattern where the price
of a security hits a low point,
rebounds moderately and hits a similar
low point again. Having "double
bottomed" without going lower
the second time may be an indication
that the security has reached its
lowest point and is ready to increase
in price (See "Double Top")
Double Top - Technical
analysis term used to describe a
pattern where the price of a security
hits a high point, declines moderately
and hits a similar high point again.
Having "double topped"
without going higher the second
time may be an indication that the
security has reached its highest
point and is ready to decrease in
price (See "Double Bottom")
Dow Jones Industrial Average
(DJIA) - Perhaps the most
well-known and often-quoted measure
of stock market performance, the
DJIA is an index comprised of 30
large industrial companies’
stocks. As a limited indicator of
the market as a whole, many professional
analysts prefer the Standard &
Poor's 500 or other, more diverse
indexes for a broad measure of stock
market performance. Dow Jones also
maintains widely followed indexes
for transportation companies (consisting
of 20 stocks) and utilities (consisting
of 15 stocks).
Dow Theory - Technical
analysis based on substantial correlation
of the movements of the Dow Jones
industrial, transportation and utilities
indexes.
Down Tick - Term
describing a trade in a security
that was executed at a lower price
than the previous trade; same as
"Minus Tick."
Due Diligence -
Comprehensive and object
ive financial
reports and analysis, or the act
of conducting research on a public
company using such materials.
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Earnings Before Income Taxes (EBIT)
- Net income of a company before
payment of all income taxes.
Earnings Per Share (EPS)
- Measure of a company’s earnings
expressed per share of common stock
outstanding; equals net income before
taxes divided by common shares outstanding.
(See "Fully Diluted Earnings,"
"Primary Earnings")
Effective Date -
Date when an initial public offering
(IPO) begins trading - in most cases,
20 days after the filing of the
offering statement.
Employee Stock Ownership
Plan (ESOP) - Plan where
employees of a company are entitled
to buy shares of stock in the company,
often at a favorable price and subject
to restrictions on resale. Sometimes
called an employee stock option
plan, where employees earn or are
awarded options to purchase shares
at a specified price.
Equity - Security
representing ownership in a company
and includes common stock, preferred
stock, partnership interests, etc.
Also describes the value of a particular
account or person’s worth
after debts have been subtracted
from assets. In a margin account,
equity is the liquidation value
of a client’s account.
Equivalent Taxable Yield
- Yield required for a tax-free
bond or other tax-free security
to equal the after-tax yield of
a corporate or taxable bond; the
comparison also must take into account
an investor's tax bracket.
Eurodollar - U.S.
currency held in European bank accounts.
Ex-Dividend - Interval
between the announcement and payment
of the next dividend; the buyer
does not receive the dividend when
the security is purchased ex-dividend.
The beginning of this interval is
known as the ex-dividend date. (See
"Dividend")
Execution - Common
term for completion of a transaction
or customer trade order.
Exempt Security
- Security issued by a company but
exempt from a registration statement;
some may be issued subject to trading
restrictions on trading, while others
may be free-trading immediately
upon issuance or after a prescribed
period of time. (See "Regulation
D," "Regulation S,"
"Rule 144")
Exercise Price
- Specified price of an option at
which the contract may be exercised
for the purchase (
call) or sale
(put) of the shares of underlying
stock; also known as "strike
price."
Expense Ratio -
Ratio of a mutual fund's expenses
per $100 of investment. For example,
a fund with an expense ratio of
0.93 spends $0.93 per $100 of its
average net asset value to manage
the fund, including overhead but
not sales costs incurred in the
marketing of the fund to potential
investors.
Expiration Date
- Date when an options contract
or warrant expires. Unless the holder
exercis
es his rights, the contract
becomes worthless or void after
said date. In exchange-traded stock
options, the expiration date always
falls on the Saturday after the
third Friday of the month of the
contract.
Extraordinary Income/Loss
- Entry on corporate financial statements
referring to one-time or non-recurring
events such as income from the sale
of assets or losses from a write-off
of inventory.
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F - When appearing at the
end of a company’s ticker
symbol, the letter signifies that
the company’s securities trade
primarily on a foreign exchange.
Face Value - Maturity
value of a bond as stated on the
certificate; also known as "par
value" or "maturity value."
Fail to Deliver
- Term referring to a seller's failure
to deliver a security to a buyer
by the settlement date.
Fannie Mae - Nickname
for the Federal National Mortgage
Association (FNMA) and securities
it issues. FNMA is a publicly-traded
corporation that purchases conventional
mortgages and mortgages guaranteed
by the Federal Housing Administration,
Veterans Administration and Farmers
Home Administration.
Federal Reserve Board
- Seven-member group appointed by
the President, subject to approval
by Congress, to oversee operations
of the Federal Reserve System.
Federal Reserve System
- Central banking system of the
United States. Popularly known as
"the Fed," its chief responsibility
is to regulate the flow of money
and credit.
Fiduciary - Entity entrusted
to control money or other assets;
examples include banks, mutual funds,
brokerages, and even parents acting
as trustees or custodians of their
children’s investments.
Fill - Act of executing
or completing a customer's order
to buy or sell securities.
Fill or Kill - Instruction
to a broker to execute a market
order immediately or cancel it.
Financial Statements -
Written records reflecting a company’s
financial condition. Statements
often include the balance sheet,
income statement, statement of cash
flows and statement of shareholder
equity; these may be issued audited
or unaudited by independent accountants
depending on a company’s level
of financial reporting requirements
under the SEC and the stock exchange
which lists its shares.
First Call Date - Earliest
date a security may be called or
redeemed (bought back) by its issuer;
usually refers to corporate and
municipal bonds.
Firm Commitment
- Guarant
ee from an underwriter
of a securities offering to the
issuer to sell all or a prescribed
minimum of the offering even if
the underwriter has to purchase
some of the offering itself.
Fiscal Year - One-year
period designated by a company as
its annual accounting period. While
most companies' fiscal years coincide
with the calendar year, it is not
unusual for a company to establish
arbitrary dates within a calendar
year to begin and end its fiscal
year.
Five Percent Rule
- NASD rule limiting brokers and
market makers from marking up or
charging in excess of 5% commission
on most stock transactions. However,
there are many exceptions to the
rule.
Flat - (1) Bond
or other fixed-income security traded
without accounting for accrued interest;
(2) describes a market where the
price of a stock and/or its volume
have not changed significantly over
a period of time; (3) a term stockbrokers
and market makers often use when
they no longer hold a position in
a particular security or account.
Float - Number of a compan
y's
shares that are outstanding and
available for trading by the public;
generally represents shares outstanding
less shares restricted to insiders,
affiliates, control persons, and
individuals holding shares restricted
under Rule 144.
Floating - Term
often used by brokers to describe
the distribution of a new or secondary
issue through a public offering.
