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发表于 2004-1-4 19:17:31 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览
从网上查到的一些经济学术语的相关资料。

economy & finance glossaries and economy & finance dictionaries.
http://www.glossarist.com/glossaries/economy-finance/

Glossaries of Economic Terms in Principles (General)
http://www.economics.ltsn.ac.uk/ ... inciplesgeneral.htm

A Glossary of Economic Terms (PDF下载)
www.unc.edu/~rbyrns/Handouts/Glossary-Econ_Byrns.pdf
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Glossary of Economic Terms

http://www.frbsf.org/tools/glossary/glossReg.html

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[A]

absolute advantage
A country has an absolute advantage if its output per unit of input of all goods and services produced is higher than that of another country.  

academic consultants
An advisory group initiated by the Board in the 1960's to provide a forum for the exchange of views between the Federal Reserve Board and members of the academic community in economics and banking.  

accretion of discount
A straight-line accumulation of capital gains on discount bonds in anticipation of being paid par at maturity.  

accrual method of accounting
See cash method of accounting.  

aggregate
Any total (e.g., the gross national product; the sum of monthly sales).  

agreement corporation
Corporation chartered by a state to engage in international banking; so named because the corporation enters into an 'agreement' with the Board of Governors to limit its activities to those permitted an Edge Act corporation.  

amortization
The process of fully paying off indebtedness by installments of principal and earned interest over a definite time.  

annual percentage rate - APR
The cost of credit on a yearly basis expressed as a percentage.  

appraisal fee
The charge for estimating the value of property offered as security.  

appreciation
See currency appreciation.  

auction
A method of determining price and interest.  

automated clearinghouse - ACH
Electronic clearing and settlement system for exchanging electronic transactions among participating depository institutions; such electronic transactions are substitutes for paper checks and are typically used to make recurring payments such as payroll or loan payments. The Federal Reserve Banks operate an automated clearinghouse, as do some private-sector firms.  

automated teller machines - ATM
Computer-controlled terminals located on the premises of financial institutions or elsewhere, through which customers may make deposits, withdrawals, or other transactions as they would through a bank teller. Other terms sometimes used to describe such terminals are customer-bank communications terminal (CBC) and remote service unit (RSU). Groups of banks sometimes share ATM networks located throughout a region of the country that may include portions of several states.  

automatic transfer service account - ATS
A depositor's savings account from which funds may be transferred automatically to the same depositor's checking account to cover a check written or to maintain a minimum balance.  
[B]

balance of payments
An accounting statement of the money value of international transactions between one nation and the rest of the world over a specific time period. The statement shows the sum of transactions of individuals, businesses, and government agencies located in one nation, against those of all other nations.  

balance of trade
That part of a nation's balance of payments dealing with imports and exports, that is trade in goods and services, over a given period. If exports of goods exceed imports, the trade balance is said to be 'favorable'; if imports exceed exports, the trade balance if said to be 'unfavorable.'  

balloon payment
A large extra payment that may be charged at the end of a loan or lease.  

Bank for International Settlements - BIS
The BIS, located in Basle, Switzerland, was established in 1930 to administer the post-World War I reparations agreements. Since the 1960s, the BIS has evolved into an important international monetary institution, and has provided a forum in which central bankers meet and consult on a monthly basis. As an independent financial organization, the BIS performs a variety of banking, trustee, and agent functions, primarily with central banks.  

bank holding company - BHC
Company that owns, or has controlling interest in, one or more banks. A company that owns more than one bank is known as a multibank holding company. A bank holding company may also own another bank holding company, which in turn owns or controls a bank; the company at the top of the ownership chain is called the top holder. The Board of Governors is responsible for regulating and supervising bank holding companies, even if the bank owned by the holding company is under the primary supervision of a different federal agency (the Comptroller of the Currency or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation).  

bank note
A term used synonymously with paper money or currency issued by a bank. Notes are, in effect, a promise to pay the bearer on demand the amount stated on the face of the note. Today, only the Federal Reserve Banks are authorized to issue bank notes, i.e. Federal Reserve notes, in the United States.  

