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Trading basics

Law of one price

In economics, the law of one price (LOOP) states that in the absence of trade frictions (such as transport costs and tariffs), and under conditions of free competition and price flexibility (where no individual sellers or buyers have power to manipulate prices and prices can freely adjust), identical goods sold at different locations should be sold for the same price when prices are expr

Banking

Lender of last resort

In public finance, a lender of last resort (LOLR) is a financial entity, generally a central bank, that acts as the provider of liquidity to a financial institution which finds itself unable to obtain sufficient liquidity in the interbank lending market when other facilities or such sources have been exhausted. It functions as a government guarantee of liquidity to financial institutions

Payments & settlement

Letter of credit

A letter of credit (LC), also known as a documentary credit or bankers commercial credit, or letter of undertaking (LoU), is a payment mechanism used in international trade to provide an economic guarantee from a creditworthy bank to an exporter of goods. Letters of credit are used extensively in the financing of international trade, when the reliability of contracting parties cannot be

Finance

Liikanen report

The Liikanen Report or "Report of the European Commission’s High-level Expert Group on Bank Structural Reform" (known as the "Liikanen Group") is a set of recommendations published in October 2012 by a group of experts led by Erkki Liikanen, governor of the Bank of Finland and ECB council member. On 3 July 2013, by large majority the European Parliament adopted an own initiative report c

Fiat currencies

Liquidity preference

In macroeconomic theory, liquidity preference is the demand for money, considered as liquidity. The concept was first developed by John Maynard Keynes in his book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936) to explain the determination of the interest rate by the supply and demand for money.

Fiat currencies

Lucas islands model

The Lucas islands model is an economic model of the link between money supply and price and output changes in a simplified economy using rational expectations. It delivered a new classical explanation of the Phillips curve relationship between unemployment and inflation. The model was formulated by Robert Lucas, Jr. in a series of papers in the 1970s.

Finance

Macro risk

Macro risk is financial risk that is associated with macroeconomic or political factors. There are at least three different ways this phrase is applied. It can refer to economic or financial risk found in stocks and funds, to political risk found in different countries, and to the impact of economic or financial variables on political risk. Macro risk can also refer to types of economi

Finance

Macroprudential regulation

Macroprudential regulation is the approach to financial regulation that aims to mitigate risk to the financial system as a whole (or "systemic risk"). After the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a growing consensus among policymakers and economic researchers about the need to re-orient the regulatory framework towards a macroprudential perspective.

Securities & exchanges

Mark Spitznagel

Mark Spitznagel (; born March 5, 1971) is an American investor and hedge fund manager. He is the founder, owner, and chief investment officer of Universa Investments, a hedge fund management firm based in Miami, Florida.

Trading basics

Medical underwriting

Medical underwriting is a health insurance term referring to the use of medical or health information in the evaluation of an applicant for coverage, typically for life or health insurance. As part of the underwriting process, an individual's health information may be used in making two decisions: whether to offer or deny coverage and what premium rate to set for the policy. The two most

Finance

Middle income trap

In development economics, the middle income trap is a situation where a country has developed until GDP per capita has reached a middle level of income, but the country does not develop further and does not attain high income country status. The term was introduced by the World Bank in 2007 who defined it as the "middle-income range" countries with gross national product per capita that

Finance

Ministry of Economy (Spain)

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Enterprise (MINECO) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and carrying out the government policy on economic affairs, through reforms to improve competitiveness and trade, focused on business support and the potential growth of the economy. At the same time, it directs the commercial policy of internationalization of com

Finance

Ministry of Economy and Finance (Cambodia)

The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF; Khmer: ក្រសួងសេដ្ឋកិច្ចនិងហិរញ្ញវត្ថុ, ALA-LC: Krasuang Seṭṭhakicc ning Hiraññavatthu) accounts for the administration of financial and economic policy and affair in the Kingdom of Cambodia. In accordance to the official website, the ministry was commissioned by the Royal Government of Cambodia to perform missions of guidances and administrations

Finance

Ministry of Economy and Finance (Guinea)

The Ministry of Economy and Finance of Guinea is a department of the Government of Guinea in charge of public finances of Guinea.