Floor Broker -
Member of an exchange and employee
of a member firm who executes orders
on the exchange floor for clients;
typica
lly, the guys in the noisy,
crazy "pits" you see when
scenes of stock markets are displayed
on TV or film. Nasdaq is an electronic
stock market and thus has no floor
brokers.
Floor Trader - Member of
an exchange who trades on the floor
of that exchange for his or her
own account.
Freeriding - Illegal
act of rapid buying and selling
of a security by a broker without
putting up funds for the purchase;
also describes illegal withholding
of part of a new securities offering
by an underwriter for the purpose
of selling it later at a higher
price.
Front-end Load
- Sales charge that is immediately
deducted from the purchase price
of mutual fund shares. Once quite
common, few fund companies still
charge front-end loads; most are
no-load or have back-end loads that
decline as shares are held longer.
Front Running - Attempting
to buy or sell securities ahead
of an anticipated reaction to news
or publicity.
Fully Diluted -
Number of c
ommon shares outstanding,
including all securities that could
be converted into common shares,
such as warrants, stock options,
convertible bonds and preferred
stock.
Fund Family - Group of
mutual funds marketed and/or managed
under a common brand name or management
company. Examples include Dreyfus,
Kemper, Fidelity, T. Rowe Price,
Franklin/Templeton, etc.
Fundamental Analysis
- Investment research method based
on benchmark indicators of a stock’s
value or potential value as measured
by the financial evaluation of the
stock’s underlying corporation.
Fundamental analysis of a stock
may consider a company’s earnings,
earnings growth, book value, cash
flow, etc. in relation to its share
price.
Futures - Derivative
security based on the future price
of another security or commodity;
a futures contract is an agreement
to buy or sell a specific amount
at a particular price in a specific
future month.
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Gap - Difference between
a stock's price at the opening of
a trading day compared to the previous
trading day’s closing price.
For example, if XYZ Corp. opened
on Tuesday at 102 5/8 after closing
Monday at 99, then it is said that
"XYZ gapped up 3 5/8 at the
open." Stocks often gap up
or down on news released between
trading sessions.
General Obligation Bond
- Municipal bond secured by the
general taxing authority of the
issuing municipality rather than
from revenues of a specific project
or taxing authority.
General Partnership
- Form of corporation where all
owners share in the profits, losses
and management responsibilities.
(See "Limited Partnership")
Ginnie Mae - Nickname
for the Government National Mortgage
Association (GNMA) and securities
it issues. GNMA is a wholly-owned
U.S. government corporation that
underwrites, or invests, in real
estate loans, and sells mortgage-backed
securities to investors to raise
monies to fund home and business
loans.
Good Delivery -
Refers to the successful transfer
of a security pursuant
to a transaction
between a buyer and seller. If a
security is sold and the underlying
certificate or other evidence of
ownership is not properly transferred,
then a good delivery has not occurred.
Good till Cancelled Order
- Order to buy or sell a security
at a limit for an indefinite period
of time; often used with limit orders
for illiquid securities.
Growth Fund - Mutual
fund that invests primarily in shares
of growth stocks toward a goal of
capital appreciation.
Growth Stock - Generic
term for any stock that appeals
to investors seeking appreciation
of capital rather than for current
income or asset preservation. In
spite of the wide range of stocks
that sometimes are called "growth"
stocks, most investors exclude any
stocks that pay significant dividends
or are in highly regulated industries
such as utilities. Accordingly,
companies ranging from Microsoft
to small upstarts are often called
growth stocks.
Guru - Slang term
for any pundit, analyst or financial
journalist who regularly publishes
opinions, predictions and recommendations
about securities or other stock
market topics.
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Haircut - Trader’s
term for a discount of the price
of a security.
Head and Shoulders
- In technical securities analysis,
a price-chart pattern resembling
the head-and-shoulders outline of
a person.
Hedge - Any strategy
which involves investing or speculating
on a security in contrast to one’s
primary objective in order to provide
a degree of insurance against being
wrong. For example, an investor
who is heavily invested in common
stocks for long-term capital appreciation
may consider "hedging&qu
ot;
his investments against a downturn
in the overall market by purchasing
put options, selling call options,
short selling or employing other
strategies designed to profit from
market downturns.
Hedge Fund - Private
investment fund organized to pursue
an investment strategy involving
uniquely risky investments such
as short selling and naked options
writing. Also may refer to a private
or public investment fund whose
objective to invest in securities
that would potentially profit from
a general decline in the stock market,
thus offering a "hedge"
or insurance for investors who have
significant exposure to declines
from their investment portfolios.
Hit the Bid - Trader's
term used when a seller places market
orders with the intention of selling
to the highest bidder, regardless
of price.
Holding Company
- Corporation whose business strategy
is to own interests i
n other, often
unrelated, companies. For example,
Berkshire Hathaway, chaired by Warren
Buffet, is a holding company which
owns sizeable numbers of shares
in many well-known companies, such
as Pepsi and Geico, but has no significant
operating business of its own.
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Illiquid - Any security
that cannot easily be sold in the
open market; the term is relative
and often subject to interpretation.
In and Out - Slang
for day trading in a security; bought
and sold in the same day. (See "Day
Trader")
In the Money - Term used
in options trading to describe a
client’s position that would
result in a profit if exercised
at a particular point in time. (See
"At the Money," "Out
of the Money")
Income Bond - Bond that
promises to repay principal in full
at the maturity date.
Income Fund - Type of mutual
fund that seeks to provide a stable
current income from investments
in securities that pay interest.
(See "Mutual Fund")
Index - Statistical
composite that measures changes
in the economy or a financial market.
In an economic index such as the
Consumer Price Index, this is often
expressed as a percentage change
from a base year or the previous
month. In a stock market index such
as the Dow Jones Industrial Average
or the Standard & Poor's 500,
groups of related stocks that are
reported as an indication of the
performance of a larger group, this
is an average expressed in relation
to an established base value. Indexes
are not securities that can be bought
and sold, but many popular indexes
have inspired derivative securities
and mutual funds that mirror their
holdings. (See "Index Fund")
Index Fund - Mutual
fund whose portfolio matches the
components of a particular index.
(See "Index)
Individual Retirement Account (IRA)
- Private pension account available
to individuals for saving and investing
on a tax-deferred basis.
Initial Margin Requirement
- Amount of cash and securities
a customer must have in his/her
account required by Federal Regulation
"T"
befo
re trading on
margin.
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
- First sale of stock by a company
to the public; sometimes called
"going public." (See "Public
Offering," "Secondary
Offering")
Inside Information - Privileged
information available only to corporate
officers that must be kept confidential
until made public. Insiders are
prohibited by law from trading on
this information prior to making
it available to the general public.
Inside Market - Bid or
asked quotes between dealers trading
for their own inventories; distinguished
from the retail market, where quotes
reflect the prices that customers
pay to dealers. (See "Retail
Market")
Insider - Person
such as a corporate officer or director
with access to privileged company
information; sometimes includes
shareholders owning 10% or more
of a company's stock.
