Wall Street Oasis logo


  • Recent
    • All Recent Content
    • Top WSO Bloggers
    • WSO Chat Room
    • Hot Topics - Week
    • Hot Topics - Month
    • Hot Topics - Year
    • Hot Topics - All Time
    • Top Comments - All Time
  • FAQs
    • Best Interviews
    • Common Questions
    • Industry Specific
    • WSO 101
    • Education
    • Recruiting
    • Life in Finance
    • WSO Company Database
    • WSO Finance Dictionary
  • Forums
    • Post Forum Topic
    • Best Interviews
    • Best Comments
    • WSO Chat Room
    • Job Search Advice
    • Investment Banking
    • Private Equity
    • Venture Capital
    • Trading
    • Consulting
    • Hedge Funds
    • Corporate Finance
    • Real Estate Finance
    • Equity Research
    • Asset Management
    • WSO Success Stories
    • Other Careers
    • Business School
    • Resume Forum
    • Wall St. Fashion
    • New User Intros
    • Monkey Around
    • WSO Products
    • Site Suggestions
  • Groups
    • Browse Groups
    • Create Group
    • My Groups
    • Non Target Networking
    • Energy Trading
    • State your salary
    • Read the Footnotes
    • Proprietary Traders
    • WSO Investment Forum
    • CFA
    • The Restructuring Group
    • Economics
    • RE Finance/Investments
  • About
    • About WSO
    • Press
    • Contact Us
    • RSS Sitemap
    • Advertise on WSO
    • WSO Discounts
    • WSO Store
  • Login
  • Sign Up!
  • Hot Topics
  • My Profile
  • Company Research
  • Modeling
  • Resume Review
  • Events
  • Interview Guides
  • Job Board
  • Intern Positions

6 Free Financial Modeling Lessons...and More.

Enter your e-mail below to get our new Free Modeling Tutorials ($200+ Value).

Financial Dictionary of Finance Terms & Definition

Wall Street Oasis Finance Dictionary

Below you will find an extensive and ever-growing list of finance terms and definitions, as well as financial abbreviations, often found in the forums of Wall Street Oasis and in the finance community. Wall Street Oasis aims to provide succinct definitions and understandable explanations of each of these financial terms you will find repeatedly in the finance industry. If you feel a finance term is missing from our finance dictionary, or if you feel a definition should be updated or enhanced, please e-mail [email protected] and we will review your submission as soon as possible for consideration to add to our financial dictionary.

We hope to be one of the most comprehensive financial dictionaries on the web, with more than 400 terms and definitions, and constantly growing our list. This glossary of finance terms can help prepare you for conversations in the industry, job interviews and more by empowering you with the financial knowledge necessary to understand the basics of the finance interview. Turn to this glossary for definitions of the terms and abbreviations that really matter in this business. Consider the Wall Street Oasis Finance Dictionary your online reference for financial, trading and investment terminology. Thanks for visiting Wall Street Oasis, and enjoy our finance dictionary!

Return to Main FAQ Page

Financial Terms and Definitions (Alphabetical List)

# | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

#
6-K
8-K
10-C
10-K
10-KSB
10-Q
10-QSB
13-D
13E-3
14D-9
20-F

A
Accounts Payable (AP)
Accounts Payable Days
Accounts Receivable (AR)
Accounts Receivable Days
Accretion
Accrued Expenses
Accrued Income
Acquisition
Additional Paid In Capital (APIC)
Algorithm (Algo)
Alpha
Alternative Investment Market (AIM)
Amortization
Analyst
Angel Investor
Annual Percentage Rate (APR)
Annuity
Arbitrage
Ask
Asset
Asset Backed Security (ABS)
Asset Management (AM)
Associate
Audit

B
Back Office (BO)
Backwardation
Balance Sheet (BS)
Bank
Bank of England (BoE)
Bank Run
Basel III
Basis Point (BPS)
Bear
Beta
Bid
Blue Chip
Bollinger Bands
Bond
Book Value (BV)
Boutique
Box Spread
Breakeven
Breakout
Bridge Loan
Broker
Bulge Bracket (BB)
Bull
Buyback
Buy-Side
BV / Share

