external balance

the current account balance; the net flow of liquid assets to the citizens of a particular country. The external balance includes the trade balance, net foreign factor income, and net foreign aid *received*. Usually the main cause of an external deficit is a trade deficit.
External balances are critical to good economic policies.
by Abu Yahya February 14, 2009
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external balance

the current account balance; the net flow of liquid assets to the citizens of a particular country. The external balance includes the trade balance, net foreign factor income, and net foreign aid *received*. Usually the main cause of an external deficit is a trade deficit.
External balances are critical to good economic policies.
by Abu Yahya February 14, 2009
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bank of issue

(ECONOMICS) A bank that is empowered to issue currency. In the USA, between 1863 (National Bank Act) and 1935, any bank with a federally issued charter (i.e., a national bank) was allowed to issue currency. After 1914, few did.

The US Treasury issued a small number of banknotes until 1971.

In the UK, banknotes of the Bank of England are legal tender; but the Royal Bank of Scotland is also a bank of issue.

Today, in almost every country of the world, the sole bank of issue is the central bank of that country.
The People's Bank of China is the bank of issue for the People's Republic of China.
by Abu Yahya May 05, 2010
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real interest rate

(ECONOMICS) the difference between the nominal interest rate and the rate of inflation; the actual premium charged by banks for lendable funds.

The real interest rate can be determined by subtracting the annualized rate of inflation from the prime rate offered by banks to borrowers with the best credit.

During the 1970's, the USA experienced relatively high inflation (peaking at 17% in January 1980). In some months this exceeded the prime rate, resulting in negative interest rates for short periods (e.g., April-October, 1978; Feb-July, 1979).

One problem of deflation (i.e., falling absolute prices) is that it always occurs when the economy is in VERY severe recession, and there is no way the central bank can reduce the real interest rate to zero, since 0% nominal rates minus negative inflation = positive real interest rates.
During the period 1978 to 1980, there were 14 (out of a total of 36) months during which the real interest rate was negative.
by Abu Yahya September 06, 2010
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floating currency

A currency whose value is set by the currency markets; money whose exchange rate relative to other currencies is determined mainly or entirely by unrestricted trading in the currency. Most currencies are dirty float|dirty floats, which means that the government issuing them attempts to manage their traded value in some way; or else hard peg|hard pegs, in which the value is tied to something specific.


When a currency is floating, then its value may rise because the county is running a trade surplus, or it is running a capital account surplus. Floating currencies are not fiat money, although they are often confused for each other.
For most of the last half century, most money used around the world has been floating currency.
by abu yahya August 04, 2008
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square root

(MATHEMATICS) each positive number has another number that, when multiplied times itself, equals that number. So, for example, 4 has a square root of 2 (2 x 2 = 4).

The square root of a negative number is an imaginary number. Imaginary numbers are not, by themselves, useful solutions to math problems; but they can be used to find them.
BILL: Anna, we have a rectangle that's 3 x as long as it is wide, and it encloses an area of 300 square meters. What are the dimensions?

ANNA: Well, that's like 3 squares of 100 square meters. The square root of 100 is 10, so the rectangle is 10 by 30.

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The logarithm of a square root is one half the log of the number itself; hence, the natural log of 25 is 3.2189, while the natural log of 5 is 1.6094.
by Abu Yahya April 23, 2010
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Federal Reserve Board

(US GOVERNMENT) one of two governing boards of the US Federal Reserve System (the Usonian Central Bank). The FRB consists of seven governors appointed by the White House to staggered terms of 14 years.

Governor appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.

The FRB sets monetary policy. Its seven members also serve on the other governing board of the Fed, the FOMC. However, the FRB has sole responsibility for discount rates and reserve requirements, and it is also responsible for enforcement of banking regulation.
Despite the fact that the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board has the same power as the other six governors, most people have only heard of Alan Greenspan (1987-2006) or Ben Bernanke (2006-present). About the same time, Susan M. Phillips (1991-1998) held approximately equal power on the Board; so did Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. (1997-2006).

Because governors almost never serve their full terms, there are currently only five governors on the board. The two longest-serving members, Bernanke and Vice Chair Donald Kohn, have only been there since August 2002.
by Abu Yahya June 16, 2010
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