abu yahya's definitions
(LOGIC) a logical fallacy in which a person defends against an allegation by accusing an adversary of doing the same thing. It's a classic douchebag move because it implies that the speaker has a RIGHT to be a douchebag, by virtue of the fact that someone ELSE is being a douchebag.
From Latin, for "you, too."
WHY IT'S BAD
Suppose A is accused of terrorism. He reacts by accusing B, his enemy, of terrorism. Now, it's possible (but unlikely) that A actually chose this argument knowing he was totally innocent. More likely he wants to claim that his terrorism is PROVOKED. In effect, he's saying, "I have to do this, or I'm entitled to do this, because B did it first."
First, as logic it's a red herring. But what makes it douchebaggery rather than just another wartime propaganda tactic, is that it's MORALLY irrelevant as well as LOGICALLY irrelevant. The victims of terrorism almost never have any material control over either perpetrator ever.
From Latin, for "you, too."
WHY IT'S BAD
Suppose A is accused of terrorism. He reacts by accusing B, his enemy, of terrorism. Now, it's possible (but unlikely) that A actually chose this argument knowing he was totally innocent. More likely he wants to claim that his terrorism is PROVOKED. In effect, he's saying, "I have to do this, or I'm entitled to do this, because B did it first."
First, as logic it's a red herring. But what makes it douchebaggery rather than just another wartime propaganda tactic, is that it's MORALLY irrelevant as well as LOGICALLY irrelevant. The victims of terrorism almost never have any material control over either perpetrator ever.
ANNA: Abu Yahya, I don't know if your definition of "tu quoque fallacy" belongs in the Urban Dictionary. This isn't Wikipedia, you know.
ABU YAHYA: The reason I did is that I see all the time people using the rationale that, because somebody else did something bad to me, therefore I get to do something similar to anybody. It's sort of like sloppy revenge.
ANNA: Like men punishing random women because their girlfriends allegedly did something shitty to them?
ABU YAHYA: Actually, that's a perfect example of a tu quoque!
ABU YAHYA: The reason I did is that I see all the time people using the rationale that, because somebody else did something bad to me, therefore I get to do something similar to anybody. It's sort of like sloppy revenge.
ANNA: Like men punishing random women because their girlfriends allegedly did something shitty to them?
ABU YAHYA: Actually, that's a perfect example of a tu quoque!
by Abu Yahya June 3, 2010
Get the tu quoque fallacymug. (FINANCE) a call option that is written by a party who possesses none of the underlying stock; a commitment to sell a fixed amount of something at a fixed price, of something one does not happen to have.
Writing an option means selling a certificate that guarantees the holder can buy a traded item for a guaranteed price (strike price). The person who writes the option is betting that the price of the underlying stock will go down (shorting a stock, AKA a short position). If the person writing the option is correct, then she makes money off the sale of the option, but does not have to worry about honoring the option, since it is out of the money and has no intrinsic value.
If the person writing the option is wrong, and the price of the underlying stock goes up, then she must buy the item at the higher spot price specifically to sell it at the low strike price ("short cover"). In rare cases, a person who makes this sort of error will actually drive the spot price much higher than it would have gone ordinarily.
Writing an option means selling a certificate that guarantees the holder can buy a traded item for a guaranteed price (strike price). The person who writes the option is betting that the price of the underlying stock will go down (shorting a stock, AKA a short position). If the person writing the option is correct, then she makes money off the sale of the option, but does not have to worry about honoring the option, since it is out of the money and has no intrinsic value.
If the person writing the option is wrong, and the price of the underlying stock goes up, then she must buy the item at the higher spot price specifically to sell it at the low strike price ("short cover"). In rare cases, a person who makes this sort of error will actually drive the spot price much higher than it would have gone ordinarily.
Naked option writing is quite risky because you can make only a limited amount of money. yet the risks are high.
by Abu Yahya April 15, 2010
Get the naked optionmug. the amount of goods and services that a country imports, minus the goods and services that it exports *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.
While Japan had a trade surplus and the USA had a trade deficit, both had something called a trade balance, which was negative for the USA and positive for Japan.
While Japan had a trade surplus and the USA had a trade deficit, both had something called a trade balance, which was negative for the USA and positive for Japan.