C
C-Level
CAC
Calendarization
Call
Candlestick
Capital
Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM)
Capital Expenditure (CapEX)
Capital Leases
Capital Structure
Carry
Cash & Cash Equivalents (CCE)
Cash Flow Statement (CFS)
Central Bank
CFA
Chapter 11
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Close
CNBC
Collateral
Collateral Value
Collateralized Debt Obligation (CDO)
Commercial Bank
Commodity
Common Stock
Comparable Analysis
Contagion
Contango
Convergence
Convertible Bond
Cost of Equity
Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)
Counterparty Risk
Coupon Rate
Covariance
Covenant
Crack Spread
Credit Default Swap (CDS)
Credit Rating

D
DAX
Day Trading
Debt
Debt / EBITDA
Debt Capital Markets (DCM)
Debt to Assets
Debt to Equity
Default
Deferred Income Tax
Deferred Revenue
Deferred Tax Asset
Deferred Tax Liability
Delta
Depreciation
Derivative
Dilution
Discount Rate
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)
Distressed Asset
Divergence
Diversification
Dividend
Dodd-Frank Bill
Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA)
Downgrade
Due Diligence

E
Earnings Before Interest & Tax (EBIT)
EBIT / Interest
Earnings Before Interest, Taxation, Depreciation & Amortization (EBITDA)
Earnings Before Interest, Taxation, Depreciation, Amortization & Rent (EBITDAR)
Earnings Per Share (EPS)
Economies of Scale (EOS)
Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH)
Enterprise Value (EV)
Equity
Equity Capital Markets (ECM)
Equity Research (ER)
Equity Value
Eurex
Euro
Eurobond
European Central Bank
European Interbank Offer Rate (EURIBOR)
Eurostoxx50
Eurozone
EV / EBITDA
EV / Revenue
Exchange Rate
Exchange Rate Risk
Exchange Traded Fund (ETF)
Execution
Exercise Date
Exit Multiple

F
Fallen Angel
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Reserve
Federal Reserve Bank
Fiat Money
Fibonacci
Financial Institutions Group (FIG)
Financial Statements
Fixed Costs
Fixed Income (FI)
Floating Interest Rate
Fly Spread
Football Field Graph
ForEx (FX)
Forward Spread
Fractional Banking
Free Cash Flow (FCF)
Front Office (FO)
FTSE100
Fund of Funds (FoF)
Fundamental Analysis
Future

G
Gamma
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
Glass-Steagall Act
Goodwill
Gordon Growth Method
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Gross National Product (GNP)
Growth Stock

H
Haircut
Hang Seng (HSI)
Hedge
Hedge Fund (HF)
Herding
High Frequency Trading (HFT)
High Yield
Historical Value

I
In The Money
Income Statement (IS)
Index
Inflation
Inflation Risk
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Insider Trading
Insolvent
Intangible Assets
Interest Expense
Interest Income
Interest Rate (IR)
Interest Rate Risk
Interest Rate Swap (IRS)
Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Intrinsic Value (IV)
Inventory
Inventory Turnover
Investment Bank (IB)
Investment Banking Division (IBD)

J
Joint Venture (JV)
Junior Tranche
Junk Bond

K
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)

L
Large Cap
Lender of Last Resort
Letter Of Intent
Leverage
Leveraged Buyout (LBO)
Leveraged Finance (LevFin)
Liability
LIFFE
Limit
Limit Down
Limit Up
Liquidation
Liquidity
Liquidity Preference Theory (LPT)
Liquidity Ratio
Loan-To-Value (LTV)
Lock Limit
London Interbank Offer Rate (LIBOR)
London Stock Exchange (LSE)
Long
Loss Carryfoward

M
Macro
Management Buyout (MBO)
Managing Director (MD)
Margin
Marginal Cost
Mark-to-Market
Market
Market Capitalization
Market Maker
Market Risk
Market Share
Maturity
MBA
Megafund
Merger
Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Mid Cap
Mid-Year Discount
Middle Market (MM)
Middle Office (MO)
Minority Interest
Minus Tick
Money Market
Monopoly
Mortgage Backed Security (MBS)
Moving Average (MA)
Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD)
Mutual Fund

N
NASDAQ
Net Income
Net Operating Loss (NOL)
Net Present Value
New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX)
Nikkei
Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

O
Oligopoly
Open
Operating Cash Flow (OCF)
Operating Expenses
Operating Income
Operating Margin
Opportunity Cost
Option
Out Of The Money
Over-Hedging
Over-Trading

