A person who was born between 1946 and 1964. The baby boomer generation makes up a substantial portion of the North American population. Representing nearly 20% of the American public, baby boomers have a significant impact on the economy. As a result, baby boomers are often the focus of marketing campaigns and business plans. After the end of World War II, birth rates across the world spiked. The explosion of new infants became known as the baby boom. During the boom, an estimated 77 million babies were born in the United States alone! The large increase in population produced a substantial rise in demand for consumer goods, stimulating the post-war economy.
A nickname given to the hypothetical companies that would have formed if the Justice Department had broken up Microsoft Corporation. Using the first name of Microsoft's founder, Bill Gates, the term is a takeoff on the "Baby Bells" created by the breakup of AT&T.
A common nickname given to the U.S. regional telephone companies that were formed from the breakup of AT&T ("Ma Bell") in 1984. Baby Bells were created in accordance with antitrust legislation, which is designed to create more competition within the industry. Upon the initial breakup of AT&T, the Baby Bells included Nynex in New York and New England; Bell Atlantic, BellSouth and Ameritech in the Midwest; and Southwestern Bell, U.S. West and Pacific Telesis in California and Nevada. Over time, however, these companies have gone through several more corporate changes, such as acquisitions and mergers. As a result, the industry has been consolidated into a few domestic telephone providers.
A phrase originating from Europe that describes an employee that is learning something the hard way, like being immersed in their field of employment. Baptism by fire has its roots in battle terminology, describing a soldier's first time in battle. Baptism by fire is used when the best way for someone to be trained is for that person to experience the actual situations rather than to just study those situations. Jobs that require baptism by fire may include: police officers, firemen, military personnel, etc.
A psychological phenomenon whereby people do something primarily because other people are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs, which they may ignore or override. The bandwagon effect has wide implications, but is commonly seen in politics and consumer behavior. This phenomenon can also be seen during bull markets and the growth of asset bubbles.This tendency of people to align their beliefs and behaviors with those of a group is also called "herd mentality." For example, people might buy a new electronic item because of its popularity, regardless of whether they need it, can afford it, or even really want it. In politics, the bandwagon effect might cause citizens to vote for the person who appears to have more popular support because they want to belong to the majority.
An investor's failure to avoid trading in the stocks that are part of a block and also within a specified amount of time. Bagging the street refers to a situation where an investor or a trader trades the securities shortly following initiation of the trade. Traders who frequently practice bagging the street will often have their margin requirements revoked by a brokerage. Block trades are usually for large quantity of stocks; therefore, and thus can have an impact on the price of shares underlying the block, especially if those securities are illiquid. Therefore, traders who practice bagging the street will attempt to gain an unfair disadvantage if the block trade is large enough to impact stock prices. once the block trade fully goes through and the market quickly absorbs the impacts, investors are free to resume their desired trading strategies.
An informal investment term used to describe an investor who holds a position in a stock which decreases in value until it is worthless. Typically, the bag holder will hold the position for an extended period of time in which most of the investment is lost. Symbolically, the investor is left holding a bag full of worthless material, representing worthless stock. The bag holder, typically, will retain an investment even though there is convincing evidence that the value will continue to drop.There are several reasons this might happen, such as neglecting an underperforming portfolio, an investor not wanting to admit a mistake, or just plain hope that the stock will recover. Setting limits on losses and having a good exit strategy are ways to avoid this situation.
A stock that represents the most optimal investment choice for a specific sector or industry due to its high quality compared to its competitors. This slang is derived from dog shows, where the highest quality dog for each breed wins an award and is given the "best of breed" title. Because most investors are faced with the problem of limited capital for investment purposes, it is important that their capital only be allocated to the best investments. Therefore, it is important to identify "best of breed" stocks. Some criteria for determining whether a stock is the "best of breed" is by looking at its revenue growth, market share and corporate governance compared to its competition.