Finance

Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italy)

The Ministry of Economy and Finance (Italian: Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze), also known by the acronym MEF, is a ministry of the Italian government. Its responsibilities include overseeing economic policy, public investments and spending. The Ministry's headquarters are located in Rome's historic Palazzo delle Finanze. The current minister in the Meloni Cabinet is Giancarlo Gi

Finance

Ministry of Economy and Finance (Morocco)

The Ministry of Economy and Finance is the ministerial department of the government of Morocco responsible for the development and implementation of the country's economic policy and financial policy.

Finance

Ministry of finance

A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Austria)

The Ministry of Finance (German: Bundesministerium für Finanzen) is the government ministry of Austria responsible for the collection of taxes and customs as well as the administration of fiscal and economic policy. It oversees the Revenue Service, the Revenue Service for Large Businesses, the Financial Police, and various other agencies.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Bangladesh)

The Ministry of Finance (Bengali: অর্থ মন্ত্রণালয়, romanized: Artha Montronaloy) is a ministry of the Government of Bangladesh responsible for financial management, economic policy, and fiscal administration. It serves as the principal government body overseeing the country’s budget, taxation, public expenditure, and financial regulations.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Belarus)

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus (Belarusian: Міністэрства фінансаў Рэспублікі Беларусь, romanized: Ministerstva finansaŭ Respubliki Bielaruś; Russian: Министерство финансов Республики Беларусь) is the Belarusian government ministry which coordinates state financial policy and oversees the regulation of securities in Belarus.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Chile)

The Ministry of Finance (Spanish: Ministerio de Hacienda) is the cabinet-level administrative office in charge of managing the financial affairs, fiscal policy, and capital markets of Chile; planning, directing, coordinating, executing, controlling and informing all financial policies formulated by the President of Chile.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (China)

The Ministry of Finance of the People's Republic of China is the constituent department of the State Council of the People's Republic of China which administers macroeconomic policies and the annual budget. It also handles fiscal policy, economic regulations and government expenditure for the state. The ministry also records and publishes annual macroeconomic data on China's economy. T

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Croatia)

The Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Ministarstvo financija) is the ministry in the Government of Croatia which is in charge of state finances and the budget.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Denmark)

The Ministry of Finance of Denmark (Danish: Finansministeriet) is a ministry in the Government of Denmark. Among other things, it is in charge of the government budget (subject to approval by the Danish parliament, Folketinget), paying government employees and improving efficiency in government administration. The current Finance Minister of Denmark is Nicolai Wammen.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (El Salvador)

The Ministry of Finance (Spanish: Ministerio de Hacienda) of El Salvador is the government ministry of El Salvador in charge of directing the fiscal policy on public resources, so that it promotes stability and sustainability of public finances.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Israel)

The Israeli Ministry of Finance (Hebrew: מִשְׂרַד הָאוֹצָר, romanized: Misrad HaOtzar) is the main economic ministry of the Government of Israel. It is responsible for planning and implementing the Government's overall economic policy, as well as setting targets for fiscal policy, preparing the draft State Budget and monitoring implementation of the approved budget. The ministry also man

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Malaysia)

The Ministry of Finance (Malay: Kementerian Kewangan; Jawi: كمنترين كواڠن), abbreviated MOF, is a ministry of the Government of Malaysia that is charged with the responsibility for government expenditure and revenue raising. The ministry's role is to develop economic policy and prepare the Malaysian federal budget. The Ministry of Finance also oversees financial legislation and regulatio

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Moldova)

The Ministry of Finance (Romanian: Ministerul Finanțelor) is one of the fourteen ministries of the Government of Moldova. It is the central specialized body of public administration, which develops and promotes the unique policy of training and managing public finances, applying financial levers in line with the requirements of the market economy. In its activity, the Ministry of Finance

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Netherlands)

The Ministry of Finance (Dutch: Ministerie van Financiën; FIN) is the Dutch Ministry responsible for economic policy, monetary policy, fiscal policy, tax policy, incomes policy, financial regulation, the government budget and the financial market. The Ministry was created in 1798 as the Department of Finance of the Batavian Republic. It became the Ministry of Finance in 1876. The Ministe

