Term of the day

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DEFINITION of 'Risk Premium'
The return in excess of the risk-free rate of return that an investment is expected to yield. An asset's risk premium is a form of compensation for investors who tolerate the extra risk - compared to that of a risk-free asset - in a given investment.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Risk Premium'
Think of a risk premium as a form of hazard pay for your investments. Just as employees who work relatively dangerous jobs receive hazard pay as compensation for the risks they undertake, risky investments must provide an investor with the potential for larger returns to warrant the risks of the investment.

For example, high-quality corporate bonds issued by established corporations earning large profits have very little risk of default. Therefore, such bonds will pay a lower interest rate (or yield) than bonds issued by less-established companies with uncertain profitability and relatively higher default risk.

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DEFINITION of 'Rule Of 70'
A way to estimate the number of years it takes for a certain variable to double. The rule of 70 states that in order to estimate the number of years for a variable to double, take the number 70 and divide it by the growth rate of the variable. This rule is commonly used with an annual compound interest rate to quickly determine how long it would take to double your money.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Rule Of 70'
Another useful application of the rule of 70 is in the area of estimating how long it would take a country's real GDP to double. Similar to compound interest rates, one can use the GDP growth rate in the divisor of the rule. For example, if the growth rate of the China is 10%, the rule of 70 predicts it would take 7 years (70/10) for China's real GDP to double.

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DEFINITION of 'Terminal Value - TV'
The value of a bond at maturity, or of an asset at a specified, future valuation date, taking into account factors such as interest rates and the current value of the asset, and assuming a stable growth rate. In addition to bond and asset applications, terminal value can also refer to the value of an entire company at a specified future valuation date. Two common approaches are used to evaluate the terminal value of an asset: the "perpetuity growth model" and the "exit approach."

Also called continuing value or horizon value.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Terminal Value - TV'
The terminal value of an asset is its anticipated value on a certain date in the future. It is used in multi-stage discounted cash flow analysis and the study of cash flow projections for a several-year period. The perpetuity growth model is used to identify ongoing free cash flows. The exit or terminal multiple approach assumes the asset will be sold at the end of a specified time period, helping investors evaluate risk/reward scenarios for the asset. A commonly used value is enterprise value/EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) or EV/EBITDA. An asset's terminal value is a projection that is useful in budget planning, and also in evaluating the potential gain of an investment over a specified time period.

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DEFINITION of 'Variance'
A measurement of the spread between numbers in a data set. The variance measures how far each number in the set is from the mean. Variance is calculated by taking the differences between each number in the set and the mean, squaring the differences (to make them positive) and dividing the sum of the squares by the number of values in the set.



INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Variance'
Variance is used in statistics for probability distribution. Since variance measures the variability (volatility) from an average or mean, and volatility is a measure of risk, the variance statistic can help determine the risk an investor might take on when purchasing a specific security.

A variance value of zero indicates that all values within a set of numbers are identical; all variances that are non-zero will be positive numbers. A large variance indicates that numbers in the set are far from the mean and each other, while a small variance indicates the opposite.

Statisticians use variance to see how individual numbers relate to each other within a data set, rather than using broader mathematical techniques such as arranging numbers into quartiles. A drawback to variance is that it gives added weight to numbers far from the mean (outliers), since squaring these numbers can skew interpretations of the data.

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DEFINITION of 'Productivity'
An economic measure of output per unit of input. Inputs include labor and capital, while output is typically measured in revenues and other GDP components such as business inventories. Productivity measures may be examined collectively (across the whole economy) or viewed industry by industry to examine trends in labor growth, wage levels and technological improvement.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Productivity'
Productivity gains are vital to the economy because they allow us to accomplish more with less. Capital and labor are both scarce resources, so maximizing their impact is always a core concern of modern business. Productivity enhancements come from technology advances, such as computers and the internet, supply chain and logistics improvements, and increased skill levels within the workforce.

Productivity is measured and tracked by many economists as a clue for predicting future levels of GDP growth. The productivity measure commonly reported through the media is based on the ratio of GDP to total hours worked in the economy during a measuring period; this productivity measure is produced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics four times per year.

