Financial Management

Assignment Of Financial Terms

Submitted To : Dr. Tarika Singh

Submitted By: Gaurav Newalkar MBA (II)nd Sem

Meaning of Financial Management

Financial Management means planning, organizing, directing and controlling the financial activities such as procurement and utilization of funds of the enterprise. It means applying general management principles to financial resources of the enterprise.

A
Accounting liquidity:
The ease and quickness with which assets can be converted to cash.

Accounts payable:
Money owed to suppliers.

Accounts receivable:
Money owed by customers.

Accounts receivable turnover:

The ratio of net credit sales to average accounts receivable, a measure of how quickly customers pay their bills.

Accretion (of a discount):

In portfolio accounting, a straight-line accumulation of capital gains on discount bond in anticipation of receipt of par at maturity.

Accrual bond:
A bond on which interest accrues, but is not paid to the investor during the time of accrual. The amount of accrued interest is added to the remaining principal of the bond and is paid at maturity.

Accrued interest:
The accumulated coupon interest earned but not yet paid to the seller of a bond by the buyer (unless the bond is in default).

Accumulated Benefit Obligation (ABO) :

An approximate measure of the liability of a plan in the event of a termination at the date the calculation is performed. Related: projected benefit obligation.

Acid-test ratio :
Also called the quick ratio, the ratio of current assets minus inventories, accruals, and prepaid items to current liabilities.

Acquiree :
A firm that is being acquired.

B
BEARS
Bonds Enabling Annual Retirement Savings (BEARS)

BIC
Bank Investment Contract

BIF
Bank Insurance Fund

BIS
Bank for International Settlements

Baby bond
A bond with a par value of less than $1000.

Back away
In the context of general equities, to withdraw from a previously declared interest, indication, or transaction; broker-dealer's failure, as a market maker in a given security, to make good on a bid/offer for the minimum quantity.

Board of Directors
Individuals elected by the shareholders of a corporation who carry out certain tasks established in the charter.

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

The managing body of the Federal Reserve System, set which policies on bank practices and the money supply.

Board room
A room at a brokerage firm where its clients can watch an electronic board displaying stock prices and transactions. Also refers to the room where Board of Directors meetings take place.

C
Capital
Money invested in a firm.

Capital account
Net result of public and private international investment and lending activities.

Capital asset
A long-term asset, such as land or a building, not purchased or sold in the normal course of business.

Capital requirements
Financing required for the operation of a business, composed of long-term and working capital plus fixed assets.

Capital shares
One of two types of shares in a dual-purpose investment company, which entitle the holder to the appreciation or depreciation in the value of a portfolio, as well as the gains from trading in the portfolio. Antithesis of income shares.

Capital stock
Stock authorized by a firm's charter and having par value, stated value, or no par value. The number and the value of issued shares are usually shown, together with the number of shares authorized, in the capital accounts section of the balance sheet. See: Common stock.

Capital structure
The makeup of the liabilities and stockholders' equity side of the balance sheet, especially the

ratio of debt to equity and the mixture of short and long maturities.

Capital surplus
Amounts of directly contributed equity capital in excess of the par value.

Capital turnover
Calculated by dividing annual sales by average stockholder equity (net worth). The ratio indicates how much a company could grow its current capital investment level.

Low capital turnover generally corresponds to highprofit margins.

Capitalization
The debt and/or equity mix that funds a firm's assets.

D
Death play
A stock strategy that buys stock on the belief that a key executive will die, the company will be dissolved, and shares will command a higher price at their private market value.

Death Valley Curve

In venture capital, refers to the period before a new company starts generating revenues, when it is difficult for the company to raise money.

Debenture
Any debt obligation backed strictly by the borrower's integrity, e.g. an unsecured bond. A debenture is documented in an indenture.

Debenture bond

An unsecured bond whose holder has the claim of a general creditor on all assets of the issuer not pledged specifically to secure other debt. Compare subordinated debenture bond and collateral trust bonds.

