Financial glossary

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

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.

Back fee
The fee paid on the extension date if the buyer wishes to continue the option.

Back months
In the context of futures and options trading, refers to the months of contracts with expiration dates farthest away.

Back office
Brokerage house clerical operations that support, but do not include, the trading of stocks and other securities. All written confirmation and settlement of trades, record keeping and regulatory compliance happen in the back office. Financial glossary.

Back on the shelf
In the context of general equities, permanently canceled order/interest in a stock by a customer.

Back taxes
Due taxes that have not been paid on time. Financial glossary.

Back up
a) When bond yields rise and prices fall, the market is said to back up. b) An investor who swaps out of one security into another of shorter current maturity is said to back up.

"Back up the truck"
In the context of general equities, "Prepare for a very large buyer."

Backdating
In the context of mutual funds, a feature allowing fundholders to use an earlier date on a letter of intent to invest in a mutual fund in exchange for a reduced sales charge, e.g. giving retroactive value to purchases from the earlier date.

Backed in
In the context of general equities, to describe the result of unanticipated events that allow for a purchase at a discount or a sale at a premium.

Back-end load fund
A mutual fund that charges investors a fee to sell (redeem) shares, often ranging from 4% to 6%. Some back-end load funds impose a full commission if the shares are redeemed within a designated length of time, such as one year. The commission decreases, the longer the investor holds the shares. The formal name for the back-end load is the contingent deferred sales charge, or CDSC. Financial glossary.

Back-testing
Creating a hypothetical portfolio performance history by applying current asset selection criteria to prior time periods.

Back-to-back financing
An intercompany loan channeled through a bank.

Back-to-back loan
A loan in which two companies in separate countries borrow each other's currency for a specific time period and repay the other's currency at an agreed-upon maturity.

Backup line
A commercial paper issuer's bank line of credit covering maturing notes if, for some reason, selling new notes to cover the maturing notes is not possible. Financial glossary.

Backup Line of Credit
A bank assurance of funds obtained by an issuer of commercial paper to protect the CP investor from default. The issuer pays a commitment fee to the bank. Financial glossary.

Backwardation
A market condition in which futures prices are lower in the distant delivery months than in the nearest delivery month. This may occur when the costs of storing the product until eventual delivery are effectively subtracted from the price today.

Bad debt
A debt that is written off and deemed uncollectible.

Bad title
Title to property that does not distinctly confer ownership, usually in the context of real estate.

Bai-kai
Two-sided market picture, in Japanese terminology applies mainly to international equities.

Bailing out
In the context of securities, refers to selling a security or commodity quickly, regardless of the price. May occur when an investor no longer wants to sustain further losses on a stock.

Bailout bond
A bond issued by the Resolution Funding Corporation (Refcorp) to save the failing savings and loan associations in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Financial glossary.

Baker Plan
A plan by former U.S. Treasury Secretary James Baker under which 15 principal middle-income debtor countries (the Baker 15) would undertake growth-oriented structural reforms, to be supported by increased financing from the World Bank and continued lending from commercial banks. Financial glossary.

Balance of payments
A statistical compilation formulated by a sovereign nation of all economic transactions between residents of that nation and residents of all other nations during a stipulated period of time, usually a calendar year.

Balance of trade
Net flow of goods (exports minus imports) between two countries.

Balance on goods and services
Netting of transaction balances, including the net amount of payments of interest and dividends to foreign investors and investments, as well as receipts and payments resulting from international tourism.

Balance sheet
Also called the statement of financial condition, it is a summary of a company's assets, liabilities and owners' equity. Financial glossary.

Balance sheet identity
Total assets = Total liabilities + Total stockholders' equity.

Balanced budget
A budget in which the income equals expenditure.

Balanced fund
An investment company that invests in stocks and bonds. The same as a balanced mutual fund. Financial glossary.

Balanced mutual fund
This is a fund that buys common stock, preferred stock and bonds. The same as a balanced fund.

Balloon interest
In the context of serial bond issues, the elevated coupon rate on bonds with late maturities.

Balloon maturity
Any large principal payment due at maturity for a bond or loan with or without a sinking fund requirement.

Balloon Payment
The final (large) payment that repays all the remaining principal and interest of a partially amortized or unamortized loan.

Ballot
The document distributed at the annual meeting to shareholders of record who wish to vote their shares in person. Financial glossary.

Bank-based corporate governance system
Organization of a supervisory board so that it is dominated by bankers and corporate insiders.

Bank anticipation notes
Notes issued by states and municipalities to obtain interim financing for projects that will eventually be funded longterm through the sale of a bond issue.

Bank collection float
The time that elapses between when a check is deposited into a bank account and when the funds are available to the depositor, during which period the bank is collecting payment from the payer's bank.

Bank discount basis
A convention used for quoting bids and offers for Treasury bills in terms of annualized yield, based on a 360-day year. Financial glossary.

Bank draft
A draft addressed to a bank.

Bank holding company
A company that owns or has controlling interest in two or more banks and/or other bank holding companies.

Bank Insurance Fund
A unit of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) that provides deposit insurance for banks excluding thrifts.

Bank for International Settlements
An international bank headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, which serves as a forum for monetary cooperation among several European central banks, the Bank of Japan and the US Federal Reserve System. Founded in 1930 to handle the German payment of World War I reparations, it now monitors and collects data on international banking activity and promulgates rules concerning international bank regulation. Financial glossary.

Bank Investment Contract
Interest guaranteed by the bank in a portfolio over a specific time frame with a specific yield.

Bank line
Line of credit that a bank grants to a customer.

Bank Letter of Credit Policy
Standards allowing banks to confirm letters of credit by foreign banks supporting the purchase of US exports. Financial glossary.

Bank note
A term used synonymously with paper money or currency issued by a bank. Notes are, in effect, a promise to pay the bearer on demand the amount stated on the face of the note. Today, only the Federal Reserve Banks are authorized to issue bank notes, i.e. Federal Reserve notes, in the United States.