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DEFINITION of 'Yield Curve'
A line that plots the interest rates, at a set point in time, of bonds having equal credit quality, but differing maturity dates. The most frequently reported yield curve compares the three-month, two-year, five-year and 30-year U.S. Treasury debt. This yield curve is used as a benchmark for other debt in the market, such as mortgage rates or bank lending rates. The curve is also used to predict changes in economic output and growth.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Yield Curve'
The shape of the yield curve is closely scrutinized because it helps to give an idea of future interest rate change and economic activity. There are three main types of yield curve shapes: normal, inverted and flat (or humped). A normal yield curve (pictured here) is one in which longer maturity bonds have a higher yield compared to shorter-term bonds due to the risks associated with time. An inverted yield curve is one in which the shorter-term yields are higher than the longer-term yields, which can be a sign of upcoming recession. A flat (or humped) yield curve is one in which the shorter- and longer-term yields are very close to each other, which is also a predictor of an economic transition. The slope of the yield curve is also seen as important: the greater the slope, the greater the gap between short- and long-term rates.

NG_NM

青影 发表于 2015-5-16 11:10 AM
DEFINITION of 'Product Line'
A group of related products manufactured by a single company. For exam ...

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NG_NM 发表于 2015-5-22 09:57 AM

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DEFINITION of 'Unlevered Beta'
A type of metric that compares the risk of an unlevered company to the risk of the market. The unlevered beta is the beta of a company without any debt. Unlevering a beta removes the financial effects from leverage.

The formula to calculate a company's unlevered beta is:


Where:
BL is the firm's beta with leverage.
Tc is the corporate tax rate.
D/E is the company's debt/equity ratio.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Unlevered Beta'
This number provides a measure of how much systematic risk a firm's equity has when compared to the market. Unlevering the beta removes any beneficial effects gained by adding debt to the firm's capital structure. Comparing companies' unlevered betas gives an investor a better idea of how much risk they will be taking on when purchasing a firms' stock.

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DEFINITION of 'Butterfly Spread'
A neutral option strategy combining bull and bear spreads. Butterfly spreads use four option contracts with the same expiration but three different strike prices to create a range of prices the strategy can profit from. The trader sells two option contracts at the middle strike price and buys one option contract at a lower strike price and one option contract at a higher strike price. Both puts and calls can be used for a butterfly spread.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Butterfly Spread'
Butterfly spreads have limited risk, meaning you can only lose your initial investment. Your maximum return is when the price of the underlying asset remains around the middle strike price.

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DEFINITION of 'Mixed Economic System'
An economic system that features characteristics of both capitalism and socialism. A mixed economic system allows a level of private economic freedom in the use of capital, but also allows for governments to interfere in economic activities in order to achieve social aims. This type of economic system is less efficient than capitalism, but more efficient than socialism.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Mixed Economic System'
Most modern economies feature a synthesis of two or more economic systems. The public sector works alongside the private sector, but may compete for the same limited resources.  Mixed economic systems do not block the private sector from profit-seeking, but do monitor profit levels and may nationalize companies that are deemed to go against the public good.

Mixed economic systems are not laissez-faire systems: the government is involved in planning the use of resources and can exert control over businesses in the private sector. Governments may seek to redistribute wealth by taxing the private sector, and using funds from taxes to promote social objectives.

While capitalism allows prices to be set by supply and demand forces and socialism fixes prices through central planning, mixed economic systems allow for prices in some sectors to fluctuate, while fixing other prices, such as energy.

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DEFINITION of 'Fracking'
A slang term for hydraulic fracturing. Fracking refers to the procedure of creating fractures in rocks and rock formations by injecting fluid into cracks to force them further open. The larger fissures allow more oil and gas to flow out of the formation and into the wellbore, from where it can be extracted.

Fracking has resulted in many oil and gas wells attaining a state of economic viability, due to the level of extraction that can be reached.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Fracking'
Petroleum engineers have used fracking as a means of increasing well production since the late 1940s. Fractures can also exist naturally in formations, and both natural and man-made fractures can be widened by fracking. As a result, more oil and gas can be extracted from a given area of land.

zhao

great dictionary

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DEFINITION of 'Microeconomics'
The branch of economics that analyzes the market behavior of individual consumers and firms in an attempt to understand the decision-making process of firms and households. It is concerned with the interaction between individual buyers and sellers and the factors that influence the choices made by buyers and sellers. In particular, microeconomics focuses on patterns of supply and demand and the determination of price and output in individual markets (e.g. coffee industry).

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Microeconomics'
The field of economics is broken down into two distinct areas of study: microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics looks at the smaller picture and focuses more on basic theories of supply and demand and how individual businesses decide how much of something to produce and how much to charge for it. People who have any desire to start their own business or who want to learn the rationale behind the pricing of particular products and services would be more interested in this area.

