Category: Stock Market Glossary

Agency Bonds – Some government-sponsored but privately owned corporations (like Fannie

Annual Percentage Rate (APR) – What credit costs you each year, expressed as a percentage of the loan amount.

Ask/Ask Price – The lowest quoted price sellers are currently accepting (asking) for a share of the company’s stock. The…

Asset – A company-owned resource with economic value. Assets are reported on a company’s balance sheet.

Asset Classes – A group of securities that 1) has similar characteristics, 2) behaves similarly in the marketplace, and 3)…

Auction Market – Auction market trading (sometimes known as open outcry) is the way the major exchanges, such as the…

B Corp – B Corporations are for-profit companies that have been certified by B Lab to meet strict ESG criteria,…

Balance Sheet – A summary of a company’s assets, liabilities, and owners’ equity. A balance sheet shows a company’s financial…

Bear Market – A prolonged period of falling stock prices, often measured by a decline of 20 percent or more.

Bid/Bid Price – The highest quoted price buyers are currently willing to pay for a share of a company’s stock.

Black Friday -Most commonly referenced as a homage to the term “black” referring to profitability, which stems from the old…

Blue Chip Stock – It is the common stock of a large, well-regarded US company. The companies in that informal…

Bond – An IOU that a company or government sells when it borrows money. Bonds are called fixed-income investments because…

Bond Fund – An investment company that pools savers’ money to invest in a variety of bonds. Brand – The…

Broker – An agent acting on behalf of a buyer or seller to execute a trade at the best available…

Budget – A plan for managing your money – with a focus on tracking money coming in, going out, and…

Bull Market – A prolonged period of rising stock prices.

Business – A person or group that makes something for other people to buy. Most businesses try to earn a…

Buy – A term used to describe the purchase or acquisition of an item or service that’s typically paid for…

Buying on Margin – Buying stocks by paying only a percentage (a margin) of the purchase price and borrowing the…