P
P / BV
Pair
Paper
Par
Penny Stock
Perpetuity
Pink Sheet
Pitch
Pitch Book
Pivot Table
Plant, Property & Equipment (PP&E)
Ponzi Scheme
Position
Precedent Transactions
Preferred Stock
Premium
Premium Bond
Prepaid Expenses
Prepaid Income
Price to Earnings (P/E)
Principal
Private
Private Banking (PB)
Private Equity (PE)
Private Wealth Management (PWM)
Profit and Loss (PnL)
Proprietary Trading
Proxy Statement
Public
Public Comparable Companies
Put
Put-Call Parity

Q
Quant
Quantitative Easing (QE)
Quick Ratio

R
R-Squared
Rally
Rating
Ratings Agency
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)
Realized Gain
Realized Loss
Repo
Repo 105
Research & Development (R&D)
Resistance Line
Restructuring
Retained Earnings
Retainer
Retracement
Retreat
Return on Assets (ROA)
Return on Equity (ROE)
Return on Investment (ROI)
Revenue
Reverse Repo
Revolver
Risk Free Rate
Roadshow

S
S-1
S-4
S&P500
Sales
Scalping
Securities and Exchange Act of 1934
Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC)
Securitization
Security
Security Market Line (SML)
Selling, General & Administrative Costs (SG&A)
Sell-Side
Senior Tranche
Senior Vice President (SVP)
Sensitivity Table
Series Exams
Shareholders Equity (SE)
Shares Outstanding
Sharpe Ratio
Short
Short Term Interest Rate (STIR)
Short Term Investments
Small Cap
Special Investment Vehicle (SIV)
Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV)
Spread
Standard Deviation
Stock-Based Compensation
Stop
Straddle
Strike Price
Subordinated Debt
Subprime
Superday
Support Line
Summer Analyst (SA)

T
Takeover
Tangible Assets
Taxation
Technical Analysis
Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT)
Terminal Multiple
Terminal Value (TV)
Theta
Tick Size
Ticker
Time Value
Tombstone
Total Return Swap (TRS)
Trader
Trading
Trading Multiple
Tranche
Transaction Multiple
Treasury Stock
Trend
Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)
TO-I

U
Underlying Asset
Unemployment
Upgrade
Uptick

V
Valuation
Valued Added Tax (VAT)
Value At Risk (VAR)
Variable Costs
Vega
Venture Capital (VC)
Vice President (VP)
VIX
Volatility
Volcker Rule
Volume

W
Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)

Y
Yield
Yield Curve

Return to Main FAQ Page

  • WSO Finance Dictionary
  • trading terms
  • finance terms

Don't Miss This Awesome Related WSO Content

  • I wanted to take this time to announce one of the latest additions to our community: The WSO Finance Dictionary . Believe it or not, one intern from the UK has built this entire dictionary from scratch. He has been working on all these terms (~400) over the last few months and has done an...
    WSO Finance Dictionary is Here
  • Click here for the Wall Street Oasis Finance Dictionary where you can find over 400 different terms and definitions used in finance.
    Where can I find a list of finance terms and definitions?
  • Wall Street Oasis is looking for an extremely dedicated and motivated individual to help us manage our job board. This job will include the following: * Actively reaching out to HR professionals and recruiters in the finance industry on a daily basis. Over phone and e-mail. * Finding innovative...
    WSO Job Board Manager
  • Hi All, Does anyone have any insight regarding the PWC Financial Instrument & Credit Group? They are formerly known as the structured finance group. What line of practice does it fall under? Any skills are developed in this group? Is it more accounting or more finance? Any input would be...
    PwC Financial Instrument & Credit Group (Structured Finance)
  • From what I understand, corporate development is more focused on m&a while fp&a deals more with internal stuff. Could someone elaborate on their differences? And how much is fp&a like your run-of-the-mill accounting job (i.e. how does it compare to working at a big4)? thanks.
    Financial Planing & Analysis vs. Corporate Development
  • So for my corporate finance internship I have been placed in the financial reporting & planning group. What can I expect? It's a F100 company and I did not have any input on choosing the groups. I want to do IB. Is this going to be relevant? I am a sophomore right now. Thank you
    Financial Reporting & Planning?
  • I know that Genworth doesn't exactly have the best reputation, but does anybody know much about their Finance Development Program. It looks like you can get a rotation with the investments/trading group in Stamford, CT which could be interesting. Any info on exit opps, earnings potential,...
    Genworth Financial Finance Development
  • Description A group of international investors with over 20 years of experience in emerging markets are launching a Financial Markets Briefing Service focusing on equity markets of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The briefing service will provide macro economic updates and...
    Free-Lance Writers for Financial Markets Briefing Service