Bank regulation
The formulation and issuance by authorized agencies of specific rules or regulations, under governing law, for the conduct and structure of banking. Financial glossary.

Bank run
A series of unexpected cash withdrawals caused by a sudden decline in depositor confidence or fear that the bank will be closed by the chartering agency, i.e. many depositors withdraw cash almost simultaneously. Since the cash reserve a bank keeps on hand is only a small fraction of its deposits, a large number of withdrawals in a short period of time can deplete available cash and force the bank to close and possibly go out of business.

Bank trust department
Bank department that deals with estates, administers trusts and provides services such as estate planning advice to its clients.

Bank wire
A computer message system linking major banks. It is used not for effecting payments, but as a mechanism to advise the receiving bank of some action that has occurred, e.g. the payment by a customer of funds into that bank's account. Financial glossary.

Banker's acceptance
A short-term credit investment created by a nonfinancial firm and guaranteed by a bank as to payment. Acceptances are traded at discounts to face value in the secondary market. These instruments have been a popular investment for money market funds. They are commonly used in international transactions. Financial glossary.

Banking Delay
Time required for processing and clearing a check through the banking system.

Bankmail
An agreement between a company engaged in a takeover bid and a bank that the bank will not finance the bid of another acquirer. Financial glossary.

Bankruptcy
Inability to pay debts. In bankruptcy of a publicly owned entity, the ownership of the firm's assets is transferred from the stockholders to the bondholders.

Bankruptcy cost view
The argument that expected indirect and direct bankruptcy costs offset the other benefits from leverage so that the optimal amount of leverage is less than 100% debt financing.

Bankruptcy risk
The risk that a firm will be unable to meet its debt obligations. Also referred to as default or insolvency risk.

Bankruptcy view
The argument that expected bankruptcy costs preclude firms from financing entirely with debt. Financial glossary.

Bar
Slang for one million dollars.

Barbell strategy
A fixed income strategy in which the maturities of the securities included in the portfolio are concentrated at two extremes.

Barefoot Investor
A popular Australian radio program focused on teaching young people financial literacy.

Barefoot pilgrim
A slang term for an unsophisticated investor who has lost everything on the stock market.

Bargain hunter
In the context of general equities, purchaser who is extremely selective in the price sought on a transaction.

Bargain purchase-price option
Gives the lessee the option to purchase the asset at a price below fair market value when the lease expires. Financial glossary.

Barometer
Economic and market data that represent an overall trend. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an example of a stock market barometer.

BARRA's performance analysis
A method developed by BARRA, a consulting firm in Berkeley, Calif. It is commonly used by institutional investors applying performance attribution analysis to evaluate their money managers' performance.

Barrier options
Option contracts that remain dormant until a trigger point (the barrier price) is reached, at which point the call or put option is activated and results either in a long or short options position, or in the automatic exercise of an options position. One example is an up-and-in call. Assume an exercise price of $50 and a barrier price of $53. If the stock stays below $53, the call option cannot be exercised. If the stock price reaches the $53 barrier price, the holder then has a call option on the shares at $50. These are exotic options. Financial glossary.

Barron's confidence index
Index measuring the ratio of the averageyield on 10 top-grade bonds to the average yield on 10 intermediate-grade bonds. The discrepancy between high-rated top-grade bonds and low-rated bond yields establishes a measure that is indicative of investor confidence. Financial glossary.

Barter
The trading/exchange of goods or services without using currency.

Base
A technical analysis tool. A chart pattern depicting the period when the supply and demand of a certain stock are in relative equilibrium, resulting in a narrow trading range. The merging of the support level and resistance level.

Base currency
Applies mainly to international equities. Currency in which gains or losses from operating an international portfolio are measured.

Base market value
The average market price of a group of securities at a specific time. Used for the purpose of indexing. Financial glossary.

Base period
A particular period of time used for comparative purposes when measuring economic data.

Base probability of loss
The probability of not achieving a portfolio expected return. Financial glossary.

Base rate
British equivalent of the US prime rate.

Basic balance
In a balance of payments, the basic balance is the net balance of the combination of the current account and the capital account.

Basic business strategies
Key strategies a firm intends to pursue in carrying out its business plan. Financial glossary.

Basic IRR rule
Accept the project if IRR is higher than the discount rate; reject the project if it is lower than the discount rate. It is wise to also consider net present value for project evaluation.

Basis
The price an investor pays for a security plus any out-of-pocket expenses. It is used to determine capital gains or losses for tax purposes when the stock is sold. Also, for a futures contract, the difference between the cash price and the futures price observed in the market.

Basis point
In the bondmarket, the smallest measure used for quoting yields is a basis point. Each percentage point of yield in bonds equals 100 basis points. Basis points also are used for interest rates. An interest rate of 5% is 50 basis points higher than an interest rate of 4.5%. Sometimes referred to as BPS, BIPS and pronounced "Bips". Financial glossary.

Basis price
Price expressed in terms of yield to maturity or annual rate of return.

Basis risk
Unexpected changes in the basis between the placing and the lifting of a hedge. Basis risk is in excess of convergence.

Basket
Applies to derivative products. Group of stocks that is formed with the intention of either being bought or sold all at once, usually to perform index arbitrage or a hedging program.

Basket options
Packages that involve the exchange of more than two currencies against a base currency at expiration. The basket option buyer purchases the right, but not the obligation, to receive designated currencies in exchange for a base currency, either at the prevailing foreign exchange market rate or at a prearranged rate of exchange. Multinational corporations with multicurrency cash flows frequently use basket options because it is generally cheaper to buy an option on a basket of currencies than to buy individual options on each of the currencies that make up the basket. Financial glossary.

BD form
An SEC document required of brokerage houses that outlines the firm's finances and officers.

BDS Statistic
A statistic based upon the correlation integral which examines the probability that a purely random system could have the same scaling properties as the system under study.

Bear
An investor who believes a stock or the overall market will decline. A bear market is a prolonged period of falling stock prices, usually by 20% or more. Financial glossary.

Bear CD
A bear CD pays the holder a fraction of any fall in a given market index.

