(MATHEMATICS) a logarithm whose base is e (2.71828...)
The number e is a transcendental irrational, which means that it has infinitely many decimal places but cannot be expressed as a fraction.
A useful feature of the natural log function is that the derivative of (ln x) is 1/x.
The number e is a transcendental irrational, which means that it has infinitely many decimal places but cannot be expressed as a fraction.
A useful feature of the natural log function is that the derivative of (ln x) is 1/x.
by Abu Yahya May 05, 2010
the amount of goods and services that a country exports, minus the goods and services that it imports *in a calendar year*. In 1999 Japan exported much more than it imported, so it had a trade surplus. The same year, the United States imported more than it exported, and therefore had a large trade deficit.
The trade balance is negative if a country runs a trade deficit, and positive if it runs a trade surplus.
The trade balance is negative if a country runs a trade deficit, and positive if it runs a trade surplus.
The trade balance is an extremely important indicator of economic health for most countries. Typically (not not always) the value of the currency is strongly influenced by the trade balance also.
by Abu Yahya February 14, 2009
a current account deficit; a negative 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.
by Abu Yahya February 14, 2009
(ECONOMICS) Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force. Put another way, U-6 = U-3 (headline unemployment) + discouraged workers + part-time workers in need of full-time jobs.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics regularly publishes six estimates of unemployment. The others are U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, and U-5. Eurostat publishes one monthly estimate of unemployment for the European Union, which is approximately midway between U-3 and U-4.
The unemployment statistics for the USA are collected through a monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) (also known as the household survey) and an establishment survey.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics regularly publishes six estimates of unemployment. The others are U-1, U-2, U-3, U-4, and U-5. Eurostat publishes one monthly estimate of unemployment for the European Union, which is approximately midway between U-3 and U-4.
The unemployment statistics for the USA are collected through a monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) (also known as the household survey) and an establishment survey.
U-6 is often referred to as "real unemployment" because it attempts to measure the total number of people who would like to have more work than they do have. Some have argued that U-6 is closer to historic measures of unemployment than U-3 is (we didn't have either during the Great Depression).
by Abu Yahya July 15, 2010
(ECONOMICS) Any of the 12 constituent district banks of the Federal Reserve System. Federal Reserve Banks may be referred to either by the number of the district they serve (e.g., 12th FRB) or by the city in which they are headquartered (e.g., FRB of San Francisco).
Representatives of the FRB's are eligible to serve on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the committee that actually administers monetary policy through sales or purchases of treasury securities.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2nd FRB) is by far the most important of the 12 district banks. Each bank holding company is likely to have a subsidiary in NYC, and the 2nd District is uniquely guaranteed a seat on the FOMC. The other 11 rotate, with 4 taking a year-long turn at the FOMC at any given time.
Representatives of the FRB's are eligible to serve on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the committee that actually administers monetary policy through sales or purchases of treasury securities.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York (2nd FRB) is by far the most important of the 12 district banks. Each bank holding company is likely to have a subsidiary in NYC, and the 2nd District is uniquely guaranteed a seat on the FOMC. The other 11 rotate, with 4 taking a year-long turn at the FOMC at any given time.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York has historically supplied the secretaries of the Treasury or else the chairmen of the Federal Reserve Board.
by Abu Yahya May 05, 2010
Latin, "where is the benefit?" A type of logical fallacy in which one claims one didn't do something bad because it was not in one's interests to do so. An example would be, "Why would I steal from the cash register? It's going to hurt the business if I do, and then I might lose my job."
The argument is usually used on behalf of someone else: for example, Ludo Martens (1995) argues that Stalin could not possibly have massacred millions of Russians because he needed them to fight WW2; Fogel & Engermann claimed* that American slavery was not very bad because it was in the best interests of slaveowners to have content slaves.
The argument is a fallacy because it assumes that all relevant motives of the actor are well-established, and lead away from the act. It does not account for motives like personal hatred, shame, fear, spite, ideology, and so on.
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* In *Time on the Cross* (1971); the book was conclusively debunked by David & Stampp, *Reckoning with Slavery* (1976).
The argument is usually used on behalf of someone else: for example, Ludo Martens (1995) argues that Stalin could not possibly have massacred millions of Russians because he needed them to fight WW2; Fogel & Engermann claimed* that American slavery was not very bad because it was in the best interests of slaveowners to have content slaves.
The argument is a fallacy because it assumes that all relevant motives of the actor are well-established, and lead away from the act. It does not account for motives like personal hatred, shame, fear, spite, ideology, and so on.
________________________
* In *Time on the Cross* (1971); the book was conclusively debunked by David & Stampp, *Reckoning with Slavery* (1976).
One frequently encounters *quis est beneficium?* arguments among Holocaust deniers of all stripes. Among such worthies it is claimed that Hitler/Stalin/Enver Pasha could not possibly have wanted to massacre all those millions because it was a nuisance to try.
by Abu Yahya February 15, 2009
(ECONOMICS) debt owned by a national government to all creditors foreign and domestic. Backed by the national government's power to tax.
Even after the International Monetary Fund worked out a bailout for Greece, other sovereign debt crises could still arise in Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
by Abu Yahya May 05, 2010