Forum Topics

  • New
  • Active
  • Rank
  • Comments
  • Does anybody happen to know of some good books for EM trading? Added plus if they discuss how they're different from developed markets with respect to things like products, market participants, role of central bank/government, economic growth models,...
    Good books for EM trading
  • Hi...
    Need Advice - Rising Senior
  • I've got some decisions to make in the next few days and I'd love to hear your thoughts just to see if I've missed any lines of reasoning. I have an offer for a trainee program at one of the major commodities trading houses (Glencore/Traf/etc). 6 months ago this was hands down my...
    Start-up vs Commodities Trading
  • Hi all, Got this job description - wanted to get insight into what this role entails. Any help would be greatly appreciated - I'm pretty new to the whole trading floor/Securities scene, so please be gentle :/ "This role performs a risk management function for the Securities...
    Lateral Opening - Need Help!
  • Currently in the process of applying for summer internships. For S&T. I am a white British Male who speaks no Mandarin/Canto. I have worked in Hong Kong before on an internship and loved it, and would love to return. Would be people suggest applying for summer internships in London or...
    Do I start in London or Hong Kong?
  • One of my buddies in securities law showed this to me. Although reading SEC lawsuits is probably not your definition of time well spent, this one is worth a quick read. http://www.sec.gov/litigation/complaints/2013/comp-pr2013-102.pdf Begs the question, who in their right mind would make...
    Smithfield SEC case - blatant insider trading
  • I am trying to complete the WSP self study program, and I started getting really into DCF and M&A modeling, however only briefly going through the 3 statement model. I am trying to get through it now because I feel that this is the bread and butter of modeling. Is that a correct assumption?...
    Question about FSM Modeling
  • Hey...
    New to WSO-Hello
  • Please help, thanks in advance. Can someone please give me a rundown on the following: - how the equity section on non-traded public REIT's balance sheets works - clarification on some of the line items on the proceeds from financing section on the cash flow statement like...
    Public Non-Traded REIT Balance Sheet/Cash Flow Questions
  • Not that he ever really went anywhere, it's just been a long time since we've heard anything from him. And that's because he's been busy doing what John Thain does - maximizing shareholder value like it's his job. This is a great interview with Thain from last week, and the...
    John Thain Is Back!
  • Ok. It is probably not the best acting I have ever seen and the fact that Scott Disick´s voice does not mimic Christian Bale´s one bit will probably annoy most on here, however I thought it was pretty funny that they chose to parody American psycho for Kanye West´s new...
    American Psycho parody - Yeezus (Kanye West)
  • Somewhat skeptical on this one - similar to The Hangover sequels but I will definitely be seeing this one what it comes...
    Official Anchorman 2 Trailer Is Out
  • <em>Mod note: <strong><a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/faq/what-are-the-best-qa-threads-and-interviews-with-top-finance-professionals-on-wso ">Click here</a></strong> to see all of our q&a's and interviews</em><P> I figured I...
    Open for Questions - Equities in Dallas
  • When I was attempting my Level II, I was feeling mighty poor.&nbsp;<br> <br> I had just left my role in finance and I wanted to try my hand at something else that had caught my attention - advertising.&nbsp;<br> <br> Weird, I know.&nbsp;<br> <br>...
    How to Pitch to your Firm to Sponsor Your CFA Program
more

Upcoming Events

  • Financial & Valuation Modeling Boot Camp (Los Angeles)
    Jun 20 2013 - 8:00am - Jun 22 2013 - 5:00pm
  • London WSO Drinks
    Jun 20 2013 - 2:30pm - 4:30pm
  • Financial and Valuation Modeling Boot Camp (San Francisco)
    Jun 27 2013 - 9:00am - Jun 28 2013 - 5:30pm
  • Crowdfunding Conference, June 27, The Yale Club New York
    Jun 27 2013 - 11:30am - 7:30pm
  • WSO Conference 2013 - New York City
    Jun 29 2013 - 10:00am
more