INSTINET - A "fourth
stock market" allowing members
to display bid and ask quotes and
bypass brokers in securities transaction
s.
Institution - Refers to
an organization such as a pension
fund, mutual fund or investment
trust that invests on behalf of
other parties. Since most institutions
hold shares for relatively long
time periods and uphold a considerable
fiduciary responsibility to invest
conservatively, many analysts look
at the percentage of a company’s
stock that is held by institutions
as a measure of market confidence.
Institutional Investor
- Organization such as a pension
fund or mutual fund that trades
large volumes of securities.
Inventory - Trader's slang
for any quantity of security owned
at a particular point in time.
Investment Banker
- Person or institution that provides
early-stage financing for companies,
often before going public.
Investment Company
- Precise term for a mutual fund,
both open- and closed-end. (See
"Mutual Fund")
Investment Company Act of
1940 - Federal law regulating
investment c
ompanies (i.e. mutual
funds).
Investment Grade - High-quality
bonds, suitable for conservative
investment accounts, with credit
ratings of BBB or bbb or higher
by Standard & Poor's or Moody’s
investor services.
Issued Stock - Stock that
has been sold to the public.
Issuer - Corporation
or municipality offering its securities
for sale, or the creator of an option.
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Junk Bond - Low-quality
bonds, usually purchased for risk-oriented
investors because of their high
yields, with credit ratings of BBB
or bbb or lower by Standard &
Poor's or Moody’s investor
services.
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Keogh plan - Private pension
account available to self-employed
individuals for saving and investing
on a tax-deferred basis.
Legal Opinion -
Opinion by an attorney concerning
the legal compliance of a security.
Letter of Intent -
Written agreement between two parties
stating an understanding to conduct
business, but not a binding contract
to do so.
Level One - Basic
service of the Nasdaq stock market
that displays current bid and ask
quotes on many over-the-counter
stocks.
Level Two - Service
of the Nasdaq stock market that
displays current bid and ask quotes
and the bids and askeds from all
market makers in a particular stock.
Level Three - Service of
the Nasdaq stock market that allows
a market maker or registered broker-dealer
to enter a bid or ask on the electronic
trading system.
Leverage - In an
investment context, the act of controlling
more than one unit of a security
through another device, such as
buying stocks on margin, options,
warrants, etc., for the purpose
of enhancing returns or value. In
a corporate context, the relation
of debt to equity in a firm's financial
capital structure.
Leveraged Buyout
- Act purchasing assets or entire
corporations through the use of
debt. The proceeds from debt borrowings
allow a shareholder or a group owning
a minority stake in a company the
means of acquiring enough stock
from other shareholders to gain
control of the corporation.
Liability - Any debt or
monies owed by a corporation including,
but not limited to, accounts payable,
preferred shares, bank lines of
credit and bond issuances.
Limit Order - Order to
execute a trade at a specific price.
Limited Partnership
- a form of incorporation involving
ownership by two classes of investors,
limited and general partners. In
either case, all income or losses
of the partnership are passed on
to the partners based on each partner's
percentage ownership. General partners
manage the partnership and limited
partners are passive owners. In
the 1980’s limited partnership
interests were commonly sold to
investors for their tax advantages
and potential for fixed income benefits.
However, most limited partnerships
are not actively bought and sold
in secondary markets and are extremely
illiquid investments. (See "General
Partnership")
Liquid Asset - Asset that
may be easily turned into cash,
including, but not limited to, most
stocks, bonds, short-term certificates
and money market funds.
Liquidity - Relative
measure of how easily a security
or other asset may be converted
into cash. In stocks, liquidity
is often associated with a security’s
average daily trading volume; the
higher the volume, the more liquid
the stock.
Listed Stock -
Term referring to stocks listed
on one of the three major U.S. stock
exchanges: New York, American or
Nasdaq. Companies whose shares are
quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board
or the National Quotation Bureau’s
"Pink Sheets" are considered
"unlisted" stocks.
Load Fund - Mutual
fund that deducts a sales charge,
or "load," from the net
asset value of shareholder investments.
Long - Trader's
term referring to ownership of a
security. "His account was
long 100 shares of XYZ" would
mean a client owned 100 shares of
XYZ.
Long Bond - Any
bond that matures in more than 10
years, particularly the 30-year
Treasury bond. Long bonds typically
carry higher coupon rates and yields
but are subject to greater potential
price volatility.
Long-term Gain or Loss
- Gain or loss from the sale of
an asset or security which was held
by its owner for more than one year.
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Management Company - Company
managing a mutual fund or other
type of investment trust.
Manipulation -
Act of artificially influencing
the price of a security by a person
or group; often cited in securities
fraud cases.
Margin - (1) Difference
between the revenues received by
a company for its products and services
and the cost of producing and selling
them (often called "profit
margin"); or (2) amount a customer
deposits with a broker when borrowing
from the broker to purchase securities.
Trading on margin allows investors
t
o control, or leverage, a greater
amount of securities with the same
cash and thus potentially increase
profits. The amount of margin an
investor can use is determined by
the value of cash and certain qualifying
securities in the client’s
account as regulated by Federal
securities laws.
Margin Call - Demand to
deposit additional cash and securities
into a client’s account to
satisfy minimum margin requirements
set by Federal regulation.
Markdown - Amount by which
a dealer decreases the price of
a security it pays to
a client before
selling it to another client.
Markdowns are most often associated
with stocks that trade over-the-counter.
(See "Markup")
Market - Place
where products or services are bought
and sold, or a group of people engaging
in such activities, but is often
used to describe just about anything
associated with the stock market
or investing in securities. Also
describes the act of creating liquidity
in a security or "making a
market," the activity of buying
and selling securities from a broker
dealer’s account in order
to facilitate a market for others.
Market Capitalization (Market Cap)
- Value of a company as measured
by the total dollar value of its
common shares outstanding, i.e.
stock price multiplied by number
of shares outstanding.
Market Order -
Order to buy or sell a security
at the best available price; often
used to ensure the fastest transaction
execution but carry the risk of
buying or selling at a price unknown
to the client placing the order.
Market Price -
Price of a security in the stock,
bond or derivative market, or the
value of an asset if it were to
be sold.
Markup - Amount
which a dealer increases the price
of a security it owns before selling
it to a client. Markups are most
often associated with stocks that
trade over-the-counter. (See "Markdown")
Matched Order - Illegal
practice by one or more parties
conspiring to enter identical buy
and sell orders to create the appearance
of trading. (See "Painting
the Tape")
Maturity Date -
Date on which a bond or other debt
security expires and any outstanding
principal is paid to bond holders.
Member Firm - Brokerage
firm which is a member of a stock
exchange or self-regulatory agency
such as the NASD.
Midwest Stock Exchange
- Regional stock exchange where
a limited number of securities are
bought and sold in the "third
market."
Minority Interest
- Interest of shareholders owning
less than 50% of a company’s
outstanding voting shares.