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Poland)

Poland's Ministry of Finance (Polish: Ministerstwo Finansów [mi.ɲisˈtɛr.stfɔ fi.nanˈsɔ.v]), headed by the Minister of Finance (Minister Finansów), is part of the government of Poland. Among its powers and responsibilities it drafts the national budget, deals with taxes, financing of the local self-governments and issues related to public debt.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Russia)

The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation (Russian: Министерство финансов Российской Федерации), also known as MinFin (Минфин России), is a ministry of the Government of Russia responsible for financial policy and general management in the field of finance.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Somalia)

The Ministry of Finance (Somali: Wasaaradda Maaliyadda), abbreviated MOF, is a ministry of the Government of Somalia that is charged with the responsibility for government expenditure and revenue raising. The ministry's role is to develop economic policy and prepare the federal budget. The Ministry of Finance also oversees financial legislation and regulation. Each year in October, th

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Spain)

The Ministry of Finance or Ministry of Treasury (Spanish: Ministerio de Hacienda, MH) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for the design and implementation of the government policy on public finance and budget. It applies and manages the regional and local financing systems and the provision of information on the economic-financial activity of the different Public Ad

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Sweden)

The Ministry of Finance (Swedish: Finansdepartementet) is a Swedish government ministry responsible for matters relating to economic policy, the central government budget, taxes, banking, security and insurance, international economic work, central, regional and local government.

Finance

Ministry of Finance (Vietnam)

The Ministry of Finance (MOF, Vietnamese: Bộ Tài chính) is the government ministry responsible for the finances of Vietnam, including managing the national budget, tax revenue, state assets, national financial reserves and the finances of state corporations. The Ministry manages the work of national accounting, state borrowing, the activities of stock markets, and the Department of Custo

Finance

Ministry of Finance & National Economy (Bahrain)

The Ministry of Finance & National Economy (MOFNE) is responsible for formulating and implementing the financial policies of the Kingdom of Bahrain within the overall vision of the Bahrain Government. The Ministry prepares the state general budget in coordination with other ministries and public entities in a way that reflects the financial and economic objectives of the Kingdom, particu

Finance

Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (Ghana)

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning is the government ministry responsible for the economic and monetary health of Ghana. The Ministry is involved with economic planning, fiscal policy, national accounting, the national budget, and creating an environment for investment and growth.

Finance

Ministry of Finance and Economy (South Korea)

The Ministry of Finance and Economy (MOFE; Korean: 재정경제부) oversees the financial policies of the Government of the Republic of Korea. It publishes a monthly report on the national economy, known as the "Green Book." The current minister is Koo Yun-cheol. The headquarters is in the Sejong Government Complex in Sejong City.

Finance

Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Sinhala: මුදල්, සැලසුම් සහ ආර්ථික සංවර්ධන අමාත්‍යාංශය; Tamil: நிதி, திட்டமிடல் மற்றும் பொருளாதார மேம்பாட்டு அமைச்சகம்) (also known as the Finance Ministry or the Treasury) is a cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy, economic policy and lon

Finance

Ministry of Public Finance

The Ministry of Public Finance (Spanish: Ministerio de Finanzas Públicas or MINFIN) is a government ministry of Guatemala in charge of fiscal policy and public finances.

Banking

Mitigation banking

Mitigation banking is a market-based system of debits and credits (used primarily in the United States as part of its "no net loss" policy) that involves restoration, creation, or enhancement of wetlands to compensate for unavoidable impacts to a wetland in another location. It involves a system of mitigation banks, sites where projects to restore, create, or enhance wetlands can be carr

Fiat currencies

Monetarism

Monetarism is a school of thought in monetary economics that emphasizes the role of policy-makers in controlling the amount of money in circulation. It gained prominence in the 1970s, but was mostly abandoned as a direct guidance to monetary policy during the following decade because of the rise of inflation targeting through movements of the official interest rate.

