An equilibrium concept associated with dynamic programs. Recursive competitive equilibrium (RCE) is characterized by time-invariant equilibrium decision rules that specify actions as a function of a limited number of state variables, which summarize the effects of past decisions and current information. Economic agents with knowledge of these state variables assess the current state of the economy. As their actions determine in part the values of the state variables in the next sequential time period, this structure is termed 'recursive'. |||The RCE concept is used in exploring various economic issues, including monetary and fiscal policy and business-cycle fluctuations. RCE decision rules include a number of functions, such as pricing and value.
Property, money or assets that one person transfers to another while receiving nothing or less than fair market value in return. Under certain circumstances, the IRS collects a tax on gifts. Transfers of money or property that are given freely or exchanged for less than market value may be subject to the gift tax if the donor has exceeded the annual or lifetime gift exemption. If you receive a gift, you aren't required to report it as income; it is the gift giver who is responsible for paying any tax and filing a gift tax return. Gifts of any amount to spouses, political organizations, and payments of tuition and medical expenses on behalf of others are generally not taxable as gifts. Estate planning can help wealthy individuals avoid paying gift taxes.
A category of stocks that rely heavily on the business cycle and economic conditions. Consumer cyclicals include industries such as automotive, housing, entertainment and retail. The category can be further divided into durable and non-durable sections. Durable cyclicals include physical goods such as hardware or vehicles, while non-durables represent items like movies or hotel services. Taobiz explains Consumer Cyclicals The performance of consumer cyclicals is highly related to the state of the economy. They represent goods and services that are not considered necessities, but luxurious purchases. During contractions or recessions, people have less disposable income to spend on consumer cyclicals. When the economy is expanding or booming, the sales of these goods rise as retail and leisure spending increase.
The difference between the market price of electricity and its cost of production. This measure is important because it helps utility companies determine their bottom line (profit). If the spark spread is small on a particular day, electricity production might be delayed until a more profitable spread arises.
A marketing analysis tool used to identify a firm's best customers by measuring certain factors. The RFM model is based on three quantitative factors: Recency - How recently a customer has made a purchaseFrequency - How often a customer makes a purchaseMonetary Value - How much money a customer spends on purchases RFM analysis often supports the marketing adage that "80% of business comes from 20% of the customers." |||Nonprofit organizations have relied on RFM analysis to target likely donors, as people who have made donations in the past are likely to make additional donations. RFM analysis classifies customers with a number ranking system for each of the RFM factors. The "best" customer would receive a top score in each of the three categories score, this allows comparison between potential contributors or customers. Despite the useful information that is acquired through RFM analysis, firms must take into consideration that even the best customers will not want to be over-solicited, and the lower-ranking customers may be cultivated with additional marketing efforts.
Goods used by individuals and businesses that must be replaced regularly because they wear out or are used up. Consumables can also be defined as the components of an end product that are used up or permanently altered in the process of manufacturing, such as semiconductor wafers and basic chemicals. Taobiz explains Consumables Stocks of companies that make consumables are considered to be relative safe harbors for equity investors when the economy shows signs of weakness. The reasoning is simple: people will always need to purchase groceries, clothes and gas no matter what is going on in the broad economy. Many of the items measured in the basket of goods used to calculate the Consumer Price Index (CPI) are consumables; inflation in these items is closely watched because it can lower the discretionary income people have to spend on items such as cars, vacations and entertainment.
An office located inside the taxpayer's home that serves as the taxpayer's principal place of business. In order for home office-related expenses such as utilities and mortgage payments to be deductible, the taxpayer must use it as his or her primary place of business. This means that either the majority of the work for the business must be performed there, or clients must be met there on a regular basis. "Home office" can also refer to the administrative headquarters of a large enterprise, such as the home office of a large corporation that is located in a particular city. Taxpayers who use home offices can deduct a proportionate amount of the rent, mortgage, utilities, property taxes and other related expenses that they incur by dividing the square footage of their home office space by the total amount of square footage in their residence. This fraction is then applied to all related expenses to arrive at the dollar amount of deductible expenses.
A period of economic slowdown amid a larger trend of economic growth. This buzzword is most often used in the financial media and by the U.S. Federal Reserve to describe a period of economic weakness. This term gained popularity when former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan used it in his review of the overall U.S. economy. Central banks often cut interest rates in an attempt to spur the economy through the soft patch. An example of a soft patch would be an economic slowdown due to rising commodity prices, which is believed to be short term, with the economy growing at a faster rate after the slow patch.