Debenture stock
A type of stock that makes fixed payments at scheduled intervals of time. Debenture stock differs from a debenture in that it has the status of equity, not debt, in liquidation.

Debit balance
The amount that is owed to a broker by a margin customer for loans the customer uses to buy securities.

Debit spread
Applies to derivative products. Difference in the value of two options, when the value of the option bought exceeds the value of the one sold. One buys a "debit spread." Antithesis of a credit spread.

Debt
Money borrowed.

Debt bomb
A default on debt and obligations by a major financial institution that disrupts the stability of the economic system.

Debt capacity
Ability to borrow. The amount a firm can borrow up to the point where the firm value no longer increases.

E
Economic order quantity (EOQ)
The order quantity that mi

Earning power
Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) divided by total assets.

Earnings
Net income for the company during the period.

Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT)

A financial measure defined as revenues less cost of goods sold and selling, general, and administrative expenses. In other words, operating and non-operating profit before the deduction of interest and income taxes.

Earnings per share (EPS)

EPS, as it is called, is a company's profit divided by its number of outstanding shares. If a company earned $2 million in one year had 2 million shares of stock outstanding, its EPS would be $1 per share. The company often uses a weighted average of shares outstanding over the reporting term.

Ethics
Standards of conduct or moral judgement

Exchange of assets
Acquisition of another company by purchase of its assets in exchange for cash or stock.

Exchange of stock
Acquisition of another company by purchase of its stock in exchange for cash or shares.

Exchange offer
An offer by the firm to give one security, such as a bond or preferred stock, in exchange for another security, such as shares of common stock.

Fair price
The equilibrium price for futures contracts. Also called the theoretical futures price, which equals the spot price continuously compounded at the cost of carry rate for some time interval.

Fair rate of return

The rate of return that state governments allow a public utility to earn on its investments and expenditures. Utilities then use these profits to pay investors and provide service upgrades to their customers.

Fair value
In the context of futures, the equilibrium price for futures contracts. Also called the theoretical futures price, which equals the spot price continuously compounded at the cost of carry rate for some time interval. More generally, fair value for any asset simply refers to the perception that it is neither underpriced (too cheap) nor overpriced (too expensive).

Fairness opinion
An investment banker's professional opinion as to the price an acquiring firm is offering in a takeover or merger.

Fall Down
In the context of general equities, may not be able to produce as indicated in one's advertised market, due to less help (than anticipated) from other parties or due to changing market conditions.

Fall out of bed

A sudden drop in a stock's price resulting from failed or poor business deals gone bad or falling through.

Fallen angels
Bonds that at the time of issue were considered investment grade but that have dropped below that rating over time.

Fallout risk
A type of mortgage pipeline risk that is generally created when the terms of the loan to be originated are set at the same time the sale terms are established. The risk is that either of the two parties, borrower or investor, fails to close and the loan "falls out" of the pipeline.

Flood Insurance
A form of hazard insurance required by lenders to cover properties in flood zones.

Floor
The minimum rate of interest payable on an adjustable-rate mortgage.

Gain
A profit on a securities transaction recognized by selling a security for more than the security originally cost. The gain is the difference between the cost and the sale.

Gamma
The ratio of a change in the option delta to a small change in the price of the asset on which the option is written.

Gap
Financing that is required, but for which no provision has been made. The difference in total funding needed for a proposal and the amount of funding already made available.

Gap opening
In the context of general equities, opening price that is substantially higher or lower than the previous day's closing price, usually because of some extraordinarily positive or negative news.

Garage
The floor of the NYSE, which is situated on the north side of the main trading floor.

Garbatrage
Rising stock prices and increased market activity in an entire sector caused by a psychology change stemming from a major takeover involving two companies in the sector. Speculators feel other takeovers are likely in thesector.

Garman-Kohlhagen option pricing model

A model widely used to price foreign currency options.