Fiat currencies

Monetary base

In economics, the monetary base (also base money, money base, high-powered money, reserve money, outside money, central bank money or, in the UK, narrow money) in a country is the total amount of money created by the central bank. This includes:

Fiat currencies

Monetary circuit theory

Monetary circuit theory is a heterodox theory of monetary economics, particularly money creation, often associated with the post-Keynesian school.

Fiat currencies

Monetary economics

Monetary economics is the branch of economics that studies the nature, role, and impact of money and monetary institutions. It provides a framework for analyzing money and its core functions—as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account—and examines how money can achieve widespread acceptance, including through its role as a public good.

Fiat currencies

Monetary hegemony

Monetary hegemony is an economic and political concept in which a single state has decisive influence over the functions of the international monetary system. A monetary hegemon would need:

Fiat currencies

Monetary Policy Committee (Brazil)

The Monetary Policy Committee (Portuguese: Comitê de Política Monetária - Copom) is a department established by the Central Bank of Brazil on June 20, 1996, through Circular No. 2698 (revoked as of January 2, 1998 by Circular No. 2780 of November 12, 1997) in order to define monetary policy guidelines and set the basic interest rate. It regulates the liquidity of the economy through mone

Fiat currencies

Monetary reform

Monetary reform refers to proposals to change a country's monetary system, including how money is created, regulated, and distributed. Such reforms seek to address perceived problems with current monetary schemes, like financial instability, wealth inequality, or inflation. Monetary reform movements grow during economic crises, proposing alternatives to prevailing systems.

Fiat currencies

Monetary sovereignty

Monetary sovereignty is the power of the state to exercise exclusive legal control over its currency and monetary policy. This includes the authority to designate a country's legal tender, control the money supply, set interest rates, and regulate financial institutions. Monetary sovereignty is crucial for national sovereignty, economic independence, and policy autonomy.

Banking

Monetary system

A monetary system is a system where a government manages money in a country's economy. Modern monetary systems usually consist of a national treasury, a mint, central banks and commercial banks.

Fiat currencies

Monetary-disequilibrium theory

Monetary disequilibrium theory is a product of the monetarist school and is mainly represented in the works of Leland Yeager and Austrian macroeconomics. The basic concepts of monetary equilibrium and disequilibrium were, however, defined in terms of an individual's demand for cash balance by Mises (1912) in his Theory of Money and Credit.

Fiat currencies

Monetary/fiscal debate

The monetary/fiscal policy debate, otherwise known as the Ando–Modigliani/Friedman–Meiselman debate (or AM/FM debate from the main instigators' initials, and for this reason sometimes jokingly called the "radio stations debate"), was the exchange of viewpoints about the comparative efficiency of monetary policies and fiscal policies that originated with a work co-authored by Milton Fried

Fiat currencies

Money burning

Money burning or burning money is the purposeful act of destroying money. In the prototypical example, banknotes are destroyed by setting them on fire. Burning money decreases the wealth of the owner without directly enriching any particular party. It also reduces the money supply and (very slightly) slows down the inflation rate.

Banking

Mutual savings bank

A mutual savings bank is a financial institution chartered by a central or regional government, without capital stock, owned by its members who subscribe to a common fund. From this fund, claims, loans, etc., are paid. Profits after deductions are shared among the members. The institution is intended to provide a safe place for individual members to save and to invest those savings in mo

Banking

National Bank of Panama

The National Bank of Panama (Spanish: Banco Nacional de Panamá, BNP) is one of two Panamanian government-owned banks. As of January 2009, it held deposits of about US$5 billion. The other government-owned bank is Caja de Ahorros de Panamá (Savings Bank of Panama), with about US$1 billion in total deposits.

Finance

National Treasury (South Africa)

The National Treasury is one of the departments of the South African government. The Treasury manages national economic policy, prepares the South African government's annual budget and manages the government's finances.

Securities & exchanges

Net capital rule

The uniform net capital rule is a rule created by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in 1975 to regulate directly the ability of broker-dealers to meet their financial obligations to customers and other creditors. Broker-dealers are companies that trade securities for customers (i.e., brokers) and for their own accounts (i.e., dealers).

