An investing slang term referencing Ben Bernanke. The name Big Ben was given to Bernanke around 2005, when he was appointed to the position of Federal Reserve chairman by President George Bush. The name Big Ben is often used in headlines due to its relative compactness. Analysts also use the slang term, which has no relation to the landmark in London. Bernanke took over the chairman position from Alan Greenspan on February 1, 2006. Before taking over the position, Ben was the Fed governor and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
The collection, storage and processing of financial and accounting data that is used by decision makers. An accounting information system is generally a computer-based method for tracking accounting activity in conjunction with information technology resources. The resulting statistical reports can be used internally by management or externally by other interested parties including investors, creditors and tax authorities. |||An accounting information systems that combines traditional accounting practices such as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) with modern information technology resources. Six elements compose the typical accounting information system: People - the system users. Procedure and Instructions - methods for retrieving and processing data. Data - information pertinent to the organization's business practices. Software - computer programs used to process data. Information Technology Infrastructure - hardware used to operate the system. Internal Controls - security measures to protect sensitive data.
A simplified derivative instrument that allows investors to hedge or speculate on economic events such as housing prices, commodity prices, interest rates, currencies and economic indicators. The price for a hedgelet contract is based on the prevailing market price determined by participants in the market. Every contract has the same defined payout scheme: $10 for a correct contract and $0 for an incorrect one. Each hedgelet contract is set so that investors must make a decision on whether an economic event will occur or not occur. For example, on a "Crude Oil > $64" contract an investor can either choose Yes (oil will be more than $64 at expiration) or No (oil will be less than $64 at expiration). If the investor purchases one Yes "Crude Oil > $64" contract for $2, and crude oil ends at $80 when the contract expires, the investor will receive $10 - an $8 profit. However, if the price of crude oil ends at less than $64, the contract will be worthless and the investor will lose the initial $2 investment.
The currency abbreviation or currency symbol for the Lao kip (LAK), the currency of Laos. The kip is made up of 100 att, and is often represented with a symbol that looks like a capital letter K with a horizontal dash through the center. The first kip coins minted in 1952 had holes in the center like Chinese coins. |||The kip was first seen in 1952. It replaced the French Indochinese currency piastre on a 1:1 basis, but the new currency was also denominated in either kip and piastre or kip and riel or dong. Sole kip notes appeared in 1957, but this was replaced by Pathet Lao kip and the Lao PDR kips in 1976 and 1979, respectively.
A slang term for an investor who sells shares at or below the bid price. This is considered outside the norm, as sellers normally settle for a price between the bid and ask quotes. The person is said to "whack the bid down", since selling at or below the bid will usually lower future bids. Bid whacking usually perturbs other sellers, since it may temporarily drive down the market price of a security.
A not-for-profit organization that was established to maintain and promote Shariah standards for Islamic financial institutions, participants and the overall industry. The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) was created on February 26, 1990 to ensure that participants conform to the regulations set out in Islamic finance.The founding and associate members, as well as the regulatory and supervisory authorities of the AAOIFI, define the acceptable standards for various functions. This includes areas such as accounting, governance, ethics, transactions and investment. |||In Islamic finance there are unique rules, restrictions and requirements regarding business and investing. In order to be considered acceptable, transactions must adhere to the principals under Shariah. The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions sets compliance standards for institutions that wish to gain access to the Islamic banking market.The AAOIFI is continually updating its scope to include the various new financial instruments entering markets around the world. For example, new hedging mechanisms would first need to be discussed and accepted by the AAOIFI before any member would offer these services.
The manager of a trading business. He or she is responsible for the positions, risk and ultimate profitability of that business. In a registered securities firm, the head trader supervises all traders and other personnel within his or her purview. Most notably, the head trader is charged with insuring regulatory and internal compliance for every employee who is part of the trading operation (i.e., not just traders). Any head trader in a securities operation with supervisory and/or approval responsibilities must be a registered principal, meaning they must hold all the basic securities licenses and possess one of the following: a series 4, 9, 10, 23, 24, 51 and/or 53 license. The exact principal exams required depend on the scope of the head trader’s responsibilities. In smaller firms, there may only be one or two head traders, but in large firms there are frequently many head traders, each in charge of a specific market. The head trader for municipal securities, for example, would have, at a minimum, a series 53 license. Different licenses apply for futures and commodities trading operations. A registered options principal, for example, will hold a series 4 license.
A limited partnership or stock offering with no stated investment goal for the funds that are raised from investors. In a blind pool, money is raised from investors, usually trading on the name of a particular individual or firm, but few restrictions or safeguards are in place for investor security. May also be called "blank check underwriting" or a "blank check offering". Blind pools are often a product of late-stage market rallies, when investors and financiers tend to become more greedy than prudent. Many fraudulent deals in the 1980s and 1990s gave blind pools a bad name. Sometimes these pools are born and later dissolved without making a single investment - but the managers or general partners still make off with hefty fees.Some of the largest and most-respected Wall Street firms have underwritten blind pools. However, this backing aside, investors should be very cautious of any investment without a stated objective.