abu yahya's definitions
(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 gains mug.(FINANCE) a mutual fund that trades in commodities or commodity derivatives. This can include commodity index funds.
Usually a commodity fund makes its returns by trading derivatives rather than the underlying commodity.
by Abu Yahya April 15, 2010
Get the commodity fund mug.(FINANCE) when a trader in a short position is wrong about the price movement, and is consequently forced to buy the asset at the higher price in order to meet legal obligations.
The classic example of this is the broker who sells stocks he does not own, in the expectation that he can buy the stock in the future at a lower price for delivery. If the price goes up instead of down, the broker must "cover his shorts," and very possibly drive prices higher still.
The classic example of this is the broker who sells stocks he does not own, in the expectation that he can buy the stock in the future at a lower price for delivery. If the price goes up instead of down, the broker must "cover his shorts," and very possibly drive prices higher still.
When Morgan was ready to squeeze the shorts, he was damn certain his corner would hold as the Twombly men scrambled to buy shares at any price.
"I've got your short cover right here, Gentlemen," he snorted from his seat overlooking the trading pit.
"I've got your short cover right here, Gentlemen," he snorted from his seat overlooking the trading pit.
by Abu Yahya April 15, 2010
Get the short cover mug.(FINANCE) the widely-held belief by most traders or speculators that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (s.1987 to 2006) would use monetary policy to ensure that asset prices would not fall below a certain level.
A "put" here refers to the put option, a financial derivative that allows the owner the guaranteed right to sell a fixed amount of the underlying asset for a fixed strike price. A person who has a put for the assets she owns therefore is immune from the risk of those assets falling below a particular floor.
In the case of the Greenspan put, it was widely observed that Greenspan intervened in order to protect gains in asset values; this tended to guarantee that purchases of financial assets during Greenspan's tenure were very unlikely to be mistakes. This, of course, created conditions of moral hazard in the asset markets. particularly in financial stocks and in housing prices.
A "put" here refers to the put option, a financial derivative that allows the owner the guaranteed right to sell a fixed amount of the underlying asset for a fixed strike price. A person who has a put for the assets she owns therefore is immune from the risk of those assets falling below a particular floor.
In the case of the Greenspan put, it was widely observed that Greenspan intervened in order to protect gains in asset values; this tended to guarantee that purchases of financial assets during Greenspan's tenure were very unlikely to be mistakes. This, of course, created conditions of moral hazard in the asset markets. particularly in financial stocks and in housing prices.
The outcome of that (October 1994) rate cut turned out to be far worse, as the committee's actions came to be viewed as the Greenspan Put, meaning speculators could take enormous amounts of risk trusting that Greenspan would do anything to stop the market from a serious decline.
William A. Fleckenstein & Frederick Sheehan, *Greenspan's bubbles* (2008), p.61
William A. Fleckenstein & Frederick Sheehan, *Greenspan's bubbles* (2008), p.61
by Abu Yahya April 15, 2010
Get the Greenspan put mug.(FINANCE) a financial derivative that entitles the owner to buy a fixed amount of X for a fixed price (the strike price) by a specific date in the future. If this is an equity derivative, X is referred to as the underlying stock.
A call option allows one to reap profits from an increase in price of a traded item without actually buying the asset itself. Since it is an option, one is not compelled to exercise it if it not advantageous to do so; however, the party that initially issued the option (i.e., the one who "wrote" the option) is legally obligated to honor the option.
When the strike price of a call option is more than the current market price of the asset (i.e., its "spot price"), then it has no intrinsic value and is "out of the money."
A call option allows one to reap profits from an increase in price of a traded item without actually buying the asset itself. Since it is an option, one is not compelled to exercise it if it not advantageous to do so; however, the party that initially issued the option (i.e., the one who "wrote" the option) is legally obligated to honor the option.
When the strike price of a call option is more than the current market price of the asset (i.e., its "spot price"), then it has no intrinsic value and is "out of the money."
Buying a call option is one way to take a long position on the underlying asset.
Writing a call is a way to take a short position.
Writing a call is a way to take a short position.
by Abu Yahya April 15, 2010
Get the call option mug.(FINANCE) a quarterly payment that companies make to owners of their stock. In theory, the source of the company's stock's intrinsic value.
A company's dividends are usually chosen to be as regular as possible; they can be considerably lower than the company's quarterly earnings, provided the company is growing in value. They are important, because they are the direct motivation to buy the stock.
A company's dividends are usually chosen to be as regular as possible; they can be considerably lower than the company's quarterly earnings, provided the company is growing in value. They are important, because they are the direct motivation to buy the stock.
by Abu Yahya April 15, 2010
Get the dividends mug.(ECONOMICS) situation in which demand confidence in banks or borrowers is so low that monetary policy (i.e., lowering interest rates) has no positive impact on the economy. A characteristic of an economic depression.
When the economy contracts, or is in a recession, it is occasionally sufficient for the authorities to lower the discount rate or the federal funds rate. This lowers the cost of borrowing money, so more people do so, more stuff is bought, and the economy recovers. But in a depression, people will hoard cash (if they have any); if the interest rate is lowered, they still won't borrow, and the banks won't lend (because they want to restore their balance sheets).
When this happens, only fiscal policy has any chance of restoring economic growth.
When the economy contracts, or is in a recession, it is occasionally sufficient for the authorities to lower the discount rate or the federal funds rate. This lowers the cost of borrowing money, so more people do so, more stuff is bought, and the economy recovers. But in a depression, people will hoard cash (if they have any); if the interest rate is lowered, they still won't borrow, and the banks won't lend (because they want to restore their balance sheets).
When this happens, only fiscal policy has any chance of restoring economic growth.
In the fall of 2008, the failure of so many major banks caused a global liquidity trap. For two quarters, the world economy suffered a very severe contraction, and millions of people lost their jobs.
by Abu Yahya April 18, 2010
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