national income and product accounting; refers to the formal system of measuring capital accounts, current accounts, and gross domestic product.
National income and product accounting is the centerpiece of national economic
accounting in the United States. The NIPA's show the real and nominal value of output, the composition of output, and the distribution across types of income generated in its production.
Abraham & Mackie, *Beyond the Market,* p.40
accounting in the United States. The NIPA's show the real and nominal value of output, the composition of output, and the distribution across types of income generated in its production.
Abraham & Mackie, *Beyond the Market,* p.40
by Abu Yahya February 14, 2009
(HISTORY OF IRAN) More accurately known as Reza Shah; founder of the Pahlavi Dynasty (1925-1979), shah (emperor) of Iran from 1925 to his ouster in 1942 (by invading British and Russian armies).
Born, 1878; died, 1944. Originally in the regular Iranian Army, when the Iranian monarchy was bankrupted he contracted out to command a cossack division for the Anglo Persian Oil Company (British Petroleum). As a result, he actually had a lot of money and was able to become the prime minister (1922), and then depose the old Dynasty, the Qejars.
As Shah, he promised to revise the hated concession to Anglo Iranian Oil Company, but they managed to stall and thwart him with the help of the International Court of Justice. As a result, he turned to the Axis Powers. When World War II broke out, he offered some help to the Germans and Italians, so the British invaded and replaced him with his son, Shah Muhammad Reza.
Born, 1878; died, 1944. Originally in the regular Iranian Army, when the Iranian monarchy was bankrupted he contracted out to command a cossack division for the Anglo Persian Oil Company (British Petroleum). As a result, he actually had a lot of money and was able to become the prime minister (1922), and then depose the old Dynasty, the Qejars.
As Shah, he promised to revise the hated concession to Anglo Iranian Oil Company, but they managed to stall and thwart him with the help of the International Court of Justice. As a result, he turned to the Axis Powers. When World War II broke out, he offered some help to the Germans and Italians, so the British invaded and replaced him with his son, Shah Muhammad Reza.
Shah Reza Pahlavi is often compared with Ataturk, a contemporaneous dictator of Turkey. However, Reza Shah was much more reliant on a cooperative clergy than Ataturk was.
by Abu Yahya July 17, 2010
(ECONOMICS) a financial institution that issues the national currency and administers monetary policy.
For the USA, the central bank is the Federal Reserve System.
In a few cases, the central bank is private, and otherwise similar to a regular commercial bank. In other cases, it is directly controlled by the head of government. In most cases, however, it is a government agency that is shielded from direct control.
OTHER IMPORTANT CENTRAL BANKS
European Union--European Central Bank (ECB).
Japan--Bank of Japan
China--People's Bank of China
United Kingdom--Bank of England
See also the International Monetary Fund and the Bank for International Settlements.
For the USA, the central bank is the Federal Reserve System.
In a few cases, the central bank is private, and otherwise similar to a regular commercial bank. In other cases, it is directly controlled by the head of government. In most cases, however, it is a government agency that is shielded from direct control.
OTHER IMPORTANT CENTRAL BANKS
European Union--European Central Bank (ECB).
Japan--Bank of Japan
China--People's Bank of China
United Kingdom--Bank of England
See also the International Monetary Fund and the Bank for International Settlements.
In the USA, as well as many other countries, the Treasury acts as the government's underwriter but the central bank controls the money supply using treasury securities and other forms of hot money. The central bank is usually responsible for managing the currency reserves, including foreign currency reserves, of its government. It also enforces banking laws and operates check clearing.
The BIS acts as a bank to most of the world's central banks.
The BIS acts as a bank to most of the world's central banks.
by Abu Yahya May 05, 2010
(FINANCE) private equity fund; business entity formed to pool money provided by investors in order to buy majority stakes in existing companies. A common practice is to then "take the company private," so that it no longer has shares trading on the stock market. The company is then restructured, so that it has entirely different management practices, or a different business strategy. Afterward, the PE fund will most likely re-sell the company on the stock market in a sponsored IPO.
PE funds are usually limited partnerships (LPs), which gives them special privileges of nondisclosure; most are organized in the State of Delaware. PEF's have sponsors, or "principals," who are responsible for organizing the fund and recruiting other investors. They are never "limited liability partnerships" (LLP's); apologies to Urban Dictionary for erroneously mixing them up in my definition for "private equity fund" and "hedge fund." The difference between the two is explained there.
Among the best-known PE funds are Blackstone Group*, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR)*, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners*, Carlyle Group, Permira, Apollo Management, Providence Equity, TPG Capital, Warburg Pincus, and Cerberus. Companies marked with an asterisk (*) are publicly listed corporations; most PE funds are privately managed. The selection above includes the largest ones by capital under management.
PE funds are usually limited partnerships (LPs), which gives them special privileges of nondisclosure; most are organized in the State of Delaware. PEF's have sponsors, or "principals," who are responsible for organizing the fund and recruiting other investors. They are never "limited liability partnerships" (LLP's); apologies to Urban Dictionary for erroneously mixing them up in my definition for "private equity fund" and "hedge fund." The difference between the two is explained there.