Minus Tick - Term
describing a trade in a security
that was executed at a lower price
than the previous trade; same as
"Down Tick."
Monetary Policy
- Federal Reserve policy which focuses
on the supply of money in the economy
through the tightening or easing
of credit to the banking system
or the raising or lowering of the
discount rate or interest rate the
charge by the Federal Reserve to
it’s member banks.
Money Market -
Vehicle for buying and selling short-term
debt instruments.
Moody’s Investors
Service - Widely recognized
service, published by Dun &
Bradstreet, providing credit ratings
and analysis for many bonds and
other securities.
Moving Average - Average
price of a stock over a period of
time and adjusted each day for the
same period of time.
Municipal Bond
- Bond issued under authority of
a municipal government and whose
interest payments are exempt from
Federal income taxes. Also called
"tax free" bonds.
Mutual Fund - Fund operated
by an investment company that raises
money from shareholders to invest
in securities according to a prescribed
objective. Each shareholder’s
investment is priced at a net asset
value representing that share’s
portion of the collective investments
of the fund and at which price shares
may be purchased or redeemed (sold).
Mutual funds have become the most
popular method of investing for
Americans.
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Naked - In options, describes
a position subject to unlimited
potential loss. The term is often
used when the writer, or seller,
of an option does not posses the
underlying security.
National Association of
Securities Dealers (NASD)
- A self-regulating, non-government
organization, the NASD is best known
for its Nasdaq Stock Market. However,
the NASD is also makes rules and
polices its members’ business
activities, covering
nearly every
brokerage and securities firm in
the U.S. The NASD inspects brokerage
records, arbitrates disputes and
licenses all sales representatives
and managers of member firms, working
in close cooperation with federal
regulators at the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Nasdaq - National
Association of Securities Dealers
Automated Quotations. Once an electronic
quotation service for OTC stocks
and expressed by its acronym, NASDAQ,
the stock exchange known today as
Nasdaq or the Nasdaq Stock Market
operates as both a quotation service
and a stock exchange permitting
dealers to trade its listed securities.
Nasdaq Stock Market is owned and
operated by the National Association
of Securities Dealers (NASD).
National Quotation Bureau
- Independent company best known
for its publication of the NQB Pink
Sheets. The Pink Sheets report broker
dealers’ bids and asks for
unlisted securities.
Net Asset Value (NAV)
- Value of a mutual fund share,
calculated by deducting the fund's
liabilities from the portfolio's
total assets and dividing this amount
by the number of shares outstanding.
NAV is calculated once a day, based
on the closing market price for
each security in the fund's portfolio.
Net Assets - Difference
between a company's total assets
and total liabilities as reported
in its financial statements.
Net Capital Requirement
- Securities Exchange Commission
requirement that broker-dealers
in securities maintain a maximum
15-to-1 ratio of indebtedness to
cash and liquid assets.
Net Earnings -
Amount of a company's income after
all expenses have been met; also
called Net Income, Net Profit, or
Net Loss if the total is a negative.
Net Worth - Generic term
often used to describe the "net
assets" of a person, corporation
or other organization.
New York Mercantile Exchange
- Exchange for futures and commodities
contracts.
New York Stock Exchange
(NYSE) - Oldest and largest
stock exchange in the U.S. Shares
of stocks listed on the NYSE trade
in an auction-style environment
on the exchange floor. Trading in
each listed stock is managed by
a person called
a "specialist"
who is responsible for maintaining
a balanced market in a particular
security.
No-Load Fund -
Mutual fund that does not deduct
sales charges from the net asset
value of shares purchased by investors.
Virtually unknown some 20 years
ago, no-load funds have become one
of the most popular ways to invest.
Nominal Yield -
Interest rate stated on a bond;
also called coupon rate. For example,
a bond that pays $90 a year and
has a par value of $1,000 has a
nominal yield of 9%. The nominal
yield is the same as the actual
yield only when a stock or bond
is bought exactly at par value.
Non-Qualifying Stock Option
- Employee stock option failing
to meet Internal Revenue Service
criteria for Qualifying Stock Options.
Note - Written
obligation to pay a specific amount
to a certain entity on a specific
date; often refers to short-term
obligations maturing in 12 months
or less.
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Odd Lot - Securities trade
made for less than a normal p
rescribed
lot; Order for any amount other
than a lot rounded to the nearest
100 shares. Many brokers charge
an additional fee or limit the types
of trading orders they will accept
for an odd lot.
Offer - Also called
the "ask," it is simply
an offer to sell a security.
Offering Date -
Date on which a new security is
offered to the public, typically
via an initial or secondary public
offering. (See "Initial Public
Offering," "Secondary
Offering")
Offshore - Term
used for any investor, account or
security not domiciled in the United
States. Some securities offerings
are targeted only to offshore investors
under special registration or exemptions.
Open - Refers to
the start of a trading day or the
initial trade of a particular security
at the start of a trading day. "XYZ
traded 100,000 shares at the open"
means 100,000 shares of XYZ shares
transacted in the first trade of
that day.
Open-End Fund -
Mutual fund accepting new investments
or withdrawals. Most mutual funds
are open-end funds. (See "Closed-End
Fund")
Open Interest -
Total number of unexercised contracts
for a particular option or futures
contract.
Option - Contract
to buy (call) or sell (put) a certain
number of shares of a security (usually
a stock) at a specified price for
a specified period of time.
Option Series -
Entire group of options contracts
associated with a particular underlying
security.
Options Prices Reporting Authority
(OPRA) - Self-regulatory
agency which sets the strike prices,
expiration dates and ticker symbols
for listed stock options and reports
prices.
Order - Instruction
for a broker or dealer to buy or
sell a security or commodity.
Out of the Money - Term
used in options trading to describe
a client's position that would result
in a loss if exercised at a particular
point in time. (See "At the
Money," "In the Money")
Outstanding Stock - Stock
in the hands of the public; issued
stock minus treasury stock (stock
reacquired by the issuing company).
Over The Counter (OTC)
- Any security not listed or traded
on an organized exchange; popularly
refers to an issue failing to meet
listing requirements of the New
York or American stock exchanges
and quoted only on the OTC Bulletin
Board or the NQB Pink Sheets.
Overbought - Analyst's
opinion that more and stronger buying
has occurred in a market or a specific
stock than its fundamentals normally
would justify.
Oversold - Analyst's opinion
that more and stronger selling has
occurred in a market or a specific
stock than its fundamentals normally
would justify.
Overvalued - General term
used to describe a company's stock
whose current price does not appear
to be justified by a fundamental
analysis of the company.
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P & L - Slang term
for a corporation’
;s Statement
of Profit or Loss.
Pacific Stock Exchange
- Regional stock exchange where
a limited number of securities are
bought and sold in the "third
market"
Paid-In Capital
- Value of all monies received in
excess of par value by a corporation
from the sale of its common stock
or other securities; distinguished
from capital generated through earnings.