Bear hug
Often used in risk arbitrage. Hostile takeover attempt in which the acquirer offers an exceptionally large premium over the market value of the acquiree's shares so as to as to squeeze (hug) the target into acceptance.

Bear market
Any market in which prices exhibit a declining trend. For a prolonged period, usually falling by 20% or more. Financial glossary.

Bear raid
In the context of general equities, attempt by investors to move the price of a stock opportunistically by selling large numbers of shares short. The investors pocket the difference between the initial price and the new, lower price after this maneuver. This technique is illegal under SEC rules, which stipulate that every shortsale must be on an uptick.

Bear spread
Applies to derivative products. Strategy in the options or futures markets designed to take advantage of a fall in the price of a security or commodity. A bear spread with call options is created by buying a call option with a certain strike price and selling a call option on the same stock with a lower strike price (with the same expiration date). A bear spread with put options is where an investor buys a put with a high strike price and sells a put with a low strike price. With futures, the investor sells the nearby contract and purchases the next out contract. All of these strategies are designed to profit from a fall in the underlying asset's price. Financial glossary.

Bear trap
The predicament facing short sellers when a bear market reverses its trend and becomes bullish. The assets continue to sell in anticipation of further declines in price and short sellers then are forced to cover at higher prices.

Bearer bond
Bonds that are not registered on the books of the issuer. Such bonds are held in physical form by the owner, who receives interest payments by physically detaching coupons from the bond certificate and delivering them to the paying agent.

Bearer form
Describes issue form of security not registered on the issuing corporation's books and therefore payable to its bearer.

Bearer share
Security not registered on the books of the issuing corporation and thus payable to possessor of the shares. Negotiable without endorsement and transferred by delivery, thus avoiding some of the control associated with ordinary shares. Dividends are payable upon presentation of dividend coupons, which are dated or numbered. Applies mainly to international equities.

Bearish
Words used to describe investor attitude. A bearish investor believes that a particular asset or the market as a whole will decline in value. Financial glossary.

Beating the gun
In the context of general equities, gaining an advantageous price in a trade through a quick response to market developments.

Before-tax contributions
The portion of an employee's salary contributed to a retirement plan before federal income taxes are deducted; this reduces the individual's gross income for federal tax purposes.

Before tax profit margin
The ratio of net income before taxes to net sales. Financial glossary.

Beggar thy neighbor
An international trade policy of competitive devaluations and increased protective barriers that one country institutes to gain at the expense of its trading partners.

Beggar thy neighbor devaluation
A devaluation that is designed to cheapen a nation's currency and thereby increase its exports at the expense of other countries. Devaluation can also reduce a nation's imports. Such devaluations often lead to trade wars.

Behind
Used for listed equity securities. At the same price but entered after your order/interest, such as on the specialist's book. Financial glossary.

Bell
Signal on a stock exchange to indicate the open and close of trading.

Below par
Less than the nominal or face value of a security.

Benchmark
The performance of a predetermined set of securities, used for comparison purposes. Such sets may be based on published indexes or may be customized to suit an investment strategy.

Benchmark error
Use of an inappropriate proxy for the true market portfolio. Financial glossary.

Benchmark interest rate
Also called base interest rate, it is the minimum interest rate investors will demand for investing in a non-Treasury security. It is also tied to the yield to maturity offered on the comparable maturity treasury security that was most recently issued (on-the-run). Financial glossary.

Benchmark issue
Also called on-the-run or current-couponissue or bellwether issue. In the secondary market, the benchmark issue is the most recently auctioned Treasury issues for each maturity.

Beneath
Used for listed equity securities. a) Behind; b) Lower in price.

Beneficial Owner
As used for most purposes under the federal securities laws. A beneficial owner of stock is any person or entity with sole or shared power to vote or dispose of the stock. This SEC definition is intended to include a holder who enjoys the benefits of ownership although the shares may be held in another name. Financial glossary.

Beneficial ownership
Often used in risk arbitrage. Person who enjoys the benefits of ownership even though title is in another name.

Beneficiary
Term used to refer to the person who receives the benefits of a trust or the recipient of the proceeds of a life insurance policy.

Bequest
Property left to an heir under the terms of a will. Financial glossary.

Best's rating
A rating A.M. Best Co. assigns to insurance companies based on the company's ability to meet its obligations to its policyholders.

Best efforts
A high standard of undertaking, but nevertheless excusable in the event of a force majeure. Financial glossary.

Best-efforts sale
A method of securities distribution/underwriting in which the securities firm agrees to sell as much of the offering as possible and return any unsold shares to the issuer. As opposed to a guaranteed or fixed-pricesale or bought deal, in which the underwriter agrees to sell a specific number of shares and holds any unsold shares in its own account if necessary.

Best interests of creditors test
The requirement that a claim holder voting against a plan of reorganization must receive at least as much as if the debtor were liquidated.

Beta
The measure of an asset'srisk in relation to the market (for example, the S&P500) or to an alternative benchmark or factors. Roughly speaking, a security with a beta of 1.5, will have move, on average, 1.5 times the market return. [More precisely, that stock'sexcess return (over and above a short-term money market rate) is expected to move 1.5 times the market excess return).] According to asset pricing theory, beta represents the type of risk, systematic risk, that cannot be diversified away. When using beta, there are a number of issues that you need to be aware of: (a) betas may change through time; (b) betas may be different depending on the direction of the market (i.e. betas may be greater for down moves in the market rather than up moves); (c) the estimated beta will be biased if the security does not frequently trade; (d) the beta is not necessarily a complete measure of risk (you may need multiple betas). Also, note that the beta is a measure of comovement, not volatility. It is possible for a security to have a zero beta and higher volatility than the market. Financial glossary.

Bid
The price a potential buyer is willing to pay for a security. Sometimes also used in the context of takeovers where one corporation is bidding for (trying to buy) another corporation. In trading, we have the bid-ask spread which is the difference between what buyers are willing to pay and what sellers are asking for in terms of price. Financial glossary.

Bid away
Refers to over-the-counter trading. Bid from another dealer exists at the same or higher (OTC) price.