Gather in the stops

A market strategy in which investors sell stocks to drive prices to a level that breaks through stop orders known to exist. Once the price is low enough, the stop orders become market orders and are executed, to createsnowballing.

GDP implicit price deflator

An economic technique used to account for inflation by comparing the current-dollar gross domestic product GDP to constant-dollar GDP as a ratio. The ratio accounts for price changes of goods and services that make up GDP and changes in the composite of GDP.

Gearing
Financial leverage.

H
Half-stock
Stock, common or preferred, with a $50 par value.

Hammering the market

Heavy selling of stocks by speculators who think that the stock is overvalued and is about to drop.

Handle
The whole-dollar price of a bid or offer is referred to as the handle (e.g., if a security is quoted at 101.10 bid and 101.11 offered, 101 is the handle). Traders are assumed to know the handle.

Hands-off investor
An investor who has a large stake in a company, but does not wish to play an active role in the management of the corporation.

Hands-on investor
An investor who has a large stake in a corporation and takes an active role in its management. Antithesis of hands-off investor.

Hang Seng index

The major index in Hong Kong.

Hard capital rationing

A capital budget that under no circumstances can be violated.

Hard currency
A freely convertible currency that is not expected to depreciate in value in the foreseeable future.

Hard dollars
Actual separate payments made by a customer for services, including research, provided by a brokerage firm. Antithesis of soft dollars.

Harmless warrant
Warrant that allows the user to purchase a bond only by surrendering an other bond with similar terms.

I
Income fund
A mutual fund providing for liberal current income from investments.

Income stock
Common stock with a high dividend yield and few profitable investment opportunities.

Independent project
A project whose acceptance or rejection is independent of the acceptance or rejection of other

projects.

Index and Option Market (IOM)

A division of the CME established in 1982 for trading stock index products and options. Related: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).

Index arbitrage
An investment/trading strategy that exploits divergences between actual and theoretical futures prices.

Index fund Investment

fund designed to match the returns on a stockmarket index.

Index model
A model of stock returns using a market index such as the S&P 500 to represent common or systematic risk factors.

Income beneficiary
One who receives income from a trust.

Income bond
A bond on which the payment of interest is contingent on sufficient earnings. These bonds are commonly used during the reorganization of a failed or failing business.

Income fund
A mutual fund providing for liberal current income from investments.

Index option
A call or put option based on a stock market index.

Index warrant
A stock index option issued by either a corporate or sovereign entity as part of a securityoffering, and guaranteed by an option clearing corporation.

J
Joint account
An agreement between two or more firms to share risk and financing responsibility in purchasing or underwriting securities.

Joint clearing members

Firms that clear on more than one exchange.

Junk bond
A bond with a speculative credit rating of BB (S&P) or Ba (Moody's) or lower is a junk or high yield bond. Such bonds offer investors higher yields than bonds of financially sound companies. Two agencies, Standard & Poors and Moody's investor Services, provide the rating systems for companies' credit.

Junior debt
(subordinate debt) Debt whose holders have a claim on the firm's assets only after senior debtholder's claims have been satisfied. Subordinated debt.

Jumbo loan
Loans of $1 billion or more. Or, loans that exceed the statutory size limit eligible for purchase or securitization by the federal agencies.

Joint Liability
Liability shared among two or more people, each of whom is liable for the full debt.

Joint Tenancy
The ownership of property by two or more persons with the survivor taking the share of the deceased.

Jumbo Loan
A mortgage larger than the limits set by the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, currently over $275,000. Because jumbo loans cannot be funded by these two agencies, they usually carry a higher interest rate.

Junior Mortgage

A mortgage subordinate or secondary to another mortgage. In the case of a foreclosure a senior mortgage will be paid first.

K
Kappa
The ratio of the dollar price change in the price of an option to a 1% change in the expected price volatility.

Kiretsu
A network of Japanese companies organized around a major bank.