Payments & settlement

New Payments Platform

The New Payments Platform (NPP), owned and operated by New Payments Platform Australia Ltd (NPPA) is a national industry-wide real-time payments platform for Australia. As of April 2025, there are over 25 million registered PayIDs.

Finance

New Zealand Treasury

The New Zealand Treasury (Māori: Te Tai Ōhanga) is the central public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the Government on economic policy, assisting with improving the performance of New Zealand's economy, and managing financial resources. The minister responsible for the Treasury is the Minister of Finance of New Zealand; however, from 1996 to 2002, there existed a

Banking

Nominal income target

A nominal income target is a monetary policy target. Such targets are adopted by central banks to manage national economic activity. Nominal aggregates are not adjusted for inflation. Nominal income aggregates that can serve as targets include nominal gross domestic product (NGDP) and nominal gross domestic income (GDI). Central banks use a variety of techniques to hit their targets, inc

Banking

Official cash rate

The official cash rate (OCR) is the term used in Australia and New Zealand for the bank rate and is the rate of interest which the central bank charges on overnight loans between commercial banks. This allows the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to adjust the interest rates that apply in each country's economy. The OCR cannot be changed by transactions betwee

Banking

Open market operation

In macroeconomics, an open market operation (OMO) is an activity by a central bank to exchange liquidity in its currency with a bank or a group of banks. The central bank can either transact government bonds and other financial assets in the open market or enter into a repurchase agreement or secured lending transaction with a commercial bank. The latter option, often preferred by centra

Trading basics

Organizational economics

Organizational economics (also referred to as economics of organization) involves the use of economic logic and methods to understand the existence, nature, design, and performance of organizations, especially managed ones.

Finance

Out-of-pocket expense

An out-of-pocket expense, or out-of-pocket cost (OOP), is the direct payment of money that may or may not be later reimbursed from a third-party source. For example, when operating a vehicle, gasoline, parking fees and tolls are considered out-of-pocket expenses for a trip. Car insurance, oil changes, and interest are not, since the outlay of cash covers expenses accrued over a longer pe

Finance

Outline of finance

The following outline provides an overview and topical guide to finance:

Finance

Overnight policy rate

The overnight policy rate is an overnight interest rate set by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) used for monetary policy direction. It is the target rate for the day-to-day liquidity operations of the BNM. The overnight policy rate (OPR) is the interest rate at which a depository institution lends immediately available funds (balances within the central bank) to another depository institution

Banking

Overnight rate

The overnight rate is generally the interest rate that large banks use to borrow and lend from one another in the overnight market. In some countries (the United States, for example), the overnight rate may be the rate targeted by the central bank to influence monetary policy. In most countries, the central bank is also a participant on the overnight lending market, and will lend or borr

Finance

Pakistan Crypto Council

Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) is a Pakistani regulatory body established to develop policy, infrastructure and regulation for blockchain technology and digital assets within Pakistan. It operates under the Ministry of Finance with input from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and other federal agencies.

Securities & exchanges

Peter Thiel

Peter Andreas Thiel ( ; born 11 October 1967) is a German-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative political activist. A co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies and Founders Fund, he was also the first outside investor in Facebook. As of October 2026, Forbes estimated Thiel's net worth at US$37.7 billion.

Fiat currencies

Plaza Accord

The Plaza Accord was a joint agreement signed on September 22, 1985, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City, between France, West Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to depreciate the U.S. dollar in relation to the French franc, the German Deutsche Mark, the Japanese yen and the British pound sterling by intervening in currency markets. The U.S. dollar depreciated sig

Fiat currencies

Polak model

The Polak model is a monetary approach to the balance of payment published by J. J. Polak in 1957. It seeks to model a small, open economy operating under fixed nominal exchange rate. Polak suggest explicit links between the monetary and external sectors. Polak results continue to form the theoretical bases on which the IMF Financial Programming are carried out.