bank regulation
The formulation and issuance by authorized agencies of specific rules or regulations, under governing law, for the conduct and structure of banking.  

bank run - bank panic
A series of unexpected cash withdrawals caused by a sudden decline in depositor confidence or fear that the bank will be closed by the chartering agency, i.e. many depositors withdraw cash almost simultaneously. Since the cash reserve a bank keeps on hand is only a small fraction of its deposits, a large number of withdrawals in a short period of time can deplete available cash and force the bank to close and possibly go out of business.  

bank supervision
Oversight of individual banks to ensure that they are operated prudently and in accordance with applicable statutes and regulations.  

bankers acceptance
Bankers acceptances are negotiable time drafts, or bills of exchange, that have been accepted by a bank that, by accepting, assumes the obligation to pay the holder of the draft the face amount of the instrument on the maturity date specified. They are used primarily to finance the export, import, shipment, or storage of goods.  

bankwire
An electronic communications network owned by an association of banks and used to transfer messages between subscribing banks. Bankwire also offers a clearing service called Cashwire that includes a settlement facility.  

bilateralism
An international policy having as its objective the achievement of particular balances of trade between two nations by means of discriminatory tariffs, exchange, or other controls. The initiative is usually taken by the country having an 'unfavorable' balance of trade. Extensive bilateralism results in a shift of international trade away from channels that would result from the principle of comparative advantage. See also multilateralism.  

bill
A short-term direct obligation of the U.S. Treasury (13, 26, or 52 weeks' maturity). See also note and bond.  

Board of Governors
Central governmental agency of the Federal Reserve System, located in Washington, DC, and composed of seven members who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Board is responsible for domestic and international economic analysis with other components of the System; for the conduct of monetary policy; for supervision and regulation of certain banking organizations; for operation of much of the nation's payments system; and for administration of most of the nation's laws that protect consumers in credit transactions.  

bond
A long-term obligation of the U.S. Treasury (more than 10 years' maturity). See also bill and note.  

book-entry securities
Securities that are recorded in electronic records, called book entries, rather than as paper certificates. Ownership of U.S. government book-entry securities is transferred over Fedwire.  

broker-dealer
Any person, other than a bank, engaged in the business of buying or selling securities on her or his own behalf for others.  

broker's loans
Money borrowed by brokers from banks for uses such as financing specialists' inventories of stock, the underwriting of new issues of corporate and municipal securities, and customer margin accounts.  

Bundesbank
Established in 1875, the central bank of West Germany, located in Frankfurt.  

Bureau of Labor Statistics - BLS
A research agency of the U.S. Department of Labor; it compiles statistics on hours of work, average hourly earnings, employment and unemployment, consumer prices, and many other variables.  

buydown
A lump sum payment made to the creditor by the borrower or by a third party to reduce the amount of some or all of the consumer's periodic payments to repay the indebtness.  
[C]

California Economic Development Lending Initiative - CEDLI
This is a statewide community development corporation that provides financing to serve a range of community economics development needs, including small businesses, non-profit lenders, and community real estate projects.  

capacity utilization rate
The percentage of the economy's total plant and equipment that is currently in production. Usually a decrease in this percentage signals an economic slowdown, while an increase signals economic expansion.  

capital market
The market in which corporate equity and longer-term debt securities (those maturing in more than one year) are issued and traded.  

capital market rates
See long-term interest rates.  

Cash Management Bills - CMB
Very short maturity bills that the Treasury sells on an irregular basis to bridge low points in the Treasury's cash balance.  

cash method of accounting
A system, used especially in computing income tax, in which income is not credited until it is actually or constructively received and expenses are not charged until they have been paid; to be distinguished from the accrual method, in which income is credited when the legal right to the income occurs and expenses are charged when the legal liability becomes enforceable.  

cease-and-desist order
An order issued after notice and opportunity for hearing, requiring a depository institution, a holding company, or a depository institution official to terminate unlawful, unsafe, or unsound banking practices. Cease-and-desist orders are issued by the appropriate federal regulatory agencies under the Financial Institutions Supervisory Act and can be enforced directly by the courts.  