Bid-asked spread
The difference between the bid and the asked prices.

Bid bond
A bid "performance" bond consisting of a small percentage (1-3%) of the tender contract price, refunded to losers once the contract is awarded.

Bid price
This is the quoted bid, or the highest price an investor is willing to pay to buy a security. Practically speaking, this is the available price at which an investor can sell shares of stock.

Bid-to-cover ratio
The ratio of the number of bids received in a Treasury security auction compared to the number of accepted bids. Financial glossary.

Bid wanted
Used in the context of general equities. Announcement that a holder of securities wants to sell and will entertain bids.

Bidder
A firm or person that wants to buy a firm or security. Financial glossary.

Bidding buyer
In the context of general equities, a nonaggressive buyer who prefers to await a natural seller in the hope of paying a lower price.

Bidding through the market
In the context of general equities, aggressive willingness to purchase a security at a premium to the inside market. Contrasts with bidding buyer.

Bidding up
Moving the bid price higher.

Bifurcation
When a non-linear dynamic system develops twice the possible solutions that it had before it passed its critical level. A bifurcation cascade is often called the period doubling route to chaos because the transition from an orderly system to a chaotic system often occurs when the number of possible solutions begins increasing, doubling each time.

Bifurcation Diagram
A graph that shows the critical points where bifurcation occurs and the possible solutions that exist at that point.

Big Bang
The term applied to the liberalization in 1986 of the London Stock Exchange (LSE) when trading was automated.

Big Board
A nickname for the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Also known as The Exchange. More than 2,000 common and preferred stocks are traded. Founded in 1792, the NYSE is the oldest exchange in the United States and the largest. It is located on Wall Street in New York City. Financial glossary.

Big picture
To highlight trading interest due to the size of the trade.

Big producer
A successful broker who generates a large volume of commission.

Big uglies
Unpopular stocks.

Bilateral Netting
Bilateral netting - the consolidation of all swap agreements between two counterparties into one master agreement. The result is that if one counterparty bankrupts, that counterparty cannot seek to collect on any swaps that are in-the-money to them while at the same time refusing to pay out on any that are out-of-the-money. Instead, the master agreement sets out that in this event all swaps between the two counterparties will be netted; only then will the bankrupt company receive money and then only if they are net in-the-money.

Bill of exchange
General term for a document demanding payment. Financial glossary.

Bill of lading
A contract between an exporter and a transportation company in which the latter agrees to transport the goods under specified conditions that limit its liability. It is the exporter's receipt for the goods as well as proof that goods have been or will be received.

Billing cycle
The time elapsed between billing periods for goods sold or services rendered.

Binder
An amount of money paid to indicate good faith in a transaction before the transaction is completed. Financial glossary.

Binomial option pricing model
An option pricing model in which the underlying asset can assume one of only two possible, discrete values in the next time period for each value that it can take on in the preceding time period.

Bi-weekly mortgage loan
A mortgage loan on which interest and principal payments are made every half-month (total of 26 payments) as opposed to monthly payments. This results in earlier loan retirement.

Black Friday
A precipitous drop in a financial market . The original Black Friday occurred on September 24, 1869, when prospectors attempted to corner the gold market.

Black market
An illegal market.

Black Monday
Refers to October 19, 1987, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 508 points on the heels of sharp drops the previous week. On Monday, October 27, 1997, the Dow dropped 554 points. While the point drop set a new record, the percentage decline was substantially less than in 1987. Financial glossary.

Black-Scholes option-pricing model
A model for pricing call options based on arbitrage arguments. Uses the stock price, the exercise price, the risk-freeinterest rate, the time to expiration and the expected standard deviation of the stock return. Developed by Fischer Black and Myron Scholes in 1973.

Blank check
A check that is duly signed, but the amount of the check is left blank to be supplied by the drawee.

Blank check offering
An initial public offering by a company whose business activities are undefined and therefore peculative.

Blank Check Preferred Stock
This is stock over which the board of directors has broad authority to determine voting, dividend, conversion and other rights. While it can be used to enable a company to meet changing financial needs, its most important use is to implement poison pills or to prevent takeovers by placement of this stock with friendly investors.

Blanket fidelity bond
SEC-required insurance coverage that brokerage firms are required to have in order to cover fraudulent trading by employees.

Blanket inventory lien
A secured loan that gives the lender a lien against all the borrower's inventories.

Blanket recommendation
A recommendation by a brokerage firm sent to all its customers advising that they buy or sell a particular stock regardless of investment objectives or portfolio size.

Blind pool
A limited partnership that does not announce its intentions as to what properties will be acquired.

Blind trust
A trust in which a fiduciary third party has total discretion to make investments on behalf of a beneficiary while the beneficiary is uninformed about the holdings of the trust.

Blitzkrieg tender offer
In the context of a takeover, refers to a tender offer that is priced so attractively that the tender is completed quickly. Financial glossary.

Block
Large quantity of stock or large dollar amount of bondsheld or traded. As a rule of thumb, 10,000 shares or more of stock and $200,000 or more worth of bonds would be described as a block.

Block call
In the context of general equities, conference meeting during which customer indications and orders, along with the traders' own buy/sell preferences, are conveyed to the entire organization.

Block house
Brokerage firms that help to find potential buyers or sellers of large block trades.

Block list
In the context of general equities, listing of stock the investment bank is looking for (wants to buy) or (wants to sell) at the beginning of the day, whether on an agency or principal basis.

Block trade
A large trading order, defined on the New York Stock Exchange as an order that consists of 10,000 shares of a given stock or at a total market value of $200,000 or more.

Block trader
A dealer who will take a position in the block trades to accommodate customer buyers and sellers of blocks.

Block voting
Describes a group of shareholders banding together to vote their shares in a single block.

Blocked currency
A currency that is not freely convertible to other currencies due to exchange controls. Financial glossary.

Blocked funds
Cash flows generated by a foreign project that cannot be immediately repatriated to the parent firm because of capital flow restrictions imposed by the host government.