Keogh plan
A type of pension account in which taxes are deferred. Available to those who are self-employed.

Key industry
An industry that plays a critical role in a nation's economy.

Key man (or woman) insurance

A life insurance policy purchased by a company to insure the life of a key executive. The company is the beneficiary in case of the executive's death.

Keynesian economics
An economic theory of British economist, John Maynard Keynes that active government intervention is necessary to ensure economic growth and stability.

Kick it out
Used in the context of general equities. "Liquidate a position (sell a long/cover a short) without regard to price."

Kickback
In the context of finance, refers to compensation of dealers by sales finance companies for discounting installment purchase paper. In the context of contracts, refers to secret payments made to insure that the contract goes to a specific firm.

Kicker

An additional feature of a debt obligation that increases its marketability and attractiveness to investors.

Kiddie tax
Tax owed for the investment income of children if the amount is more than $1,400.

L
Last-In-First-Out (LIFO)
A method of valuing inventory that uses the cost of the most recent item in inventory first.

Liquidating dividend
Payment by a firm to its owners from capital rather than from earnings.

Liquidation
When a firm's business is terminated, assets are sold, proceeds pay creditors and any leftovers are distributed to shareholders. Any transaction that offsets or closes out a Long or short position. Related: buy in, evening up, offsetliquidity.

Liquidation rights
The rights of a firm's securityholders in the event the firm liquidates.

Liquidation value
Net amount that could be realized by selling the assets of a firm after paying the debt.

Liquidator
Person appointed by unsecured creditors in the United Kingdom to oversee the sale of an insolvent firm's assets and the repayment of its debts.

Liquidity
A market is liquid when it has a high level of trading activity, allowing buying and selling withminimum price disturbance. Also a market characterized by the ability to buy and sell with relative ease.

Liquidity diversification

Investing in a variety of maturities to reduce the price risk to which holding longbonds exposes the investor.

Lend
To provide money temporarily on the condition that it or its equivalent will be returned, often with an interest fee.

Lender
The bank, mortgage company, or mortgage broker offering the loan.

M
Management buyout (MBO)
Leveraged buyout whereby the acquiring group is led by the firm's management

Multinational corporation
A firm that operates in more than one country.

Multifamily loans
Loans usually represented by conventional mortgages on multi-family rental apartments.

Multiperiod immunization
A portfolio strategy in which a portfolio is created that will be capable of satisfying more than one predetermined future liability regardless if interest rates change.

Multiple rates of return

More than one rate of return from the same project that make the net present value of the project equal to zero. This situation arises when the IRR method is used for a project in which negative cash flows follow positive cash flows. For each sign change in the cash flows, there is a rate of return.

Multiple regression
The estimated relationship between a dependent variable and more than one explanatory variable.

Multiples

Another name for price/earnings ratios.

Multiple-discriminant analysis (MDA)

Statistical technique for distinguishing between two groups on the basis of their observed characteristics.

Multiple-issuer pools
Under the GNMA-II program, pools formed through the aggregation of individual issuers' loan packages.

Monthly Housing Expense

Total monthly expense of principal, interest, taxes, and insurance.

Mortgagee
The lender in a mortgage loan transaction.

N
National Futures Association (NFA)
The futures industry self regulatory organization established in 1982.

Nationalization
A government takeover of a private company.

Negative amortization
A loan repayment schedule in which the outstanding principal balance of the loan increases, rather than amortizing, because the scheduled monthly payments do not cover the full amount required to amortize the loan. The unpaid interest is added to the outstanding principal, to be repaid later.

Negative convexity
A bond characteristic such that the price appreciation will be less than the price depreciation for a large change in yield of a given number of basis points.

Negative covenant
A bond covenant that limits or prohibits altogether certain actions unless the bondholders agree.

Negative duration
A situation in which the price of the MBS moves in the same direction as interest rates.