Painting The Tape
- Illegal act of manipulation where
investors conspire to execute trades
among
themselves or with collaborators
for the purpose of creating an illusion
of spontaneous trading activity;
often performed to lure other investors
into a stock that appears to have
potential for appreciation.
Paper - Slang term referring
to any quantity of a security; likely
derived from stock certificates,
which are, of course, printed on
paper.
Par - Nominal or
face value of a security. Although
par value once represented a company's
original investment behind each
share of stock, today it is usually
an assigned amount (typically
one-tenth
of a cent per share, or $0.001)
used to compute the dollar value
of common shares on the balance
sheet. The use of par is more relevant
in bonds and preferred stock, as
the interest paid on a bond and
the dividends paid on preferred
shares are normally based on a percentage
of par.
Partial Delivery
- Incomplete delivery of securities.
For example, a partial delivery
has occurred if 100,000 shares of
XYZ Corp. were to be delivered but
only 50,000 shares are actually
delivered.
Penny
Stock - General
term most often referring to small
or "micro-capitalization"
stocks trading for less than $1
a share, although heavy promotion
may lift prices temporarily higher.
The Securities and Exchange Commission,
in effect, defines penny stocks
through its regulations of broker
sales practices where brokers are
restricted from soliciting most
unlisted stocks trading for less
than $5 a share. Penny stocks by
any definition should always be
considered extremely speculative
investments and not suitable for
conservative accounts.
Philadelphi
a Stock Exchange
- Regional stock exchange where
a limited number of securities are
bought and sold in the "third
market."
Piggyback - Rights
given to an investor or group of
investors to register previously
unregistered securities in the event
of another registration by the issuing
firm.
Pink Sheets - Publication
of the National Quotation Bureau
reporting bid and ask prices quoted
by market makers for unlisted stocks.
Once heavily used by investors and
brokers trading unlisted stocks,
the Pink Sheets have been largely
replaced by the OTC Bulletin Boar
d
and its popular real-time electronic
dealer quotation service.
Plus Tick - Term
describing a trade in a security
that was executed at a higher price
than the previous trade; same as
"Up Tick."
Portfolio - Generic
term describing the collective securities
holdings of an individual, group,
institution or mutual fund.
Position - Refers
to an investor's long or short holdings
of a particular security.
Power of Attorney
- Authority assigned by one person
or party to another to act on behalf
of the assigning party in either
an unlimited authority or with specified
limits.
Preferred Stock
- Class of capital stock containing
certain rights separate from those
conferred by common shares of the
company. Preferred shares seldom
carry voting rights but are provided
dividends and liquidation preference
over common shareholders.
Premium - Generally
describes any amount paid in
excess
of a reported value. In options,
the term describes the amount of
the price of an options contract
in excess of the exercise value.
In closed-end mutual funds, it refers
to a fund whose share price exceeds
its net asset value. In bonds, it
refers to a bond whose market price
is greater than its par, or face,
value. For example, a bond with
a face value of $1,000 would sell
for a $100 premium if it costs $1,100.
Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E)
- Ratio of a company’s or
the overall stock market's current
market value divided by previous
12 months'
earnings per share. One
of the most commonly used ratios
in analyzing a company's share price,
it reflects the value the market
places on a firm's earning power.
Prime Rate - Interest
rate banks charge their most credit-worthy
customers; a key benchmark since
loans to less credit-worthy customers
are often tied to the prime rate.
Principal - Term
with several financial definitions:
(1) original investment in a bond,
mortgage or other debt; (2) the
balance of an obligation, separate
from interest; (3) face amount of
a debt instrum
ent on which interest
is owed or earned; (4) any important
officer or director of a publicly-traded
firm, or any investor owning 10%
or more of its outstanding shares;
(5) owner of a privately-held business;
(6) an officer of a brokerage firm;
(7) a brokerage firm buying or selling
securities for its own account.
Private Placement
- Offering of unregistered securities
for sale to a limited number of
private investors, individuals and
institutions as defined under Regulation
D of the Securities Act of 1933.
Profit - Gain from
the s
ale of an asset, security or
commodity.
Profit Taking -
Expression often used to describe
selling in a stock or the overall
market which is motivated by investors
desiring to sell their shares, thus
realizing profits, due to perceived
overvaluation in the price of the
shares or in reaction to unfavorable
news or forecasts.
Prospectus - Legal document
describing securities offered for
sale; often used in connection wit
h
the sale of stocks in initial and
secondary public offerings, private
placements and mutual funds. A prospectus
provides detailed information about
the securities being offered as
well as the use of proceeds and
the business and financial condition
of the issuer. Sometimes called
an Offering Memorandum.
Proxy - Legal document
used to convey a vote of a shareholder.
Prudent Man Rule
- Rule established by the Securities
Act of 1933 which makes financial
advisors, stockbrokers and other
fiduciaries responsible for acting
in a prudent or responsible manner
in the affairs of their clients.
The standard establishes legal precedence
against brokers and other financial
representatives prohibiting the
sale of unsuitable investments.
Public Offering - Offering
of registered securities, through
a prospectus, to the investing public.
(See "Initial Public Offering,"
"Secondary Offering")
Put - Contract
to sell a specific security at a
specified price by a certain date.
(See "Options").
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Quote - Price at which
the last sale and purchase of a
particular security or commodity
occurred.
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Raider - Person or group
conspiring to take control of a
company without the cooperation
or consent of the company’s
management. Once in control, the
group often "raids" the
company by selling off portions
of the company for a profit.
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)
- Investment fund that owns real
estate. Most REITs trade publicly,
similar to closed-end mutual funds.
Record Date - Date an investor
must own shares in order to receive
a dividend, rights or other distribution
from an issuer.
Redemption - in open-end
mutual funds, describes the act
of selling shares back to the mutual
fund company for the shares' net
asset value in cash or securities.
Red Herring - Preliminary
prospectus which has not been approved
by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Registered Investment Advisor
(RIA) - Person or firm
registered with the SEC as a professiona
l
advisor. Most RIAs manage a client’s
portfolio for a fee based on the
value and/or performance of the
portfolio. By contrast, a stockbroker
earns a fee or commission from transactions
in a client’s account. RIAs
and brokers are not permitted to
charge both a management fee and
a transaction fee.
Registered Representative
- A stockbroker by any other name.
The term comes from the National
Association of Securities Dealers,
which certifies and regulates brokers
and refers to them as registered
securities representatives.
Registration - Process
where securities that are to be
sold to the public are reviewed
by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Regulation A -
Body of regulation under the Securities
Act of 1933 allowing corporations
to sell their own securities in
a public offering without the assi
stance
of a brokerage firm or underwriter.
Regulation D -
Body of regulation under the Securities
Act of 1933 pertaining to the issuance
or sale of private and unregistered
securities. Regulation D generally
restricts such sales to qualified
institutions and individuals who
can demonstrate a high tolerance
for risk.