central bank
The principal monetary authority of a nation, a central bank performs several key functions, including issuing currency and regulating the supply of credit in the economy. The Federal Reserve is the central bank of the United States.  

central bank intervention
The buying or selling of currency, foreign or domestic, by central banks, in order to influence market conditions or exchange rate movements.  

certificate of deposit - CD
A form of time deposit at a bank or savings institution which cannot be withdrawn before a specified maturity date without being subject to an interest penalty for early withdrawal. Small-denomination CDs are often purchased by individuals. Large CDs of $100,000 or more are often in negotiable form, meaning they can be sold or transferred among holders before maturity.  

check clearing
The movement of checks from the banks or other depository institutions where they are deposited back to those on which they are written, and funds movement in the opposite direction. This process results in credits to accounts at the institutions of deposit and corresponding debits to accounts at the paying institutions. The Federal Reserve participates in check clearing through its nationwide facilities, though many checks are cleared by private sector arrangement.  

clearinghouse
An institution where mutual claims are settled between accounts of member depository institutions. Clearinghouses among banks have traditionally been organized for check-clearing purposes, but more recently have cleared other types of settlements, including electronic fund transfers.  

Clearinghouse Interbank Payments System - CHIPS
An automated clearing system used primarily for international payments. This system is owned and operated by the New York Clearinghouse banks and engages Fedwire for settlement.  

closed-end credit
An agreement in which advanced credit, plus any finance charges, are expected to be repaid in full over a definite time. Most real estate and automobile loans are closed-end agreements.  

collateral
Property that is offered to secure a loan or other credit and that becomes subject to seizure on default. (Also called security.)  

commercial bank
Bank that offers a broad range of deposit accounts, including checking, savings, and time deposits, and extends loans to individuals and businesses. Commercial banks can be contrasted with investment banking firms, such as brokerage firms, which generally are involved in arranging for the sale of corporate or municipal securities.  

commodity prices
An index of commodities (such as oil and steel) traded in worldwide markets.  

Community Reinvestment Act - CRA
Enacted by Congress in 1977, the CRA encourages banks to help meet the credit needs of their communities for housing and other purposes, particularly in neighborhoods with low or moderate incomes, while maintaining safe and sound operations.  

Community Reinvestment Act Statement
A description available for public inspection at each bank office indicating, on a map, the communities served by that office and the types of credit the bank is prepared to extend within the communities served.  

competitive bidders
One of two categories of bidders on Treasury securities: competitive and noncompetitive. Competitive bidders are usually financial institutions.  

Comptroller of the Currency
See Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.  

consortium
A grouping of corporations to fulfill a combined objective or project that usually requires interbusiness cooperation and sharing of the goods.  

Consumer Advisory Council - CAC
A statutory body established by Congress in 1976. The Council, with 30 members who represent a broad range of consumer and creditor interests, advises the Federal Reserve Board on the exercise of its responsibilities under the Consumer Credit Protection Act and on other matters on which the Federal Reserve Board seeks its advice.  

consumer price index - CPI
A measurement of the cost of living determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

contractionary fiscal policy
A policy to increase governmental spending and/or a reduction in taxes. See also fiscal policy.  

contractionary monetary policy
A policy to restrict the growth of money and credit in the economy. See also monetary policy.  

contemporaneous reserve accounting
An accounting method that allows member banks of the Federal Reserve a one-day lag when calculating their required reserves and reserves held as vault cash. Except for the one-day lag, assets and liabilities used in calculating reserves and required reserves are those of the same week.  

correspondent bank
A bank that accepts deposits of and performs banking services for other depository institutions.  

cosigner
A term referring to a person, other than the principle borrower, who signs for a loan. The cosigner(s) assumes equal liability for the loan.  

credit
The promise to pay in the future in order to buy or borrow in the present. The right to defer payment of debt.  

credit card
Any card, plate, or coupon book that may be used repeatedly to borrow money or buy goods and services on credit.  

credit scoring system
A statistical system used to determine whether or not to grant credit by assigning numerical scores to various characteristics related to creditworthiness.  