Trading basics

Policy Analysis Market

The Policy Analysis Market (PAM), part of the FutureMAP project, was a proposed futures exchange developed, beginning in May 2001, by the Information Awareness Office (IAO) of the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and based on an idea first proposed by Net Exchange, a San Diego, California, research firm specializing in the development of online prediction

Securities & exchanges

Private finance initiative

The private finance initiative (PFI) was a United Kingdom government procurement policy aimed at creating "public–private partnerships" (PPPs) where private firms are contracted to complete and manage public projects. Initially launched in 1992 by Prime Minister John Major, and expanded considerably by the Blair government, PFI is part of the wider programme of privatisation and macroeco

Banking

Probability of default

Probability of default (PD) is a financial term describing the likelihood of a default over a particular time horizon. It provides an estimate of the likelihood that a borrower will be unable to meet its debt obligations.

Finance

Profit margin

Profit margin is a financial ratio that measures the percentage of profit earned by a company in relation to its revenue. Expressed as a percentage, it indicates how much profit the company makes for every dollar of revenue generated. Profit margin is important because this percentage provides a comprehensive picture of the operating efficiency of a business or an industry. All margin ch

Finance

Quantitative easing

Quantitative easing (QE) is a monetary policy action where a central bank purchases predetermined amounts of government bonds, company shares, or other financial assets (liquidity) in order to artificially stimulate economic activity. Quantitative easing is a novel form of monetary policy that began in Japan and came into wide application in the US following the 2008 financial crisis. It

Finance

Quantitative tightening

Quantitative tightening (QT) is a contractionary monetary policy tool applied by central banks to decrease the amount of liquidity or money supply in the economy. A central bank implements quantitative tightening by reducing the financial assets it holds on its balance sheet by selling them into the financial markets, which decreases asset prices and raises interest rates. QT is the re

Finance

Rate of profit

In economics and finance, the profit rate is the relative profitability of an investment project, a capitalist enterprise or a whole capitalist economy. It is similar to the concept of rate of return on investment. Scholarship has shown that the profit rate has fallen since 1945, especially after the Great Recession.

Networks

Regulation of algorithms

Regulation of algorithms, or algorithmic regulation, is the creation of laws, rules and public sector policies for promotion and regulation of algorithms, particularly in artificial intelligence and machine learning. For the subset of AI algorithms, the term regulation of artificial intelligence is used. The regulatory and policy landscape for artificial intelligence (AI) is an emerging

Securities & exchanges

Regulation S-X

Regulation S-X is a prescribed regulation in the United States of America that lays out the specific form and content of financial reports, specifically the financial statements of public companies. It is cited as 17 C.F.R. Part 210; the name of the part is "Form and Content of and Requirements for Financial Statements, Securities Act of 1933, Securities Exchange Act of 1934, Public Util

Banking

Reserve requirement

Reserve requirements are central bank regulations that set the minimum amount that a commercial bank must hold in liquid assets. This minimum amount, commonly referred to as the commercial bank's reserve, is generally determined by the central bank on the basis of a specified proportion of deposit liabilities of the bank. This rate is commonly referred to as the cash reserve ratio or sh

Payments & settlement

Russian National Card Payment System

The National Payment Card System (Russian: Национальная система платёжных карт; known its acronym NSPK) is an operational and payment clearing house for processing bank card transactions within Russia and the operator of the Mir card payment system. It is the operational and payment clearing house of the Faster Payment System (FPS) and wholly owned by the Central Bank of Russia (CBR).

Banking

Savings and loan association

A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. While the terms "S&L" and "thrift" are mainly used in the United States, similar institutions in the United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth countries include building societies and trustee savings banks. They ar

Trading basics

Secular stagnation

In economics, secular stagnation is a condition when there is negligible or no economic growth in a market-based economy. In this context, the term secular means long-term (from Latin "saeculum"—century or lifetime), and is used in contrast to cyclical or short-term. It suggests a change of fundamental dynamics which would play out only in its own time. The concept was originally put for

Securities & exchanges

Securities and Futures Commission

The Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) is the independent statutory body of Hong Kong charged with regulating securities and futures markets. The SFC is responsible for fostering an orderly securities and futures markets, to protect investors and to help promote Hong Kong as an international financial centre and a key financial market in Asia. Even though it is considered to be a br