Net book value

The current book value of an asset or liability; that is, its original book value net of any accounting adjustments such as depreciation.

Net cash balance

Beginning cash balance plus cash receipts minus cash disbursements.

Net change
This is the difference between a day's last trade and the previous day's last trade.

Net errors and omissions

In balance of payments accounting, net errors and omissions record the statistical discrepancies that arise in gathering balance of payments data.

Net financing cost

Also called the cost of carry or, simply, carry, the difference between the cost of financing the purchase of an asset and the asset's cash yield. Positive carry means that the yield earned is greater than the financing cost; negative carry means that the financing cost exceeds the yield earned.

O
Opening price
The range of prices at which the first bids and offers were made or first transactions were completed.

Opening purchase
A transaction in which the purchaser's intention is to create or increase a long position in a given series of options.

Opening sale

A transaction in which the seller's intention is to create or increase a short position in a given series of options.

OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries)

A cartel of oil-producing countries.

Operating cycle
The average time intervening between the acquisition of materials or services and the final cash realization from those acquisitions.

Open account
Arrangement whereby sales are made with no formal debt contract. The buyer signs a receipt, and the seller records the sale in the sales ledger.

Open book
unmatched book.

Open contracts
Contracts which have been bought or sold without the transaction having been completed by subsequent sale or purchase, or by making or taking actual delivery of the financial instrument or physicalcommodity.

Open interest
The total number of derivative contracts traded that not yet been liquidated either by an offsetting derivative transaction or by delivery. Related: liquidation.

Office of Comptroller Currency

The oldest federal financial regulatory body, which oversees the nation's federally chartered banks.

P
P/E effect
That portfolios with low P/E stocks have exhibited higher average risk-adjusted returns than high P/E stocks.

Pac-Man strategy

Takeover defense strategy in which the prospective acquiree retaliates against the acquirer's tender offer by launching its own tender offer for the other firm.

Pairoff
A buy-back to offset and effectively liquidate a prior sale of securities.

Paper
Money market instruments, commercial paper and other.

P&L
Profit and loss statement for a trader.

P&S
Purchase and sale statement. A statement provided by the broker showing change in the customer's net ledger balance after the offset of a previously established position(s).

P/E
Price/Earnings ratio.

Par value
Also called the maturity value or face value, the amount that the issuer agrees to pay at the maturity date.

Parallel loan
A process whereby two companies in different countries borrow each other's currency for a specific period of time, and repay the other's currency at an agreed maturity for the purpose of reducing foreign exchange risk. Also referred to as back-to-back loans.

Property Tax
A government tax based on the market value of a property.

Purchase Agreement
Contract signed by buyer and seller stating the terms and conditions under which a property will be sold.

Qualifying annuity
An annuity allowable as investment for a qualified plan or trust.

Qualifying share
Shares of common stock that a person must hold in order to qualify as a director of the issuing corporation.

Qualifying stock option

A benefit granted by a corporation that allows employees to purchase shares at a discount price.

Qualitative analysis
An analysis of the qualities of a company that cannot be measured concretely, such as management quality or employee morale.

Qualitative research
Traditional analysis of firm-specific prospects for future earnings. It may be based on data collected by the analysts, there is no formal quantitative framework used to generate projections.

Quality of earnings
Increased earnings due to increased sales and cost controls, as compared to artificial profits created by inflation of inventory or other asset prices.

Quality option
Gives the seller choice of deliverables in Treasury bond and Treasury note futures contracts. Also called the swap option. Related: Cheapest to deliver issue.

Quality spread
Difference between Treasury securities and non-Treasury securities that are identical in all respects except for quality rating. For instance, the difference between yields on Treasuries and those on single A-rated industrialbonds. Also called credit spread.

Quant
A person with numerical and computer skills who carries out quantitative analyses of companies.

Quantize
To convert an asset or liability into a currency other than the regular trading currency.

R
Rally (recovery)
An upward movement of prices. Opposite of reaction.