credit union
Financial cooperative organization of individuals who have a common bond, such as a place of employment, residence, or membership in a labor union. Credit unions accept deposits from members, pay interest (in the form of dividends) on the deposits out of earnings, and use their funds mainly to provide consumer installment loans to members.  

credit history
A record of how a person has borrowed and repaid debt.  

creditworthiness
A creditor's measure of a consumer's past and future ability and willingness to repay debts.  

currency appreciation
An increase in the value of one currency relative to another currency. Appreciation occurs when, because of a change in exchange rates, a unit of one currency buys more units of another currency.  

currency depreciation
A decline in the value of one currency relative to another currency. Depreciation occurs when, because of a change in exchange rates, a unit of one currency buys fewer units of another currency.  


currency devaluation
A deliberate downward adjustment in the official exchange rate established, or pegged, by a government against a specified standard, such as another currency or gold.  

currency revaluation
A deliberate upward adjustment in the official exchange rate established, or pegged, by a government against a specified standard, such as another currency or gold.  

currency union
A group of countries that agree to peg their exchange rates and to coordinate their monetary policies so as to avoid the need for currency reallignments.

current account balance
The difference between the nation's total exports of goods, services, and transfers and its total imports of them. Current account balance calculations exclude transactions in financial assets and liabilities.  

cyclical unemployment
Unemployment caused by a low level of aggregate demand associated with recession in the business cycle.  
[D]

data limitations
In stabilization policy, refers to two scenarios: 1) quantitative factual information or data that is only available after the event (e.g., unemployment figures for last month); 2) the raw information that is adjusted for seasonal variations or changes in prices; therefore, data may not accurately measure the activity.  

day trade
Also known as a 'daylight trade.' The purchase and sale or the short sale and cover of the same security in a margin account on the same day.  

debit card
A card that resembles a credit card but which debits a transaction account (checking account) with the transfers occurring contemporaneously with the customer's purchases. A debit card may be machine readable, allowing for the activation of an automated teller machine or other automated payments equipment.  

default
Failure to meet the terms of a credit agreement.  

deficit
The amount each year by which government spending is greater than government income.  

demand deposit
A deposit that may be withdrawn at any time without prior written notice to the depository institution. A checking account is the most common form of demand deposit.  

deposit ceiling rates of interest
Maximum interest rates that can be paid on savings and time deposits at federally insured commercial banks, mutual savings banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions. Ceilings on credit union deposits are established by the Depository Institutions Deregulation Committee (DIDC). By law, deposit interest rate ceilings were phased out over a six-year period, ending in 1986 under the oversight of the DIDC.  

depository institution
A financial institution that obtains its funds mainly through deposits from the public. This includes commercial banks, savings and loan associations, savings banks, and credit unions. Although historically they have specialized in certain types of credit, the powers of nonbank depository institutions have been broadened in recent years. For example, NOW accounts, credit union share drafts, and other services similar to checking accounts may be offered by thrift institutions.  

Depository Institutions Deregulation Committee - DIDC
The Committee responsible for the orderly phase-out over a six-year period of interest rate ceilings on time and savings accounts at depository institutions. Voting members of the DIDC are the Secretary of the Treasury and the chairmen of the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Home Loan Bank Board, and National Credit Union Administration Board. The Comptroller of the Currency serves as a non-voting member.  

depreciation
See currency depreciation.  

direct deposit
A method of payment which electronically credits your checking or savings account.  

dirty float
A type of floating exchange rate that is not completely freely floating because central banks intervene from time to time to alter the rate from its free-market level. It is still a floating rate because it has not been pegged at a predetermined par value.  

discount payment
The difference between the face value and the price paid for a security.  

discount rate
Interest rate at which an eligible depository institution may borrow funds, typically for a short period, directly from a Federal Reserve Bank. The law requires that the board of directors of each Reserve Bank establish the discount rate every fourteen days subject to the approval of the Board of Governors.  

discount window
Figurative expression referring to the Federal Reserve's facility for extending credit directly to eligible depository institutions (those with transaction accounts or nonpersonal time deposits).  

durable merchandise
Goods that have a relatively lengthy life (television sets, radios, etc.).  
[E]

economic growth
An increase in the nation's capacity to produce goods and services.  

economic shocks
Events that impact the economy, come from outside it, and are unexpected and unpredictable (e.g., Hurricane Andrew in 1991, the rise in oil prices by OPEC).  