During economic downturns, political leaders become very concerned if their country is running a trade deficit, because it means that jobs are being lost to business overseas.
by Abu Yahya February 14, 2009
Get the trade deficitmug. Capital (in economics) refers to either equipment used to produce goods (tools, factory buildings, infrastructure) or money that is currently used to pay for business ventures. Capital accounts refers to the balance of investment that a country receives from, or supplies to, other countries over the course of a business period. So, for example, in the course of a year the people in country A may buy $1.5 million in shares and bonds from overseas, and sell $900,000 of the same (for net capital exports of $600K); meanwhile, foreigners might buy $1.2 million in shares, etc., while selling $800K of the same (capital imports of $400K). The country therefore exports $600K, imports $400K, and runs a net capital account balance of -$200K.
Over the short run, a capital account surplus can offset a current account deficit.
Over the short run, a capital account surplus can offset a current account deficit.
For the last 30 years the USA has run a surplus in its capital accounts, partly offsetting a gigantic deficit in current accounts.
by abu yahya September 28, 2008
Get the capital accountsmug. (ECONOMICS) adjusted for the time of year the data refer to.
Economic statistics are often reported as rates of change from month to month, or quarter to quarter. However, some months, such as November and December, have very high retail sales, while May through September have very high home sales. For this reason, data is sometimes "seasonally adjusted" to offset ordinary seasonal variations.
The US Federal Reserve System reports changes in GDP from quarter to quarter in annualized form; so, for example, during the last quarter of 2004, US GDP was (about) $3,044.6 billion. But it was reported as an annualized (and seasonally adjusted) $11734.9. If you divide that by 4 you get 2957.8, which reflects the fact that the Fed shaved 86.8 billion off its estimate of economic activity for 2004Q4 and reallocated it to Q1 & Q2.
The reason the Fed (and everyone else) does this is to measure economic change separately from the usual seasonal change in business activity.
Economic statistics are often reported as rates of change from month to month, or quarter to quarter. However, some months, such as November and December, have very high retail sales, while May through September have very high home sales. For this reason, data is sometimes "seasonally adjusted" to offset ordinary seasonal variations.
The US Federal Reserve System reports changes in GDP from quarter to quarter in annualized form; so, for example, during the last quarter of 2004, US GDP was (about) $3,044.6 billion. But it was reported as an annualized (and seasonally adjusted) $11734.9. If you divide that by 4 you get 2957.8, which reflects the fact that the Fed shaved 86.8 billion off its estimate of economic activity for 2004Q4 and reallocated it to Q1 & Q2.
The reason the Fed (and everyone else) does this is to measure economic change separately from the usual seasonal change in business activity.
BILL: Hey! This data on GDP growth is way different from that data.
ANNA: That's because one set of data is seasonally adjusted. The Fed tweaked the numbers so economic growth from quarter to quarter reflects changing economic conditions, instead of ordinary yearly cycles.
BILL: You mean it's not an evil plot?
ANNA: It's an evil plot to make you forget about Christmas shopping season and labor day white sales.
BILL: Gasp! You mean the Fed is behind the War on Christmas?????
ANNA: That's because one set of data is seasonally adjusted. The Fed tweaked the numbers so economic growth from quarter to quarter reflects changing economic conditions, instead of ordinary yearly cycles.
BILL: You mean it's not an evil plot?
ANNA: It's an evil plot to make you forget about Christmas shopping season and labor day white sales.
BILL: Gasp! You mean the Fed is behind the War on Christmas?????
by Abu Yahya September 8, 2010
Get the seasonally adjustedmug. (FINANCE) the increase in wealth that goes to the owner of a financial asset when it increases in value. If you buy a share of stock, and the share increases in value, then you have capital gains whether you have sold it or not.
If you sell the stock at the higher price, you have made money on the transaction and have "realized capital gains." If you hang onto the asset in the hopes its value will increase even more, you have "unrealized capital gains."
If you sell the stock at the higher price, you have made money on the transaction and have "realized capital gains." If you hang onto the asset in the hopes its value will increase even more, you have "unrealized capital gains."
For owners of stocks, wealth can come in the form of capital gains or dividends. For owners of gold, the only benefit comes from capital gains. This is why gold is usually not a good investment.
by Abu Yahya April 15, 2010
Get the capital gainsmug. In the social sciences, refers to the effectiveness with which a social benefit reaches its intended beneficiaries. When most of the cost of a particular social good is absorbed by intermediaries, such as scalpers and profiteers, distributional efficiency is low.
The state-owned auditorium hands out a fixed number of free tickets to students to promote the arts, but nearly all of them sell the tickets to scalpers for the money. It's very poor distributional efficiency.
by abu yahya June 23, 2008
Get the distributional efficiencymug.