Abu Yahya's definitions
(EU GOVERNMENT) agency of the European Union that publishes harmonized statistics for the 27 member states of the EU. The EU does not collect the statistics, but reviews and edits statistics collected by its member states so that the data is comparable for all of the countries in it.
BILL: I'm blogging about the economy of Europe, but I don't know what the economic indicators are. You know, the unemployment rate, the inflation rate, hours worked, and so on.
ANNA: Go to the Eurostat web page. It's really awesome!
ANNA: Go to the Eurostat web page. It's really awesome!
by Abu Yahya July 15, 2010
Get the Eurostat mug.(ECONOMICS) the lowest interest rate available to non-financial borrowers.
Banks can borrow money from the Federal Reserve System or each other at the lower federal funds rate--and they borrow money from depositors at lower rates still.
Banks can borrow money from the Federal Reserve System or each other at the lower federal funds rate--and they borrow money from depositors at lower rates still.
The most widely-quoted estimate of the prime rate is that published by the Wall Street Journal (from a survey of the 30 largest banks).
by Abu Yahya September 6, 2010
Get the prime rate mug.(MATHEMATICS) a function of numbers that are the root of a base. For example, log(base 2) means a function of numbers that are the numbered roots of 2. The log(base 2) of 2 is 1, meaning 2 raised to the power of 1 is 2 (2^1 = 2); log(2) of 4 is 2, and so on.
The idea here is that any number can be expressed as 2 raised to some power; better still, if you do math with the logs of a number rather than the numbers themselves, you can find useful patterns. For example, if you are graphing population growth, and you just plot the raw number of people over time, you aren't going to notice anything in particular. If you plot the log of population, you can see that, while population is growing, the rate of growth is falling.
Usually, if you are doing statistical research with numbers that always have to be positive (like population, death tolls from diseases, etc.), you need to use logarithms for the numerical values in order to represent a confidence interval.
Logs usually have a base of e or 10. Logs with a base of e are called natural logs.
The idea here is that any number can be expressed as 2 raised to some power; better still, if you do math with the logs of a number rather than the numbers themselves, you can find useful patterns. For example, if you are graphing population growth, and you just plot the raw number of people over time, you aren't going to notice anything in particular. If you plot the log of population, you can see that, while population is growing, the rate of growth is falling.
Usually, if you are doing statistical research with numbers that always have to be positive (like population, death tolls from diseases, etc.), you need to use logarithms for the numerical values in order to represent a confidence interval.
Logs usually have a base of e or 10. Logs with a base of e are called natural logs.
by Abu Yahya April 23, 2010
Get the logarithm mug.(ECONOMICS) An emergency in which a financial or government institution cannot meet its current obligations in an acceptable form of payment. Different from insolvency, which is where that same institution cannot be realistically expected to EVER meet its obligations.
A good example of the difference is a run on a bank, especially in the days before deposit insurance. A perfectly honest, well-run bank could have all of its books in order, and be paying its depositors in legal tender, when suddenly a panic strikes and everyone wants their deposits all at once. This is necessarily impossible, and forces the bank's officers to default on their debts.
Often, the bank could resume operation later when it was established that it held performing assets greater than deposits. More recently, liquidity crises have been a problem suffered by countries facing capital flight
A good example of the difference is a run on a bank, especially in the days before deposit insurance. A perfectly honest, well-run bank could have all of its books in order, and be paying its depositors in legal tender, when suddenly a panic strikes and everyone wants their deposits all at once. This is necessarily impossible, and forces the bank's officers to default on their debts.
Often, the bank could resume operation later when it was established that it held performing assets greater than deposits. More recently, liquidity crises have been a problem suffered by countries facing capital flight
In 1997, several countries in East Asia were stricken with a liquidity crisis. In many cases, such as Malaysia, the panicked response had nothing whatever to do with fundamentals; it was sheer herd mentality.
by Abu Yahya May 5, 2010
Get the liquidity crisis mug.Political movement in the USA that combines numerous conservative or rightwing movements into a surprisingly cohesive whole. The Conservative Movement (CM) successfully established a dominant role in the Republican Party, and nearly all GOP officials are affiliated with it.
Members of the Conservative Movement are known as "movement conservatives."
In the USA, political parties themselves are very weak and nebulous; historically, they are not bound to any particular ideology or constituency. Instead, parties take their ideological guidance from movements, which endorse candidates based on their commitment to the goals of that particular movement. Movements also marshall fundraising and organizing networks, binding candidates to elected officials and to affiliated thinktanks. The CM is distinguished because it captured an entire party, and tied it to an emphatically rightwing ideology.
The three components of the CM are the neoconservatives (neocons), religious right (theocons, "Moral Majority"), and the AEI-affiliated business conservatives (money cons).
Members of the Conservative Movement are known as "movement conservatives."
In the USA, political parties themselves are very weak and nebulous; historically, they are not bound to any particular ideology or constituency. Instead, parties take their ideological guidance from movements, which endorse candidates based on their commitment to the goals of that particular movement. Movements also marshall fundraising and organizing networks, binding candidates to elected officials and to affiliated thinktanks. The CM is distinguished because it captured an entire party, and tied it to an emphatically rightwing ideology.
The three components of the CM are the neoconservatives (neocons), religious right (theocons, "Moral Majority"), and the AEI-affiliated business conservatives (money cons).
More important, conservatives who embraced conspiratorial thinking shared a sufficient set of complaints, assumptions, and common enemies that united them with their more "respectable" cohorts in one movement. They swam in the same ideological waters as the broader conservative movement... and. above all, participated in building one mobilization out of their common grievances against American liberalism.
Lisa McGirr, *Suburban Warriors* (2002)
Lisa McGirr, *Suburban Warriors* (2002)
by Abu Yahya May 29, 2009
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When the closing bell rang, he was ruined. All of his reserves were wiped out and he owed $6 million on margin.
by Abu Yahya May 5, 2010
Get the closing bell mug.(FINANCE) a financial instrument whose value is tied to something else; for example,
* a futures contract (future)
* an option
* a swap
In each of these examples, the value of the derivative is related in some way to the price of something else. When the market price of (say) an ounce of gold goes from $1000/oz to $1050/oz, the return to the owner of 1 oz. of actual gold is 5%. But for the owner of a call option or a future, the return is much, much greater than that.
A derivative can be used to multiply risk AND potential profits to speculators; but it can be used for the counterparty to minimize risk by locking in prices, or by hedging against risk.
* a futures contract (future)
* an option
* a swap
In each of these examples, the value of the derivative is related in some way to the price of something else. When the market price of (say) an ounce of gold goes from $1000/oz to $1050/oz, the return to the owner of 1 oz. of actual gold is 5%. But for the owner of a call option or a future, the return is much, much greater than that.
A derivative can be used to multiply risk AND potential profits to speculators; but it can be used for the counterparty to minimize risk by locking in prices, or by hedging against risk.
by Abu Yahya April 5, 2010
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