Reverse-annuity mortgages (RAM)

Bank loan for an amount equal to a percentage of the appraisal value of the home. The loan is then paid to the homeowner in the form of an annuity.

Random variable
A function that assigns a real number to each and every possible outcome of a random experiment.

Random walk
Theory that stock price changes from day to day are accidental or haphazard; changes are independent of each other and have the same probability distribution. Many believers in the random walk theory believe that it is impossible to outperform the market consistently without

taking additional risk.

Randomized strategy
A strategy of introducing into the decision-making process a chance element that is designed to confound the information content of the decision-maker's observed choices.

Range
The high and low prices, or high and low bids and offers, recorded during a specified time.

Range forward
A forward exchange rate contract that places upper and lower bounds on the future cost of foreign exchange.

Rate anticipation swaps

An exchange of bonds in a portfolio for new bonds that will achieve the target portfolio duration, given the investor's assumptions about future changes in interest rates.

Rate base
The value of a regulated public utility and its operations as defined by its regulators and on which the company is allowed to earn a particular rate of return.

Rate covenant
A provision governing a municipal revenue project financed by a revenue bond issue, which establishes the rates to be charged users of the new facility.

Rate of interest
The rate, as a proportion of the principal, at which interest is computed.

Rate of return:

Calculated as the (value now minus value at time of purchase) divided by value at time of purchase. For equities, we often include dividends with the value now. See also: Return, annual rate of return.

S
Safety cushion
In a contingent immunization strategy, the difference between the initially available immunization level and the safety-net return.

Safety-net return
The minimum available return that will trigger an immunization strategy in a contingent immunization strategy.

Salary
Regular wages and benefits an employee receives from an employer.

Salary reduction plan

A plan allowing employees to contribute pre-tax income to a tax-deferred retirement plan.

Sale
An agreement between a buyer and a seller on the price to be paid for a security, followed by delivery.

Sale and lease-back

Sale of an existing asset to a financial institution that then leases it back to the user. Related: Lease.

Sales charge
The fee charged by a mutual fund at purchase of shares, usually payable as a commission to a

marketing agent, such as a financial adviser, who is thus compensated for assistance to a purchaser. It represents the difference, if any, between the share purchase price and the share net asset value.

Sales forecast
A key input to a firm's financial planning process. External sales forecasts are based on historical experience, statistical analysis, and consideration of various macroeconomic factors.

Sales literature
Material written by an institution selling a product, which informs potential buyers of the product and its benefits.

Sales tax
A percentage tax on the selling price of goods and services.

Sales-type lease
The leasing out of a firm's own equipment, such as a printing company leasing its own presses, thereby competing with an independent leasing company.

Salomon Brothers World Equity Index (SBWEI)

A top-down, float capitalization-weighted index used to measure the performance of fixedincome and equity markets. It includes approximately 6000 companies in 22 countries.

T
Take it down
Reduce the offering price or hit others' bids to such an extent as to lower the inside market.

Take a flier

To speculate on highly risky securities.

Take me along
Allow me to participate in the side of a particular trade.

Take off
A sharp increase in the price of a stock, or a positive movement of the market as a whole.

Take the offer Buy stock by accepting a floor broker's (listed) or dealer's (OTC) offer at an agreed-upon volume. Antithesis of hit the bid.

Take-out
A cash surplus generated by the sale of one block of securities and the purchase of another, e.g., selling a block of bonds at 99 and buying another block at 95. Also, a bid made to a seller of a security that is designed (and generally agreed) to take the seller out of the market.

Take-or-pay contract
An agreement that obligates the purchaser to take any product that is offered (and pay the cash purchase price) or pay a specified amount if the product is not taken.

Take a position
To buy or sell short; that is to own or to owe some amount on an asset or derivative security.

Take a powder
Temporarily cancel an order or indication in a stock, while unrepresented interest still exists. See: Back on the shelf, sidelines.