Regulation S -
Exemption where corporations can
issue unregistered securities to
qualified foreign investors and
foreign institutions. While commonly
used under ethical circumstances,
abuse of Regulation S has been common
in penny stock fraud due to the
preference exemption from restrictions
on secondary trading that shares
issued under Regulation S are afforded.
Shares issued under Regulation S
may be freely sold or traded after
40 days of their issuance.
Reinvestment -
Act of purchasing additional shares
in a mutual fund or stock that pays
dividends or capital gains instead
of receiving such distributions
in cash.
Restricted Stock - Shares
of stock which are restricted from
trading in the secondary market.
Retail - Trade
in which a client buys or sells
an over-the-counter stock through
a broker-dealer. (See "Wholesale")
Retained Earnings
- Portion of corporate earnings
not distributed to shareholders
in the form of a dividend or otherwise;
recorded on a company’s balance
sheet and reflect an increase in
shareholder equity.
Retire - Termination,
recall or elimination of a security.
In bonds, the term often refers
to repayment of the bondholders’
principal and interest. Once repaid,
the bonds are then retired and no
longer trade as securities. In stocks,
companies sometimes buy back shares
outstanding, then simply retire
or cancel those shares, thus reducing
the number of shares outstanding.
Return On Equity (ROE)
- Amount of earnings a company generates
from its reinvested earnings; net
income divided by stockholders'
equity, expressed as a percentage.
Return On Investment (ROI)
- Amount of income from an investment;
expressed as a percentage.
Revenue - All sales
or other forms of income, before
expenses or taxes, of a corporation.
Reverse Split -
Procedure where a company reduces
its number of shares outstanding.
After a reverse split, the shares'
market value will remain
unchanged
but each share will enjoy a higher
price. For example, if a firm with
10 million outstanding shares selling
at $1 a share executes a 1-for-10
reverse split, it will end up with
1 million shares selling for $10
each. Reverse splits are seldom
associated with good fortune. In
fact, the opposite is often true,
as many companies are compelled
to declare reverse stock splits
to simply maintain the minimum share
price requirements necessary to
remain listed on a stock exchange.
(See "Split")
Rights Offering
- Securities offering by an issue
r
to its existing shareholders before
offering the same securities to
the general public. Rights offerings
are typically priced at or near
current market p
rices and are directed
at appealing to shareholders' loyalty
to help a company raise additional
capital.
Rollover - Term
describing the transfer of funds
from one fiduciary to another. Also
used to describe an even or near-even
exchange of similar or identical
securities.
Round Lot - Normal
rounding of a quantity of securities
to b
e traded. In stocks, a round
lot is 100 shares. Any order not
rounded to the normal quantity is
considered an "odd lot"
and subject to restrictions or additional
fees. (See "Odd Lot")
Rule 144 - Portion
of the Securities Act of 1933 stipulating
terms and conditions applying to
the restriction from trading of
shares of stock issued without a
registration statement. In general,
Rule 144 restricts trading in all
unregistered securities for a period
of 12 months unless otherwise registered
with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
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Safe Harbor - Legal privilege
of a corporation to discuss business
operations and future plans publicly
without fear of litigation, provided
good faith can be demonstrated.
Sales Charge -
Dollar amount charged to or deducted
from an investment for payment of
sales commissions to a broker. In
load mutual funds, sales charges
are normally deducted from the net
asset value of shares purchased.
In offerings, sales charges are
reflected in reduced proceeds to
the issuer.
Sallie Mae - Student
Loan Marketing Agency, a quasi-government
organization which issues securities
to fund the U.S. government-guaranteed
student loans.
Schedule 13D -
Report filed by insiders or control
persons desirous of selling shares
in a public corporation.
Seat - Figurative
term referring to membership in
the New York or American stock exchanges
or one of the various commodities
exchanges.
Secondary Offering
- Public sale of previously issued
securities held by large investors,
usually institutions or corporations.
In a new issue or primary offering,
the seller is the issuing corporation.
(See "Initial Public Offering,"
"Public Offering")
Securities Act of 1933
- Principal body of Federal law
regulating the securities industry.
The Act primarily requires the full
and fair disclosure of all material
information about the issuance of
new securities.
Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) - Agency of the U.S.
government, created and empowered
by the Securities act of 1933 and
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
responsible for enforcement of federal
securities laws in the United States.
Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 - Federal law,
subsequent to the Securities Act
of 1933, further regulating the
securities industry and creating
the Securities and Exchange Commission
to enforce securities laws.
Securities Investors Protection
Corporation (SIPC) - Government-established
insurance agency which insures investors'
accounts against
l
oss from bankruptcy
by a brokerage firm. SIPC does not,
however, insure against loss from
investment risk.
Security - Any
instrument, debt or equity issued
by a corporation to investors for
capital or other consideration and
providing evidence of ownership
or claim to said instrument.
Self-Regulatory Organization -
Organization which regulates the
activities of its members, such
as the National Association of Securities
Dealers and the American and New
York stock exchanges.
Sell Order - Any
request for a broker or other fiduciary
to sell a security on behalf of
a client.
Selling Group -
Group of brokers or dealers assembled
by an underwriter to jointly sell
shares or units of an offering.
Senior Note - Bond
or other debenture issued by a corporation
and designated as having dividend
and liquidation preferences over
other bonds or debentures of the
issuer.
Series 3 - Name of the
examination given by the Natio
nal
Association of Securities Dealers
to license persons to become an
options principal or manager of
a brokerage.
Series 6 - Name
of the examination given by the
National Association of Securities
Dealers to license persons to sell
a limited number of securities,
mostly mutual funds and annuities.
Series 7 - Name
of the examination given by the
National Association of Securities
Dealers to license stock brokers
(registered representatives).
Series 63 - Name of the
examination given by the National
Association of Securities Dealers
to license a person to serve as
a principal or manage a stock brokerage.
Settlement - Specific
date a securities trade is credited
to the accounts of the buyer and
seller and all evidence of ownership
and payment are transferred. Settlement
for all securities traded on U.S.
exchanges is the third business
day after the date of the trade,
also known as "T+3."
Share - Unit of
equity ownership in a
corporation,
represented by a stock certificate;
also may refer to a unit of ownership
in a mutual fund.
Shareholder - Owner
of one or more shares of stock in
a corporation.
Shareholder’s Equity
- Amount of equity or net assets
of a company attributed to the shareholders
of that company.
Shell - Public corporation
with issued and outstanding shares
but no operating business and sometimes
no substantial assets. Many shell
corporations are quoted on the OTC
Bulletin Board while awaiting a
sale, merger or reorganization with
an operating business.
Short - Versatile
term often used to describe the
absence of a security, a short sell
position in a security or the general
opinion that a security or the market
will decline in price.
Short Against the Box -
Selling short shares that are already
owned by an investor, usually to
take advantage of unrealized gains
without incurring a taxable event
from the sale of the actual security.
Short Interest - Number
of shares of a security accounted
for as sold short. A high quantity
of shares in a stock’s short
interest may be an indicator of
the market’s loss of confidence
in a particular stock.