Edge Act corporation
Corporation chartered by the Federal Reserve to engage in international banking. The Board of Governors acts on applications to establish Edge Act corporations and also examines the corporations and their subsidiaries. Named after Senator Walter Edge of New Jersey, who sponsored the original legislation to permit formation of such organizations. See also agreement corporation.  

electronic funds transfer - EFT
Transfer of funds electronically rather than by check or cash. The Federal Reserve's Fedwire and automated clearinghouse services are EFT systems.  

Electronic Fund Transfer Systems - EFTS
A variety of systems and technologies for transferring funds (money) electronically rather than by check. This includes Fedwire, automated clearinghouses (ACHs), and other automated systems.  

employment rate
The percentage of the labor force that is employed. The employment rate is one of the economic indicators that economists examine to help understand the state of the economy. See also unemployment rate.  

equilibrium real interest rate
The rate that would be consistent with the full employment of labor and industrial capacity, and with real GDP being at its long-run potential level. This rate is needed as a benchmark to judge whether a given real interest rate is expansionary or contractionary.  

Eurodollars
Deposits denominated in U.S. dollars at banks and other financial institutions outside the United States. Although this name originated because of the large amounts of such deposits held at banks in Western Europe, similar deposits in other parts of the world are also called Eurodollars.  

excess reserves
Amount of reserves held by an institution in excess of its reserve requirement and required clearing balance. Also see reserves.  

exchange rate
The price of a country's currency in terms of another country's currency.  

Executive Committee
A decision-making body of the FRBSF comprised of a number of the Bank's senior officers, the Committee and its six satellite committees were established in 1995 to replace the smaller, more centralized Management Committee. The revised committee structure was intended to decentralize decision-making and promote increased information-sharing and teambuilding Districtwide.  

exempted security
A security that is exempted from most provisions of the securities laws, including the margin rules. Such securities include U.S. government and agency securities and municipal securities designated by the SEC.  

expansionary fiscal policy
A policy to decrease governmental expenditures and/or to increase taxes. See also fiscal policy.  

expansionary monetary policy
A policy of the Federal Reserve System that is designed to expand the growth of money and credit in the economy. See also monetary policy.  

expected rate of inflation
The public's expectations for inflation. These expectations determine how large an effect a given policy action by the Fed will have on economic activity.  
[F]

Federal Advisory Council - FAC
An advisory group consisting of one member, usually a banker, from each Federal Reserve District. Members are elected annually by the Reserve Bank boards of directors. Members meet with the Federal Reserve Board at least four times a year to make recommendations on business and financial issues relating to banking, but have no real power.  

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - FDIC
An independent deposit insurance agency created by Congress in 1933 to maintain stability and public confidence in the nation's banking system. The FDIC promotes safety and soundness of insured depository institutions and the U.S. financial system by identifying, monitoring, and addressing risks to the deposit insurance funds; minimizes disruptive effects from the failure of banks and savings associations; and ensures fairness in the sale of financial products and provision of financial services.  

federal funds
Short-term transactions in immediately available funds between depository institutions and certain other institutions that maintain accounts with the Federal Reserve; usually not collateralized.  

federal funds rate (funds rate)
The interest rate at which banks borrow surplus reserves and other immediately available funds. The federal funds rate is the shortest short-term interest rate, with maturities on federal funds concentrated in overnight or one-day transactions.  

Federal Home Loan Bank Board - FHLBB
The agency of the federal government that supervises all federal savings and loan associations and federally insured state-chartered savings and loan associations. The FHLBB also operates the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, which insures accounts at federal savings and loan associations and those state-chartered associations that apply and are accepted. In addition, the FHLBB directs the Federal Home Loan Bank System, which provides a flexible credit facility for member savings institutions to promote the availability of home financing. The FHL Banks also own the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, established in 1970 to promote secondary markets for mortgages.  

federal margin call
A broker's demand upon a customer for cash or securities needed to satisfy the required Regulation T down payment for a purchase or short sale of securities.  