Securities & exchanges

Securities Investor Protection Corporation

The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) is a non-profit, member-funded, United States government corporation created under the Securities Investor Protection Act (SIPA) of 1970 that most US-registered broker-dealers are required to join. Although created by federal legislation and overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the SIPC is neither a government agency no

Banking

September 2019 events in the U.S. repo market

On September 17, 2019, interest rates on overnight repurchase agreements (or "repos"), which are short-term loans between financial institutions, experienced a sudden and unexpected spike. A measure of the interest rate on overnight repos in the United States, the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR), increased from 2.43 percent on September 16 to 5.25 percent on September 17. During

Banking

Serviceability (banking)

Serviceability in Australian banking is the ability of a debtor to meet loan repayments. In the 1990s debt serviceability criteria had been relaxed, but nowadays it's harder to get finance. Every creditor has own serviceability model.

Banking

Single-tier banking system

A single-tier banking system is a policy framework under which all credit institutions coexist without distinction about the quality of their liabilities, or in other words, there is no distinction between central bank money and broad money. This setting is generally associated with communist economic systems.

Finance

Sovereign wealth fund

A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), or sovereign investment fund, is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity funds or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally. Most SWFs are funded by revenues from commodity exports or from foreign exchange reser

Securities & exchanges

Standardized approach (counterparty credit risk)

The standardized approach for counterparty credit risk (SA-CCR) is the capital requirement framework under Basel III addressing counterparty risk for derivative trades.

Fiat currencies

Sterilization (economics)

In macroeconomics, sterilization is action taken by a country's central bank to counter the effects on the money supply caused by a balance of payments surplus or deficit.

Fiat currencies

Strong dollar policy

Strong dollar policy is United States economic policy based on the assumption that a "strong" exchange rate of the United States dollar (meaning it takes fewer dollars to purchase the same amount of another currency) is in the interests of the United States. In 1971, Treasury Secretary John Connally famously remarked how the US dollar was "our currency, but your problem," referring to ho

Banking

SUCRE

The SUCRE ([ˈsukɾe]; Spanish: Sistema Unitario de Compensación Regional, "Unified System for Regional Compensation") was a regional currency proposed for commercial exchanges between members of the regional trade bloc Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA), which was created as an alternative to the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA). The SUCRE was intended to replace the

Finance

Suspicious activity report

In financial regulation, a suspicious activity report (SAR) or suspicious transaction report (STR) is a report made by a financial institution about suspicious or potentially suspicious activity as required under laws designed to counter money laundering, financing of terrorism and other financial crimes. The criteria for when a report is required vary by country, but in general, a repor

Finance

Sustainable growth rate

According to PIMS (profit impact of marketing strategy), an important lever of business success is growth. Among 37 variables, growth is mentioned as one of the most important variables for success: market share, market growth, marketing expense to sales ratio or a strong market position.

Banking

Takaful

Takaful (Arabic: التكافل, sometimes translated as "solidarity" or mutual guarantee) is a co-operative system of reimbursement or repayment in case of loss, organized as an Islamic or sharia-compliant alternative to conventional insurance, which contains riba (usury) and gharar (excessive uncertainty).

Finance

Taxation in Cyprus

Taxes in Cyprus are levied by both the central and local governments. Tax revenue stood at 39.2% of GDP in 2012. The most important revenue sources are the income tax, social security, value-added tax and corporate tax, and are all collected by the central government.

Fiat currencies

Taylor rule

The Taylor rule is a monetary policy targeting rule. The rule was proposed in 1992 by American economist John B. Taylor for central banks to use to stabilize economic activity by appropriately setting short-term interest rates. The rule considers the federal funds rate, the price level and changes in real income. The Taylor rule computes the optimal federal funds rate based on the gap be

Fiat currencies

The Great Debasement

The Great Debasement (1544–1551) was a currency debasement policy introduced in 1544 England under the order of Henry VIII which saw the amount of precious metal in gold and silver coins reduced and in some cases replaced entirely with cheaper base metals such as copper. Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland are cited