Short Position - Position
in a client’s account resulting
from the credit due from a short
sale; sometimes used to describe
a deficiency of a security in a
client’s account.
Short Sale - Selling
of a security not owned or held
by the seller. Short selling is
often used as a stra
tegy by investors
to profit from an expected decrease
in the price of a security. By selling
short, the seller receives credit
as if the sale of a long, or normally
held, security had occurred. Later,
the short seller will buy back the
same security, hopefully for a price
less than credited from the sale,
thus pocketing the difference as
a profit. Short selling involves
unlimited risk and is not suitable
for conservative investors.
Short-Term - Any
investment with a maturity of one
year or less, although the term
is often stretched to refer to any
class
of security, particularly
bonds, expected to become liquid
within two years.
Sinking Fund - Provision
by an issuer of bonds to set aside
money for later use in redeeming
or retiring the principal of the
bonds issued and outstanding, either
at maturity or at another date specified
in the bond.
Size - Number of shares
represented by the highest bid and
the lowest offer at any given time
in the trading of a security. For
example: The market for XYZ Corp.
is currently quoted as 1,000 shares
bid at 56 ¼ and 500 shares
offered at 56 ½, thus the
size of the market is expressed
as 1000 by 500 shares. Investors
often view this as a measure of
short-term interest by buyers and
sellers. In this example, the assumption
is there are more buyers than sellers
of XYZ at current prices (1000 shares
bid vs. 500 asked) and thus the
price of XYZ should increase to
reflect this imbalance.
Specialist - Stock
exchange member with the responsibility
of ensuring an orderly market in
the shares of a particular security
traded on the exchange. Often the
specialist will buy or sell securit
ies
from its own account when orders
from other investors cannot be evenly
matched.
Specialist’s Book
- List or accounting that an exchange
specialist keeps of all orders and
trades executed through the specialist.
Speculation - Act
of investing in risky securities
such as options, futures, penny
stocks, etc., or a term referring
to trades on short-term price swings
in securities.
Spinoff - Form
of corporate divestiture that results
in a subsidiary or division becomes
an independent company. Shareholders
of the parent company receive shares
in the new company on a pro rata
basis, and new investors also may
purchase shares in the new company
in an offering associated with the
spinoff. A recent example of a prominent
spinoff was the creation of Lucent
Technologies from a division of
AT&T.
Split - Procedure
where a company increases its number
of shares outstanding. After a split,
the shares' market value will remain
unchanged but each share will decline
in price. For example, if a firm
with 20 million outstanding shares
selling at $100 a share executes
a 2-for-1 split, it will end up
with 40 million shares selling for
$50 each. Splits are generally a
publicity event and a method by
which companies keep share prices
at levels where many small investors
can trade without needing to execute
an "odd lot" order. Only
a few companies, such as Berkshire
Hathaway, avoid stock splits altogether.
(See "Reverse Split")
Spot Market - Market
in which goods are traded for immediate
delivery and payment.
Spot Price - Quoted price
of a metals commodity such as gold
or silver.
Spread - Price
difference between the highest bid
and lowest ask for a security at
a given point in time.
Standard & Poor’s
- Established publisher of a broad
range of financial information,
including a bond credit-rating service,
public-company reports, and the
"Standard & Poor's 500,"
one of the most widely-followed
stock market indexes.
Stock Power - Power
of attorney form authorizing the
transfer of ownership of securities
or stock certificates.
Stockbroker - Or broker;
any person who has been duly registered
by the National Association of Securities
Dealers and or a state’s securities
regulation authority to take customer
orders or to solicit the sale of
a security. Brokers are also called
Registered Representatives, as it
is most common to become a broker
by passing the NASD Series 7 examination.
Stop Order - Market order
to buy or sell a
security which
is to be entered by the broker only
if the security trades at a specified,
or "stop," price.
Straddle - Options trading
strategy effected by a purchase
or sale of an equal number of puts
and calls, with the same strike
price and expiration dates. The
objective of a straddle is to make
a profit from a volatile market
where prices may swing significantly
up or down.
Street - Slang
term for Wall Street, or just about
anything related to the stock market.
Street Name - Term describing
securities which are held by a fiduciary
(brokerage) firm for the benefit
of a client’s account, and
are registered by the issuer’s
transfer agent in the name of the
Strike Price -
Specified price of an option at
which the contract may be exercised
for the purchase (call) or sale
(put) of the shares of underlying
stock; also called "Exercise
Price."
Strip - An acronym
for Separated Trading of Registered
Intere
st and Principal of Securities,
a strip is a bond, usually issued
by the U.S. government, whose interest
and repayment of
principal are separated
and sold individually as zero-coupon
bonds.
Subordinated -
Security owners' rights or claims
to a company's assets are second,
or subordinate, to another class
of security owners; often used often
in association with bonds or preferred
stock.
Subscription -
Agreement of intent to purchase
newly issued securities.
Support - In technical
analysis of stock, the term describes
a pattern where the price of a security
is relatively stable within a narrow
range, thus showing the market has
a consensus or "support"
for that price.
Switching - Practice
of moving shares from one mutual
fund to another to take advantage
of different investment objectives.
Syndicate - Group
of investment firms which jointly
underwrite a security offering.
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Tape - Slang term for any
device displaying current or recent
market trading data. The term originates
from antique ticker tape machines
that printed out long, continuous
strips of paper reporting stock
trades.
Tax-Exempt Security
- Also called a municipal bond,
it is any debt obligation of an
issuing authority whose interest
payments are exempt from state and
federal income taxes.
Tax Swap - Act of selling
a security that has declined in
price and the simultaneous purchase
of a similar but not identical security,
in order to realize a loss for tax
purposes while preserving the same
investment strategy.
Tear Sheet - Slang
term for a public company stock
report from Standard & Poor's.
Technical Analysis - Investment
research method based on previous
trading characteristics of a specific
stock or the overall market. Technical
analysis relies heavily on charting
and the analysis of price and volume
data of stocks.
Tender - Offer
to purchase securities, usually
at a premium above the market price,
with the objective of taking control
of the target company. A tender
offer may arise from friendly negotiations
between the company and a prospective
buyer or may be unsolicited and
possibly unfriendly.
Thin Market - Market
for a particular security that is
characterized by a lack of bids
and offers; used to describe an
overall lack of liquidity.
Third Market -
Brokers and institutional investors
that are not members of an exchange
trading over the counter in exchange-listed
securities. Third market transactions
are sometimes known as off-floor
orders.
Tick - Measurement of the
movement in a stock price. (See
"Up Tick," "Down
Tick")
Ticker Symbol -
Letter-symbol assigned to a particular
security as a universal identifier.
The New York and American stock
exchanges use one, two or three
letters to identify most securities
while Nasdaq and the OTC Bulletin
Board use four character base symbols.