Federal Open Market Committee - FOMC
Twelve-member committee made up of the seven members of the Board of Governors; the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; and, on a rotating basis, the presidents of four other Reserve Banks. The FOMC meets eight times a year to set Federal Reserve guidelines regarding the purchase and sale of government securities in the open market as a means of influencing the volume of bank credit and money in the economy. It also establishes policy relating to System operations in the foreign exchange rates.  

Federal Reserve Act of 1913
Federal legislation that established the Federal Reserve System.  

Federal Reserve Bank - FRB
One of the twelve operating arms of the Federal Reserve System, located throughout the nation, that together with their twenty-five Branches carry out various System functions, including operating a nationwide payments system, distributing the nation's currency and coin, supervising and regulating member banks and bank holding companies, and serving as banker for the U.S. Treasury.  

Federal Reserve District (Reserve District or District)
One of the twelve geographic regions served by a Federal Reserve Bank.  

Federal Reserve float
Checkbook money that, for a period of time, appears on the books of both the payor and payee due to the lag in the collection process. Federal Reserve float often arises during the Federal Reserve's check collection process. In order to promote an efficient payments mechanism with certainty as to the date funds become available, the Federal Reserve has employed the policy of crediting the reserve accounts of depository institutions depositing checks (the payee) according to an availability schedule before the Federal Reserve is able to obtain payment from the payor.  

Federal Reserve notes
Nearly all of the nation's circulating paper currency consists of Federal Reserve notes printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued to the Federal Reserve Banks to put into circulation through commercial banks and other depository institutions. Federal Reserve notes are obligations of the U.S. government.  

Federal Reserve System
The central bank of the United States, created by Congress and made up of a seven-member Board of Governors in Washington, DC, twelve regional Federal Reserve Banks, and their twenty-five Branches.  

Fedwire
Electronic funds transfer network operated by the Federal Reserve. Fedwire is usually used to transfer large amounts of funds and U.S. government securities from one institution's account at the Federal Reserve to another institution's account. It is also used by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and other federal agencies to collect and disburse funds.  

fiat money
Money that has little or no intrinsic value as a commodity; it is costless to produce, usually taking the form of tokens or pieces of paper, and is not redeemable for any commodity.  

finance charge
The total dollar amount paid to obtain credit.  

finance lease
See open-end lease.  


financial holding company
A financial entity engaged in a broad range of banking-related activities, created by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999. These activities include: insurance underwriting, securities dealing and underwriting, financial and investment advisory services, merchant banking, issuing or selling securitized interests in bank-eligible assets, and generally engaging in any non-banking activity authorized by the Bank Holding Company Act. The Federal Reserve Board is responsible for supervising the financial condition and activities of financial holding companies.
Similarly, any non-bank commercial company that is predominantly engaged in financial activities, earning 85% or more of its gross revenues from financial services, may choose to become a financial holding company. These companies are required to sell any non-financial (commercial) businesses within ten years.

financial institution
An institution that uses its funds chiefly to purchase financial assets (loans, securities) as opposed to tangible property. Financial institutions can be classified according to the nature of the principal claims they issue. See also depository institution.  

financial instrument
Any written instrument having monetary value or evidencing a monetary transaction.  

fiscal agency services
Services performed by the Federal Reserve Banks on behalf of the U.S. government. These include maintaining deposit accounts for the Treasury Department, paying U.S. government checks drawn on the Treasury, and issuing and redeeming savings bonds and other government securities.  

fiscal policy
The federal government's decisions about the amount of money it spends and collects in taxes to achieve a full employment and non-inflationary economy. See also contractionary fiscal policy and expansional fiscal policy.  

fixed exchange rate system
Exchange rates between currencies that are set at predetermined levels and don't move in response to changes in supply and demand.  

fixed rate
A traditional approach to determining the finance charge payable on an extension of credit. A predetermined and certain rate of interest is applied to the principal. See also variable rate.  

floating exchange rate system
The flexible exchange rate system in which the exchange rate is determined by the market forces of supply and demand without intervention.  