Blow-off top
A steep and rapid increase in price followed by a steep and rapid drop. This is an indicator seen in charts and used in technical analysis of stock price and market trends.

Blowout
The rapid sale of all shares in a new securities offering.

Blue list
Daily financial publication featuring bonds offered for sale by dealers and banks that represent billions of dollars in par value. Also available on-line at www.bluelist.com.

Blue-chip company
Used in the context of general equities. Large and creditworthy company. Company renowned for the quality and wide acceptance of its products or services and for its ability to make money and pay dividends.

Blue chip stocks
Common stock of well-known companies with a history of growth and dividend payments. Financial glossary.

Blue-sky laws
State laws covering the issue and trading of securities.

Bo Derek stock
High quality stock.

Board broker
Employee of the Chicago Board Options Exchange who manages away from the market orders, which cannot be executed immediately.

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, which sets 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.

Bogey
The return an investment manager is compared to for performance evaluation. Financial glossary.

Boiler room
Used to describe place or operation in which unscrupulous salespeople call and try to sell people speculative, even fraudulent securities. Financial glossary.

Boilerplate
Standard terms and conditions.

Bolsa
Spanish for stock exchange.

Bolsa de Commercio de Santiago
Chile's preeminent stock exchange.

Bolsa de Valores de Rio de Janeiro
Brazil's second-largest stock exchange.

Bolsa de Valores de Sao Paulo
The largest stock exchange in Brazil.

Bolt
Used for listed equity securities. Block trading version of COLT.

Bond
Bonds are debt and are issued for a period of more than one year. The US government, local governments, water districts, companies and many other types of institutions sell bonds. When an investor buys bonds, he or she is lending money. The seller of the bond agrees to repay the principal amount of the loan at a specified time. Interest-bearing bonds pay interest periodically.

Bond agreement
A contract for privately placed debt.

Bond anticipation note
A short-termdebt instrument issued by a state or municipality to borrow against the proceeds of an upcoming bondissue.

Bond broker
A broker on the floor of an exchange or in the over-the-counter market (OTC) who trades bonds. Financial glossary.

Bond Buyer
A daily publication featuring many essential statistics and index figures relevant to the fixed income markets.

Bond Buyer's municipal bond index
A municipal bond price tracking index published daily by the Bond Buyer.

Bond counsel
An attorney who prepares the legal opinion concerning a municipal bondissue.

Bond covenant
A contractual provision in a bond indenture. A positive covenant requires certain actions and a negative covenant limits certain actions.

Bond crowd
Members of the stock exchange who transact bond orders on the floor of the exchange.

Bond discount
The difference by which a bond's market price is lower than its face value. 

Bond-equivalent basis
The method used for computing the bond-equivalent yield. Financial glossary.

Bond equivalent yield
Bond yield calculated on an annual percentage rate method. Differs from annual effective yield.

Bond fund
A mutual fund that emphasizes income - consistent with risk, rather than growth - by investing in corporate, municipal or US government debt obligations or some combination of them.

Bond indenture
Contract that sets forth the promises of a bond issuer and the rights of investors. Financial glossary.

Bond indexing
Designing a bond portfolio so that its performance will match the performance of some bond index.

Bond market association
An international trade association of broker/dealers and banks in US government and federal agency securities, municipal securities, mortgage-backed securities and money market securities.

Bond mutual fund
A mutual fund which primarily or exclusively holds bonds.

Bond of Indemnity
An insurance policy that indemnifies the corporation, the shareholder and the Transfer Agent against any and all claims arising from the replacement by the Transfer Agent of certificates lost or stolen.

Bond points
A conventional unit of measure for bond prices set at $1 and equivalent to 1% of the $100 face value of the bond. A price of 80 means that the bond is selling at 80% of its face or par value. Financial glossary.

Bond power
A form used in the transfer of registered bonds from one owner to a different owner.

Bond rating
A rating based on the possibility of default by a bond issuer. 

Bond ratio
The percentage of a company's capitalization represented by bonds. The ratio is calculated by dividing the total bonds due after one year by that same figure plus all other equity.

Bond swap
The sale of one bondissue and purchase of another bond issue simultaneously. Financial glossary.

Bond value
With respect to convertible bonds, the value the security would have if it were not convertible. That is, the market value of the bond minus the value of the conversion option.

Bondholder
A firm often has stockholders and bondholders. In a liquidation, the bondholders have first priority.

BONDPAR
A system that monitors and evaluates the performance of a fixed income portfolio, as well as the individual securities held in the portfolio. BONDPAR decomposes the return into the elements beyond the manager's control-such as the interest rate environment and client-imposed duration policy constraints-and those that the management process contributes to, such as interest rate management, sector/quality allocations and individual bond selection.

Bonds Enabling Annual Retirement Savings (BEARS)
Holders of BEARS receive the face value of the bonds underlying call option, which is exercised by CUBS (an acronym for Calls Underwritten by Swanbrook). If the calls are exercised by CUBS, BEARS holders receive the total of the exercise price. Financial glossary.

Boning
Charging a lot more for an asset than its worth.

Book
A banker or trader's positions.

Book cash
A firm's cash balance as reported in its financial statements.

Book to market
The ratio of book value to market value of equity. A high ratio is often interpreted as a value stock (the market is valuing equity relatively cheaply compared to book value). This is the same as a low price-to-book value ratio. Value managers often form portfolios of securities with high book to market values.

Book profit
The cumulative book income plus any gain or loss on disposition of assets. Financial glossary.

Book runner
The managing underwriter for a new issue. The book runner maintains the book of securities sold.

Book to bill
The book-to-bill ratio is the ratio of orders taken (booked) to products shipped and bills sent (billed). The ratio measures whether the company has more orders than it can deliver (>1), equal amounts (=1), or less (<1). This ratio is of significant interest to investors/traders in the high-technology sector. Financial glossary.

Book value
A company's total assets minus intangible assets and liabilities, such as debt. A company'sbook value might be higher or lower than its market value.

Book value per share
The ratio of stockholder equity to the average number of common shares. Book value per share should not be thought of as an indicator of economic worth, since it reflects accounting valuation.