Many symbols are also assigned a
symbol suffix to denote specia
l
status or class. Ticker symbols
should not be confused with stock
name abbreviations that are often
used in the stock tables in newspapers.
Tight Market -
Market in general or for a security
that is characterized by a narrow
spread between the bid and ask and
a relatively narrow price range
of trading.
Tombstone - Advertisement
placed in a publication of mass
distribution, such as The Wall Street
Journal, to announce an offering,
underwriting, merger, acquisition
or other matter
of record affecting
a class of securities of one or
more issuers. A tombstone may be
placed as a matter of public record
as required by law in an underwriting,
or in a non-requisite circumstance
where the advertiser simply uses
it to boast of recent accomplishments.
Total Return -
Annual return on an investment as
measured by the sum of any appreciation
plus all dividends, interest and
reinvested gains.
Trade - Any purchase
or sale of a security.
Trader - G
eneric
term used to describe a professional
stock trader of a brokerage firm
or any other investor who frequently
buys and sells securities in the
hope of gaining from short-term
price changes rather than long-term
capital appreciation.
Trading Authorization
- Document giving a broker or other
fiduciary the power of attorney
to trade in a security for a customer.
Transfer - Generic
term used to describe a change in
the registration of ownership of
a security or in a client’s
account.
Transfer Agent - Fiduciary
company, often a commercial bank,
entrusted to maintain records of
stock and bond ownership, to issue
and cancel certificates, and resolve
problems arising from lost, stolen
or destroyed certificates.
Treasury Bill -
Short-term bond, with a maturity
of one year or less, issued by the
U.S. government.
Treasury Bond - Long-term
debt instrument, with a maturity
of 10 years or longer, issued by
the U.S. government.
Treasury Stock - Stock
issued by a corporation and held
or owned by the corporation for
its own account. Treasury stock
is issued but not outstanding, non-voting
and pays no dividends.
Trend - Generic
term used to describe any consistent
pattern in the condition of a stock,
market or industry.
Triple Witching - Occurring
on the third Friday of March, June,
September, and December, it is the
date on which many options and futures
contracts on indexes simultaneously
expire. Triple Witching day sometimes
causes market volatility from frenetic
computer or program trading.
Turnaround - Situation
where a company's business operations
have improved after a period of
decline.
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Undervalued - Opinion that
a stock is priced below its perceived
market value, or that an asset is
priced below its liquidation value.
Underwriter - Investment
banker, whether an individual or
syndicate, who purchases a new issue
of securities from an issuer a
nd
distributes it to investors; a profit
is made on the underwriting spread.
Underwriting -
Act of financing a company through
the sale of its securities in an
initial or secondary offering.
Unissued Stock - Shares
of stock of an issuer which have
been authorized but not distributed
through an underwriting or other
means.
Unit - In general,
any division of a quantity accepted
as a standard of measurement or
exchange. In finance, the term refers
to any definable segment (division,
subsidiary, product line, etc.)
of a company, or a measurement of
sales or production according to
quantity rather than dollars. In
securities, the term refers to any
minimum quantity acceptable for
trading, or one share of stock or
one bond in primary or secondary
distributions of securities, or
more than one class of securities
traded together. In an underwriting,
for example, a typical unit may
be comprised of one or more shares
of the issuer’s common stock
plus a combination of warrants,
preferred shares or other securities.
Unlisted Security - Security
which is not listed for trading
on one of the New York Stock Exchange,
American Stock Exchange, or Nasdaq.
Unlisted securities normally trade
over the counter, and their prices
are usually quoted via the OTC Bulletin
Board system or in the NQB Pink
Sheets.
Unsecured Debt
- Obligation of a person or corporation
not secured by any specific assets.
Up Tick - Term
describing a trade in a security
that was executed at a higher price
than the previous trade; same as
"Plus Tick."
Upside Down - Slang term
for a position in a security or
asset where the holder may experience
a loss if the security or asset
is liquidated.
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Venture Capital - Generic
term referring to early-stage investment
capital, often invested prior to
a company becoming public; an important
source of financing for startup
companies.
Volatility - Characteristic
of a security, commodity or
market
to rise and fall sharply in price
within a short-term period.
Volume - Total
number of stock shares, bonds or
futures contracts traded in a particular
period.
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Wall Street - Common name
for the New York City financial
district located in the lower portion
of Manhattan (and also the name
of an actual street in the area)
where the New York and American
stock exchanges and many brokerage
firms are headquartered. It is also
a generic term for anything associated
with investing or the stock market.
Wash - Purchase
and sale of the same security either
simultaneously or within a short
period of time. Wash sales taking
place within 30 days of the underlying
purchase do not qualify as tax losses.
When Issued - Term
refers to a security offered for
sale in advance even though it has
not been issued. New issues of stocks
and bonds, stocks that have split,
and Treasury securities are all
traded on a when issued basis.
Wholesale - Trade
in which a
broker-dealer buys an
over-the-counter stock from another
broker-dealer. (See "Retail")
Windfall - Sudden, unexpected
profit caused by events not controlled
by the beneficial person or company.
For example, oil companies and their
shareholders in the 1970s earned
windfall profits because of oil
prices increases.
Wire House - Brokerage
firm whose branch offices are linked
by communications systems that permit
the rapid dissemination of financial
information and quotations.
Working Capital - Funds
invested in a company's cash, accounts
receivable, inventory and other
current assets. Internal sources
of working capital include retained
earnings and operating efficiencies;
external sources include short-term
borrowings and equity financing
not channeled into long-term assets.
Working capital finances a company's
cash conversion cycle. (See "Cash
Conversion Cycle")
Workout Quote - Quotation
in which a brokerage firm estimates
the price that it believes it can
obtain if given reasonable time
to enter the market and find the
stock to buy or se
ll.
Writer - Seller
of put option and call option contracts,
obligated to buy or sell the underlying
security at a predetermined price
by a specific date if the option
is exercised.
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Yield - Rate of return
on an investment, expressed as a
percentage of the current price.
(See "Current Yield,"
"Dividend Yield," "Nominal
Yield," "Yield to Maturity")
Yield Curve - Graph
showing the term structure of interest
rates by plotting the yields of
all bonds of the same quality with
a range of maturities. The resulting
curve is considered positive if
short-term rates are lower than
long-term rates, which is normally
the case. The curve is considered
negative, or inverted, if short-term
rates are higher. Analysts study
yield curves to predict the direction
of interest rates.
Yield to Maturity
- Rate of return on an investment
that accounts for the cash difference
between a bond's acquisition cost
and its maturity proceeds, as well
as interest received from owning
the bond. The concept is used to
determine an investor's rate of
return if a bond is held to its
maturity date.
Zero Coupon Bond
- Bond that makes no periodic interest
payments but instead is sold at
a deep discount from its face value.
Zero-Minus Tick - Sale
made at a price equal to the price
of the last sale but lower than
the last different price.
Zero-Plus Tick
- Sale made at a price equal to
the price of the last sale but higher
than the last different price.