Among the best-known PE funds are Blackstone Group*, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR)*, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners*, Carlyle Group, Permira, Apollo Management, Providence Equity, TPG Capital, Warburg Pincus, and Cerberus. Companies marked with an asterisk (*) are publicly listed corporations; most PE funds are privately managed. The selection above includes the largest ones by capital under management.
The PE fund first appeared in the 1970's as a result of changes to ERISA. Institutional investors, usually pension funds, could be legal partners in an LP; they also required a place to park assets with very high rates of return.
In the USA, PE funds have long been sinecures for the most powerful political dynasties: the Rockefellers, the Romneys, the Bushes, and others.
In the USA, PE funds have long been sinecures for the most powerful political dynasties: the Rockefellers, the Romneys, the Bushes, and others.
by Abu Yahya September 02, 2010
(STATISTICS) a range of values for which you are x percent confident contains the correct answer. Answers to a statistical question which are ranged from the lowest likely value to the highest; answers outside of this range are highly unlikely.
Presupposes that you are estimating a value based on sample data, and the sample data has a genuinely random variance.
Usually the confidence interval is for a 95% confidence, meaning there is only a 5% probability that the true value is OUTSIDE the interval.
Presupposes that you are estimating a value based on sample data, and the sample data has a genuinely random variance.
Usually the confidence interval is for a 95% confidence, meaning there is only a 5% probability that the true value is OUTSIDE the interval.
ANNA: I've been driving your car for about a month.
JAMES: And what you think is the MPG?
ANNA: It's probably about 25 MPG, with a 95% confidence interval of 19.5 to 32 MPG.
JAMES: Holy cow! Any Prussians in your family tree?
JAMES: And what you think is the MPG?
ANNA: It's probably about 25 MPG, with a 95% confidence interval of 19.5 to 32 MPG.
JAMES: Holy cow! Any Prussians in your family tree?
by Abu Yahya April 23, 2010
(FINANCE) financial instrument in which buyer is someone who needs insurance against the possibility that a borrower will default on a loan. In that case, the counterparty is whoever receives the CDS premiums, and pays out in the event of default.
WHY IT'S BAD
Loans are usually made by either commercial banks (in which a loan officer is supposed to make a professional assessment of risk of default before handing over the money), or by investment banks (which underwrite securities like bonds). If the borrower has a high risk of default, then the loan should not be made--period.
Credit default swaps were a stupid method of supposedly turning a bad loan into a "risky" (and potentially high-yield) "investment"; they were in reality a strategy for fraud. Since portfolio managers knew they were bundling securitized loans that contained mostly crap, they would arrange credit default swaps and cash in when the borrowers defaulted.
WHY IT'S BAD
Loans are usually made by either commercial banks (in which a loan officer is supposed to make a professional assessment of risk of default before handing over the money), or by investment banks (which underwrite securities like bonds). If the borrower has a high risk of default, then the loan should not be made--period.
Credit default swaps were a stupid method of supposedly turning a bad loan into a "risky" (and potentially high-yield) "investment"; they were in reality a strategy for fraud. Since portfolio managers knew they were bundling securitized loans that contained mostly crap, they would arrange credit default swaps and cash in when the borrowers defaulted.
What the bankers hit on was a sort of insurance policy: a third party would assume the risk of the debt going sour, and in exchange would receive regular payments from the bank, similar to insurance premiums. JPMorgan would then get to remove the risk from its books and free up the reserves. The scheme was called a "credit default swap," and it was a twist on something bankers had been doing for a while to hedge against fluctuations in interest rates and commodity prices.
{Newsweek, "The Monster That Ate Wall Street," 27 Sep 2008}
{Newsweek, "The Monster That Ate Wall Street," 27 Sep 2008}
by Abu Yahya July 17, 2010
(FINANCE) a contractual obligation to buy or sell a fixed amount of a thing at a set price, at a specific time in the future.
Same as a futures contract.
Same as a futures contract.
SALES AGENT: I have this awesome product made in the USA I want to sell in Europe. It's cheap now, but what if the euro goes down against the dollar? I could lose a lot of money on inventory.
BROKER: No problem, just buy a future for the amount of US dollars you'll need to pay your suppliers.
SALES AGENT: You mean, a futures contract for dollars?
BROKER: Yes, a euro-pegged future for dollars. When the contract comes due, you pay the euros, they pay you the dollars, and BOOM! You're good to go. No risk.
BROKER: No problem, just buy a future for the amount of US dollars you'll need to pay your suppliers.
SALES AGENT: You mean, a futures contract for dollars?
BROKER: Yes, a euro-pegged future for dollars. When the contract comes due, you pay the euros, they pay you the dollars, and BOOM! You're good to go. No risk.
by Abu Yahya April 05, 2010