Book entry
Registered ownership of stock without the issuance of a corresponding stock certificate, as is the case with dividend reinvestment and direct purchase plans, employee plans and Direct Registration System issuances. Periodic statements of ownership are issued instead of certificates.

Book entry securities
Securities which are not represented by paper certificates but are maintained in computerized records at the Fed in the names of member banks, which in turn keep computer records of the securities they own as well as those they are holding for customers. In the case of other securities where a book-entry has developed, certificates reside in a central clearinghouse or are held by another agent. These securities do not move from holder to holder. Financial glossary.

Bootstrap
Term used to describe the start-up of a company with very little capital.

Bootstrapping
Creating a theoretical spot rate curve using one yield projection as the basis for the yield of the next maturity. Bootstrapping follows the work of Efron. It involves a Monte Carlo approach.

Borrow
To obtain or receive money on loan with the promise or understanding that it will be repaid. Financial glossary.

Borrowed reserves
Funds borrowed from a Federal Reserve Bank by member banks to maintain the required reserve ratios.

Borrower fallout
In the mortgage pipeline, the risk that prospective borrowers of loans committed to be closed will elect to withdraw from the contract.

Bot
Shorthand for bought.

Bottom
Refers to the basesupport level for market prices of any type. Also used in the context of securities to refer to the lowest market price of a security during a specific time-frame.

Bottom fisher
An investor seeking stocks that have fallen to prices at or near their bottom, which he or she believes will trend up in the future.

Bottomline growth
Growth in net profit.

Bottom-up equity management style
A management style that de-emphasizes the significance of economic and market cycles, focusing instead on the analysis of individual stocks.

Bought deal
Security issue in which one or two underwriters buy the entire issue. Also known as a guaranteed or fixed-price sale; opposite of a best-efforts sale.

Bounce
A check returned by a bank because it is not payable, usually because of insufficient funds. Also used in the context of securities to refer to the rejection and ensuing reclamation of a security; a stock price's abrupt decline and recovery. Financial glossary.

Bourse
French for a stock market.

Boutique
A small, specialized brokerage firm that offers limited services and products to a limited number of clients. Financial glossary.

Box
The actual physical location at a brokerage house or bank where securities or other documents are stored for safe keeping. Alternatively, a quotation machine or battery march.

Box spread
This strategy refers to a type of option arbitrage in which both a bull spread and a bear spread are implemented for an almost-riskless position. One spread is implemented using put options and the other is implemented with calls. The spreads may both be debit spreads (call bull spread vs. put bear spread) or both credit spreads (call bear spread vs. put bull spread).

Bracket
A term signifying the extent of an underwriter's commitment in a new issue, e.g. major bracket or minor bracket.

Bracket creep
The gradual movement into higher tax brackets when incomes increase as a result of inflation.

Brady bonds
Bonds issued by emerging countries under a debt reduction plan.

Branch
An operation in a foreign country incorporated in the home country.

Breadth
The percentage of assets or stocks advancing relative to those unchanged or declining. Also the number of independent forecasts available per year. A stock picker forecasting returns to 100 stocks every quarter exhibits a breadth of 400, assuming each forecast is independent (based on separate information). Financial glossary.

Breadth of the market
In the context of general equities, percentage of stocks participating in a particular market move. Technical analysts say there was significant breadth if two-thirds of the stocks listed on an exchange move in the same direction during a trading session.

Break
A rapid and sharp price decline.

Break even
The reduction of a project's netcash flow to zero by altering an input variable such as price or costs.

Break price
Used in the context of general equities. Change one's offering or bid prices to move to a more realistic, tight level where execution is more feasible. Often done to trim one's position, thus "breaking price" from where the trades occurred (if long, "break price" downward by a certain amount).

Break-even analysis
An analysis of the level of sales at which a project would make zero profit.

Break-even lease payment
The lease payment at which a party to a prospective lease is indifferent between entering and not entering into a lease arrangement.

Break-even payment rate
The prepayment rate of an MBScoupon that will produce the same cash flow yield (CFY) as that of a predetermined benchmark MBS coupon. Used to identify for coupons higher than the benchmark coupon the prepayment rate that will produce the same cash flow yield (CFY) as that of the benchmark coupon; and for coupons lower than the benchmark coupon the lowest prepayment rate that will do so. Financial glossary. 

Break-even point
Refers to the price at which a transaction produces neither a gain nor a loss. In the context of options, the term has the additional definitions:
1. Longcalls and short uncovered calls: strike price plus premium.
2. Longputs and short uncovered puts: strike price minus premium.
3. Short covered call: purchase price of underlying stock minus premium.
4. Shortput covered by shortstock: shortsale price of underlying stock plus premium.

Break-even tax rate
The tax rate at which a party to a prospective transaction is indifferent between entering into and not entering into the transaction.

Breaking the syndicate
Terminating an agreement among underwriters, specifically the investment banking group assembled to underwrite the issue of a security.

Breakout
A rise in a security's price above a resistance level (commonly its previous high price) or a drop below a level of support (commonly the former lowest price.) A breakout is taken to signify a continuing move in the same direction. Can be used by technical analysts as a buy or sell indicator. Financial glossary.

Breakpoint
For mutual funds, the point at which the amount invested reduces the sales charge is called the "breakpoint." Each mutual fund may have several breakpoints; the larger the investment, the greater the discount. Note that the actual reduction in the sales charge is known as the "breakpoint discount". Also, the term "breakpointing" is sometimes used to refer to the offering of breakpoint discounts. The practice of soliciting mutual fund purchases just below the breakpoint (to earn more commissions) is considered unethical and in violation of NASD rules.

Breakpoint Sale
For mutual funds, this refers to the practice of soliciting mutual fund purchases just below the breakpoint (to earn more commissions). The practice is considered unethical and in violation of NASD rules. Financial glossary.

Bretton Woods Agreement
An agreement signed by the original United Nations members in 1944 that established the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the post-World War II international monetary system of fixed exchange rates.