Take a swing
Execute a trade at a price that the trader feels is higher or more risky than would normally be

acceptable, in order to gain market share in the institutional arena.

U
Underbanked
When an originating investment banker cannot find enough firms to underwrite a new issue.

Underbooked
Describes limited interest by prospective buyers in a new issue of a security during the preoffering registration period.

Undercapitalized
A business has insufficient capital to carry out its normal functions.

Underfunded pension plan

A pension plan that has a negative surplus (i.e., liabilities exceed assets).

Underinvestment problem
The mirror image of the asset substitution problem, in that stockholders refuse to invest in lowrisk assets to avoid shifting wealth from themselves to debtholders.

Underlying
What supports the security or instrument that parties agree to exchange in a derivative contract.

Underlying asset
The security or property or loan agreement that an option gives the option holder the right to buy or to sell.

Underlying debt
Municipal bonds issued by government entities but under the control of larger government

entities and for which the larger entity shares the credit responsibility.

Underlying futures contract

A futures contract that the option is exercised . supports an option on that future, which is executed if

Underlying security
For options, the security that is subject to purchase or sold upon exercise of an option contract. For example, IBM stock is the underlying security for IBM options. For Depository receipts, the class, series, and number of the foreign shares represented by the depository receipt.

Undermargined account
A margin account that no longer meets minimum maintenance requirements, requiring a margin call on the investor.

Underperform
When a security is expected to, or does, appreciate at a slower rate than the overall market rate of performance.

V
volatility
A measure of risk based on the standard deviation of the asset return. Volatility is a variable that appears in option pricing formulas, where it denotes the volatility of the underlying asset return from now to the expiration of the option. There are volatility indexes. Such as a scale of 1-9; a higher rating means higher risk.

Volume deleted
A note appearing on the consolidated tape when the tape is running behind under heavy trading,

meaning that only the stock symbol and price will be shown for trades under 5000 shares.

Volume discount
A reduction in price based on the purchase of a large quantity.

Voluntary accumulation plan

Arrangement allowing shareholders of a mutual fund to purchase shares over a period of time on a regular basis, and in so doing take advantage of dollar cost averaging.

Voluntary bankruptcy
The legal proceeding that follows a petition of bankruptcy.

Voluntary liquidation
Liquidation proceedings that are supported by a company's shareholders.

Voluntary plan
A pension plan supported partially by the employee by pension contributions deducted from each paycheck.

VA Loan
Home loan available to veterans with little or no down payment and guaranteed by the U.S. Veteran's Administration.

Variable Rate Mortgage

See Adjustable Rate Mortgage.

Variable Rate

Interest rate that changes periodically in relation to an index.

W
Wage assignment
A loan agreement provision allowing the lender to deduct payments from an employee's wages in case of default.

Wage-push inflation
Inflation caused by skyrocketing wages.

Waiting period
Time during which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) studies a firm's registration statement. During this time the firm may distribute a preliminary prospectus.

Waiver of premium
A provision in an insurance policy that allows payment of insurance premiums to be permanently or temporarily stopped in the event the policyholder becomes incapacitated.

Walk away
To take and maintain a position in a stock after going to the floor to consummate a trade. Antithesis of trade me out, buy them back.

Wall Street
Generic term for the securities industry firms that buy, sell, and underwrite securities.

Wall Street analyst

Related: Sell-side analyst

Wallflower

Stock that has fallen out of favor with investors; stock that tends to have a low P/E (price-toearnings ratio).

Wallpaper
A security with no monetary value.

Wanted for cash

A statement displayed on market tickers indicating that a bidder will pay cash for same-day settlement of a block of a specified security.

Warehousing
The interim holding period from the time of the closing of a loan to its subsequent marketing to capital market investors.