Macroeconomics, on the other hand, looks at the big picture (hence "macro"). It focuses on the national economy as a whole and provides a basic knowledge of how things work in the business world. For example, people who study this branch of economics would be able to interpret the latest Gross Domestic Product figures or explain why a 6% rate of unemployment is not necessarily a bad thing. Thus, for an overall perspective of how the entire economy works, you need to have an understanding of economics at both the micro and macro levels.

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DEFINITION of 'Perfect Competition'
A market structure in which the following five criteria are met:1) All firms sell an identical product;2) All firms are price takers - they cannot control the market price of their product;3) All firms have a relatively small market share;4) Buyers have complete information about the product being sold and the prices charged by each firm; and5) The industry is characterized by freedom of entry and exit.Perfect competition is sometimes referred to as "pure competition".

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Perfect Competition'
Perfect competition is a theoretical market structure. It is primarily used as a benchmark against which other, real-life market structures are compared. The industry that most closely resembles perfect competition in real life is agriculture.

Perfect competition is the opposite of a monopoly, in which only a single firm supplies a particular good or service, and that firm can charge whatever price it wants because consumers have no alternatives and it is difficult for would-be competitors to enter the marketplace. Under perfect competition, there are many buyers and sellers, and prices reflect supply and demand. Also, consumers have many substitutes if the good or service they wish to buy becomes too expensive or its quality begins to fall short. New firms can easily enter the market, generating additional competition. Companies earn just enough profit to stay in business and no more, because if they were to earn excess profits, other companies would enter the market and drive profits back down to the bare minimum.

Real-world competition differs from the textbook model of perfect competition in many ways. Real companies try to make their products different from those of their competitors. They advertise to try to gain market share. They cut prices to try to take customers away from other firms. They raise prices in the hope of increasing profits. And some firms are large enough to affect market prices. But the perfect competition model is not an ideal that we should try to achieve in the real world.

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DEFINITION of 'Share Premium Account'
Usually found on the balance sheet, this is the account to which the amount of money paid (or promised to be paid) by a shareholder for a share is credited to, only if the shareholder paid more than the cost of the share.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Share Premium Account'
The share premium account may be used to issue bonus shares, write-off equity related expenses like underwriting costs, etc.

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DEFINITION of 'Comprehensive Income'
The change in a company's net assets from nonowner sources over a specified period of time. Comprehensive income is a statement of all income and expenses recognized during that period. The statement includes revenue, finance costs, tax expenses, discontinued operations, profit share and profit/loss.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Comprehensive Income'
Companies typically report comprehensive income in a separate statement from income resulting from owner changes in equity, but have the option of providing information in a single statement. Many firms shy away from the single statement approach because it mixes owner and nonowner activity, which can muddle the underlying information.

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DEFINITION of 'Volume Weighted Average Price - VWAP'
A trading benchmark used especially in pension plans. VWAP is calculated by adding up the dollars traded for every transaction (price multiplied by number of shares traded) and then dividing by the total shares traded for the day.



Volume Weighted Average Price (VWAP)
INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Volume Weighted Average Price - VWAP'
The theory is that if the price of a buy trade is lower than the VWAP, it is a good trade. The opposite is true if the price is higher than the VWAP.

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DEFINITION of 'Dove'
An economic policy advisor who promotes monetary policies that involve the maintenance of low interest rates, believing that inflation and its negative effects will have a minimal impact on society. This term is derived from the docile and placid nature of the bird of the same name, and is the opposite of the term "hawk".

Statements that suggest that inflation will have a minimal impact are called "dovish".

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Dove'
Doves prefer low interest rates as a means of encouraging growth within the economy because this tends to increase demand for consumer borrowing and spur consumer spending. As a result, doves believe the negative effects of low interest rates are negligible in the larger scheme of things. However, if interest rates are kept low for an indefinite period of time, inflation could rise considerably.

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DEFINITION of 'Bear Hug'
An offer made by one company to buy the shares of another for a much higher per-share price than what that company is worth. A bear hug offer is usually made when there is doubt that the target company's management will be willing to sell.

INVESTOPEDIA EXPLAINS 'Bear Hug'
The name "bear hug" reflects the persuasiveness of the offering company's overly generous offer to the target company. By offering a price far in excess of the target company's current value, the offering party can usually obtain an agreement. The target company's management is essentially forced to accept such a generous offer because it is legally obligated to look out for the best interests of its shareholders.