Highest Ranked Content

  • Week
  • Month
  • Year
  • All Time
  • Comments
<em>Mod note: make sure to see the great comment below by CompBanker</em> I come from a small town where nobody had ever heard of consulting or IB. I was fortunate enough to attend a top target college (a good Ivy) and land a gig in IB at a BB/EB. I'm starting full time this...
Finance Culture - Personalities
<strong>Background</strong> I randomly discovered WSO nearly seven years ago just weeks after I secured a FT MM IB position. The website was extremely nascent at the time with only a few thousand registered users. The majority of the users were college students with only a handful...
How WSO has enhanced my IB/PE career
<em>Mod note: <strong><a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/faq/what-are-the-best-qa-threads-and-interviews-with-top-finance-professionals-on-wso ">Click here</a></strong> to see all of our q&a's and interviews</em><P> I figured I...
Open for Questions - Equities in Dallas
After over one year in the making, the <strong><a href="http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/2013-wso-compensation-report-full">2013 WSO Compensation Report</a></strong> is here! Access to the FULL 108 page 2013 WSO Compensation Report is <strong>100%...
2013 WSO Compensation Report has Arrived
Where do i even start..I learned so much from this forum. The brutally honest opinions, sincere willingness to help, the technical information and random tips on everything has been absolutely crucial for me landing this offer. Coming from a non-target I didnt get that 3rd year SA position at...
Thank you WSO! Got my FT Offer! ADVICE NEEDED
When I first started as a PE analyst, I constantly struggled with judging the amount of time I should spend on reviewing sourced deals. How much time is enough to really get a handle on the company’s revenue streams? How granular do I need my analysis to be on industry threats? With this...
Misguided Efforts: A Cautionary Tale
Fellow Primates, We are looking for 1-2 students on each campus to help WSO in its sales efforts to student clubs/career centers, and overall promotion at your school both online and on the ground. Below is a description of the position and benefits...thanks in advance for your help! <a...
WSO is Looking for Campus Reps For Summer/Fall 2013 (and beyond)
Many of the questions that have come in surround recruiting for front office Wall Street careers from a non-target so we’ll start with some ideas for recruiting, move on to interviewing, preparing for the job and finally long-term career management advice. Before we begin, it has been...
Stand Out as a Non-Target: Recruiting (Part 1 of 4)
Any Asset Management people here who could give me some insights on it, such as the nature of the work, the pay, the hours, the potential for career advancement, ect? I was looking into IB before but I've decided that I would rather pursue a career that's more intellectually...
Asset Management a better choice than Investment Banking?
<img src="//img.pandawhale.com/48721-Sexually-Oblivious-Female-Meme-Ze2w.png" alt="Sexually Oblivious Female Meme - Favorite Position? I would like to be a CEO.">
If you could be the richest person in the world with your dream job only as a public virgin forever would you do it?
more

Recent Jobs

  • Real Estate Investment Banking Analyst
  • Funded Internet Startup Seeks Corporate Clients Managers
  • Financial Research Associate for Funded Growth-Stage Internet Startup
  • Business Development Associate
  • Finance/Business Internship in Bejing w/ a Wall Street Company
more



Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite

Poll

Why would you NOT go to the 2013 WSO Conference? :
View the current poll results.

Silver Banana Rankings

  • Silver Banana Leaders
  • Soiled Monkeys
UserSilver Bananas
Edmundo Braverman1161
TNA1120
CompBanker936
happypantsmcgee744
IlliniProgrammer726
UFOinsider642
TheKing625
BlackHat595
rufiolove439
Nouveau Richie425
more

Top WSO Members

  • Total Bananas
  • Active Monkeys
UserBanana Points
Edmundo Braverman14704
TNA13711
WallStreetOasis.com12192
UFOinsider10466
happypantsmcgee9627
IlliniProgrammer9258
CompBanker8740
AndyLouis6117
Siberian Husky5862
monty095426
more

New Groups

  • Houston Targets
  • Belgium going Wall Street
  • Liberal Arts Colleges Graduates
  • McCombs Monkeys (University of Texas at Austin)
  • WSO Pittsburgh
  • Denver Professionals
  • Minneapolis Bankers
  • Non-Target Networking in NYC
  • Prep School Bankers
  • Commercial Real Estate
more

© 2006-2012 WallStreetOasis.com | All Rights ReservedAdvertise | About Us | Contact Us | FAQs | Site Map | Privacy Policy

As Seen In

Sister Site