Warrant
A security entitling the holder to buy a proportionate amount of stock at some specified future date at a specified price, usually one higher than current market price. Warrants are traded as securities whose price reflects the value of the underlying stock. Corporations often bundle warrants with another class of security to enhance the marketability of the other class. Warrants are like call options, but with much longer time spans-sometimes years. And, warrants are offered by corporations, while exchange-traded call options are not issued by firms.

Warranty
A guarantee by a seller to a buyer that if a product requires repair or remedy of a problem within a certain period after its purchase, the seller will repair the problem at no cost to the buyer.

X
XDR
The ISO 4217 currency code for the Special Drawing Rights (SDR).

XMI
Applies to derivative products. Quotron symbol for the Major Market Index (MMI).

X or XD
Symbol that indicating that stock is trading ex-dividend, with no dividend.

XR
Symbol indicating that a stock is trading ex-rights, with no rights attached.

XW
Symbol indicating that a stock is trading ex-warrants, with no warrants attached.

XAF
The ISO 4217 currency code for the CFA Franc.

XBA
The ISO 4217 currency code for the European Composite Unit (EURCO).

XBB
The ISO 4217 currency code for the European Monetary Unit (EMU).

XCD
The ISO 4217 currency code for the East Caribbean Dollar.

Y
Year-to-date (YTD)
The period beginning at the start of the calendar year up to the current date.

Yankee bonds
Foreign bonds denominated in U.S. dollars and issued in the United States by foreign banks and corporations. These bonds are usually registered with the SEC. Such as, bonds issued by originators with roots in Japan are called Samurai bonds.

Yankee CD
A CD issued in the domestic market, typically New York, by a branch of a foreign bank.

Yankee market
The foreign market in the United States.

Yard
Slang for one billion currency units. Used particularly in currency trading, e.g., for Japanese yen since one billion yen equals approximately US$10 million. It is clearer to say, "I'm a buyer of a yard of yen," than to say, "I'm a buyer of a billion yen," which could be misheard as "I'm a buyer of a million yen."

Year-end dividend
A special dividend declared at the end of a fiscal year that usually represents distribution of higher-than-expected company profits.

Year-to-date (YTD)
The period beginning at the start of the calendar year up to the current date.

Yellow sheets
Sheets published by the National Quotation Bureau that detail bid and ask prices, plus those firms that are making a market in over-the-counter corporate bonds.

Yen bond
Any bond denominated in Japanese yen currency.

Yield
The percentage rate of return paid on a stock in the form of dividends, or the effective rate of interest paid on a bond or note.

Yield advantage
The advantage gained by purchasing convertible securities instead of common stock, which equals the difference between the rates of return of the convertible security and the common shares.

Z bond
Also known as an accrual bond or accretion bond; a bond on which interest accretes interest but is not paid currently to the i nvestor but rather is accrued, with accrual added to the principal balance of the and becoming payable upon satisfaction of all prior bond classes.

Z score
Statistical measure that quantifies the distance (measured in standard deviations) a data point is from the mean of a data set. Separately, z score is the output from a credit-strength test that gauges the likelihood of bankruptcy.

Zero coupon bond

Such a debt security pays an investor no interest. It is sold at a discount to its face price and matures in one year or longer.

Zero prepayment assumption

The assumption of payment of scheduled principal and interest with no payments.

Zero-balance account (ZBA)

A checking account in which zero balance is maintained by transfers of fundsfrom a master account in an amount only large enough to cover checks presented.

Zero-beta portfolio
A portfolio constructed to represent the risk-free asset, that is, having a beta of zero.

Zero-coupon bond
A bond in which no periodic coupon is paid over the life of the contract. Instead, both the principal and the interest are paid at the maturity date.

Zero-investment portfolio
A portfolio of zero net value established by buying and shorting component securities, usually in the context of an arbitrage strategy.

Zero-one integer programming

An analytical method that can be used to determine the solution to capital rationing problem.

Zero-sum game
A type of game wherein one player can gain only at the expense of a of another player..!!!!!!!!!!!