Bridge financing
Interim financing of one sort or another used to solidify a position until more permanent financing is arranged.

"Bring it out"
In the context of general equities, "make stock available for sale to indicated buyers."

British clearers
The large clearing banks that dominate deposit taking and short-term lending in the domestic sterling market.

Broad-Base
Generally referring to an index, it indicates that the index is composed of a sufficient number of stocks or of stocks in a variety of industry groups.

Broad tape
An expanded version of the ticker tape, which is displayed on a screen in the board room of a brokerage firm and shows constantly updated financial information and news.

Broken up
Used for listed equity securities. Prevented from executing a trade (committed to upstairs) due to exchange priority rules excluding one's order (e.g., higher bid/lower offer on floor, market order to satisfy).

Broker
An individual who is paid a commission for executing customer orders. Either a floor broker who executes orders on the floor of the exchange or an upstairs broker who handles retail customers and their orders. Also, person who acts as an intermediary between a buyer and seller, usually charging a commission. A "broker" who specializes in stocks, bonds, commodities or options acts as an agent and must be registered with the exchange where the securities are traded. Financial glossary.

Broker-dealer
Any person, other than a bank, engaged in the business of buying or selling securities on its own behalf or for others.

Brokered CD
A certificate of deposit issued by a bank or thrift institution bought by a brokerage firm in bulk for the purpose of reselling to brokerage customers. A broker CD features a higher interest rate, usually 1% higher and are FDIC insured and do not usually have commissions. Financial glossary.

Brokered market
A market in which an intermediary offers search services to buyers and sellers.

Brokers' loans
Money borrowed by brokers from banks for uses such as financing specialists's inventories of stock, financing the underwriting of new issues of corporate and municipal securities and financing customer margin accounts. Financial glossary.

Brought over the wall
Compelling a research analyst of an investment bank to work in the underwriting department for a corporate client, therefore allowing for the transmission of insider information.

Brussels Stock Exchange
Stock exchange that handles the majority of securities transactions in Belgium.

Bubble theory
A theory under which security prices sometimes move wildly above their true values or the price falls sharply until the "bubble bursts". It is also possible for a bubble to deflate gradually.

Budget
A detailed pro forma schedule of financial activity, such as an advertising budget, a sales budget or a capital budget.

Budget deficit
The amount by which government spending exceeds government revenues.

Buck
Slang for one million dollars.

Bucket shop
An illegal brokerage firm that accepts customer orders but does not attain immediate executions. A bucket shop broker promises the customer a certain price, but waits until a price discrepancy is present and the trade is advantageous to the firm and then keeps the difference as profit. Alternatively, the broker may never fill the customer's order but keep the money.

Budget surplus
The amount by which government revenues exceed government spending.

Build a book
In the context of general equities, develop customer orders to gather demand/supply in order to make a bid or an offer. Also refers to a commissioned salesperson amassing a 'book' of regular clients.

Build Own Transfer
The transfer of a project back to the party granting the concession, either with or at no cost.

Builder buydown loan
A mortgage loan on newly developed property that the builder subsidizes during the early years of the development. The builder uses cash to buydown the mortgage rate to a lower level than the prevailing market loan rate for some period of time. The typical buydown is 3% of the interest rate amount for the first year, 2% for the second year and 1% for the third year (also referred to as a 3-2-1 buydown). Financial glossary.

Builders' All Risk
A standard construction insurance package.

Bulge
A short-lived stock price increase. Synonymous with bubble. Financial glossary.

Bulge bracket
A tier of firms in an underwriting syndicate that have the highest participation level.

Bull
An investor who thinks the market will rise.

Bull-bear bond
Bond whose principal repayment is linked to the price of another security. The bonds are issued in two tranches: In the first tranche repayment increases with the price of the other security and in the second tranche repayment decreases with the price of the other security.

Bull CD
A bull CD pays its holder a specified percentage of the increase in return on a specified market index while guaranteeing a minimum rate of return.

Bull market
Any market in which prices are in an upward trend.

Bull spread
A spread strategy used in options and futures trading that is designed to capitalize on expected price appreciation. A bull spread using call options is created by buying a call option on an asset with a certain strike price and selling a call option on the same asset with a higher strike price (same expiration date). A bull spread with put options is created by buying a put option with a low strike and selling a put option with a high strike price (same expiration date). Less frequently, the bull spread is implemented by buying the nearby futures contract and selling the next out contract. Financial glossary.

Bulldog bond
Foreign bond issue made in London.

Bulldog market
The foreign market in the United Kingdom.

Bullet
A one-time repayment, often after little or no amortization of the loan.

Bullet contract
A guaranteed investment contract purchased with a single (one-shot) premium.

Bullet loan
A bank term loan that calls for no amortization.

Bullet strategy
A fixed income strategy in which a portfolio is constructed so that the maturities of its securities are highly concentrated at one point on the yield curve.

Bullion coins
Metal coins consisting of gold, silver, platinum or palladium that are actively traded. Some examples include the American eagle and the Canadian maple leaf. Their price is directly connected to the underlying price of their metal. Financial glossary.

Bullish
Word used to describe an investor's attitude. Bullish refers to an optimistic outlook, while bearish means a pessimistic outlook.

Bump-up CD
A certificate of deposit granting the owner the right to increase its yield one time for the remaining term of the CD. The power is exercised by the owner in the event of an interest rate hike.

Bunching
Describes the act of traders combining round-lot orders for execution at the same time. Bunching can also be used to combine odd-lot orders to save the odd-lot differential for customers. Also used to refer to the pattern on the ticker tape when a series of trades for a security appear consecutively.

Bundling, unbundling
Creation of securities either by combining primitive and derivative securities into one composite hybrid or by separating returns on an asset into classes.

Bureau of Labor Statistics
A research agency of the U.S. Department of Labor; it compiles statistics on hours of work, average hourly earnings, employment and unemployment, consumer prices and many other variables.

Burn rate
Used in venture capital financing to refer to the rate at which a startup company expends capital to finance overhead costs prior to the generation of positive cash flow.

Burnout
Depletion of a tax shelter's benefits. In the context of mortgage backed securities it refers to the percentage of the pool that has prepaid their mortgage.

Business Combination laws
These laws impose a moratorium on certain kinds of transactions (e.g. asset sales,) between a large shareholder and the firm for a period usually ranging between three and five years after the shareholder's stake passes a pre-specified (minority) threshold. These laws are in place in more than half the U.S. states.

Business cycle
Repetitive cycles of economic expansion and contractions. The official peaks and troughs of the US cycle are determined by the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, MA.

Business day
A day in which financial markets are open for trading. Financial glossary.

Business failure
A business that has terminated operations with a loss to creditors.

Business risk
The risk that the cash flow of an issuer will be impaired because of adverse economic conditions, making it difficult for the issuer to meet its operating expenses.

Business segment reporting
Reporting the results of the separate divisions or subsidiaries of a business.

Busted convertible
Related: Fixed income equivalent. Mainly applies to convertible securities. Convertible bond selling essentially as a straightbond. Assuming the issuer is "money good," or will continue to meet credit obligations, such issues can be highly attractive since the price makes virtually no allowance for the bond's call on the common stock, when most such issues usually carry premiums.

Bust-up takeover
A leveraged buyout in which the buyer sells off the assets of the target company to repay the debt that financed the takeover.

Butterfly
In the context of equities, a firm with two divisions may split into two companies and issue original shareholders two shares (one in each of the new companies) for every old share they have.

Butterfly shift
A nonparallel shift in the yield curve involving the height of the curve.

Butterfly spread
Applies to derivative products. Complex option strategy that involves buying a call option with a relatively low strike price; buying a call option with a relatively high strike price; and selling two call options with an intermediate strike price. Essentially, this is a bear call spread stacked on top of a bull call spread. One can also do this with puts. The investor buys a put with a low strike, buys a put at high strike and sells two puts at intermediate strike price. The payoff diagram resembles the shape of a butterfly. Financial glossary.

Buy
To purchase an asset; taking a long position.

Buy-and-hold strategy
A passive investment strategy with no active buying and selling of stocks from the time the portfolio is created until the end of the investment horizon.

Buy-and-write strategy
An options strategy that calls for the purchase of stocks and the writing of covered call options on them.

Buy the book
An order typically from a large institutional investor to a broker to purchase all the shares available at the market from the specialist and other brokers and dealers at the current offer price. The book refers to the record a specialist kept before the advent of computers.

Buydown
A lump sum payment made to the creditor by the borrower or by a third party to reduce the amount of some or all of the consumer's periodic payments to repay the indebtedness.

Buy in
To cover, offset or close out a short position.

Buy limit order
A conditional trading order that indicates a security may be purchased only at the designated price or lower. Financial glossary.

Buy minus order
In the context of general equities, rare market or limit order to buy a stated amount of a stock, provided that the price to be obtained is not higher than the last sale if the last sale is a minus or zero-minus tick and is not higher than the last sale minus the minimum fractional change in the stock if the last sale is a plus or zero-plus tick. (If limit, then the buy cannot occur above the limit, regardless of tick.)

Buy on the bad news
Buying stock shortly after a price drop resulting from bad news from the company. Investors believe that the price has hit bottom and will trend upward.

Buy on close
Buying at the end of the trading session at a price within the closing range.

Buy on margin
Borrowing to buy additional shares, using the shares themselves as collateral.

Buy on opening
Buying at the beginning of a trading session at a price within the opening range.

Buy order
An order to a broker to purchase a specific quantity of a security.

Buy-side analyst
A financial analyst employed by a nonbrokerage firm, typically one of the larger money management firms that purchases securities on its own account.

Buy stop order
A buy order not to be executed until the market price rises to the stop price. Once the security has broken through that price, the order is then treated as a market order. Also known as a suspended market order. Often used to protect against loss on a short sale. Financial glossary.

"Buy them back"
Used for listed equity securities. "Cover my short position.

Buyback
The covering of a short position by purchasing a long contract, usually resulting from the short sale of a commodity. a) Also used in the context of bonds. The purchase of corporate bonds by the issuing company at a discount in the open market. b) Also used in the context of corporate finance. When a firm elects to repurchase some of the shares trading in the market. Financial glossary.

Buydown
Mortgages in which monthly payments consist of principal and interest. During the early part of the loan, portions of these payments are provided by a third party to reduce the borrower's monthly payments. In the context of project financing, refers to a one-time payment out of liquidated damages to reflect cash flow losses from sustained underperformance.

Buyer credit
A financing provided to a buyer to pay for the supply of goods or services usually by an exporting country or by the supplier company.

Buyer's market
Market in which the supply exceeds the demand, creating lower prices.

Buyers/sellers on balance
Used for listed equity securities. Indicates that at a given time (usually before the opening of a stock market or at expiration time), there are more buyers than sellers in the marketplace, usually with market orders.

Buying climax
A rapid rise in the price of a stock resulting from heavy buying, which usually creates the market condition for a rapid fall in the price.

Buying the index
Purchasing the stocks in the S&P 500 in the same proportion as the index to achieve the same return. Financial glossary.

Buying power
The amount of money available to buy securities, determined by adding the total cash held in brokerage accounts and the amount that could be spent if securities were margined to the limit.

Buyout
Purchase of a controlling interest (or percent of shares) of a company's stock. A leveraged buy out is effected with borrowed money.

Bylaws
Rules and practices that govern management of an organization.

Bylaw Amendment Limitations
These provisions limit shareholders' ability to amend the governing documents of the corporation. This might take the form of a super majority vote requirement for charter or bylaw amendments, total elimination of the ability of shareholders to amend the bylaws or the ability of directors beyond the provisions of state law to amend the bylaws without shareholder approval. Financial glossary.

Bypass trust
An irrevocable trust that is designed to pay trust income (and principal, if needed) to an individual's spouse for the duration of the spouse's lifetime. The bypass trust is not part of the beneficiary spouse's estate and is not subject to federal estate taxes upon his/her death. Financial glossary.