foreign currency operations
Purchase or sale of the currencies of other nations by a central bank for the purpose of influencing foreign exchange rates or maintaining orderly foreign exchange markets. Also called foreign-exchange market intervention.  

foreign exchange desk
The foreign exchange trading desk at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. The desk undertakes operations in the exchange markets for the account of the Federal Open Market Committee, and acts as agent for the U.S. Treasury and for foreign central banks.  

foreign exchange rate
Price of the currency of one nation in terms of the currency of another nation.  

forward exchange
A type of foreign exchange transaction whereby a contract is made to exchange one currency for another at a fixed date in the future at a specified exchange rate. By buying or selling forward exchange, businesses protect themselves against a decrease in the value of a currency they plan to sell at a future date.  

FRBSF
Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.  

FRCS-80
The Communications network of the Federal Reserve which interconnects Federal Reserve Bank offices, the Board of Governors, depository institutions, and the Treasury. It is used for Fedwire transfers and transfers of U.S. securities as well as for transfer of Federal Reserve administrative, supervisory, and monetary policy information.  

frictional unemployment
Short-term joblessness associated with mobility. A person who leaves a job to find something better is considered frictionally unemployed. This type of unemployment characterizes workers subject to seasonal work (e.g., construction, agricultural, winter recreational workers, etc.).  

Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978 (Humphrey-Hawkins Act)
Federal legislation that, among other things, specifies the primary objectives of U.S. economic policy--maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates.  

funds rate
See federal funds rate.  

futures
Contracts that require delivery of a commodity of specified quality and quantity, at a specified price, on a specified future date. Commodity futures are traded on a commodity exchange and are used for both speculation and hedging.  
[G]

gold exchange standard
A variant form of the gold standard under which a country pegged the value of its currency to the value of the currency of a 'major' country, e.g. sterling or dollars, which was itself on a gold standard. The international monetary regime in force between 1958 and 1970 is frequently described as a gold exchange standard system because of the wide use of the dollar, itself pegged to gold, as a reserve currency and as an accepted medium of exchange internationally.  

gold standard
A monetary system in which currencies are defined in terms of a given weight of gold.  

government securities
Securities issued by the U.S. Treasury or federal agencies.  

graduated payment
Repayment terms calling for gradual increases in the payments on a closed-end obligation. A graduated payment loan usually involves negative amortization.  

grandfathered activities
Nonbank activities, some of which would normally not be permissible for bank holding companies and foreign banks in the United States, but which were acquired or engaged in before a particular date. Such activities may be continued under the 'grandfather' clauses of the Bank Holding Company and International Banking Acts.  

gross domestic product - GDP
The total value of a nation's output, income, or expenditure produced within a nation's physical borders.  

gross national product - GNP
A country's total output of goods and services from all forms of economic activity measured at market prices for a calendar year.  
[H]

Humphrey-Hawkins Act
Informal name for the Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978, from the names of the act's original sponsors. See Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978.  
[I]

impact lag
The time it takes for the full impact of the policy to be felt. See also time lag, recognition lag, and implementation lag.  

implementation lag
The time it takes for policymakers to act once they recognize an economic condition requiring action. See also time lag, impact lag, and recognition lag.  

inflation
A rate of increase in the general price level of all goods and services. (This should not be confused with increases in the prices of specific goods relative to the prices of other goods.)  

inflationary expectations
The rate of increase in the general price level anticipated by the public in the period ahead.  

interest payments
The return expressed in percentages earned on an investment each year. These payments are issued every six months based on an annual rate.  

intermediate targets
An intermediate target is a variable (such as the money supply) that is not directly under the control of the central bank, but that does respond fairly quickly to policy actions, is observable frequently, and bears a predictable relationship to the ultimate goals of policy.  

international banking facility - IBF
Facilities which, in general, can accept time deposits from foreign customers free of reserve requirements and interest rate limitations, and can lend to foreigners if the funds are for the conduct of foreign business outside of the U.S. Net borrowing from these facilities by domestic banking offices is subject to reserve requirements.  

International Monetary Fund - IMF
An international organization with 146 members, including the United States. The main functions of the IMF are to lend funds to member nations to finance temporary balance of payments problems, to facilitate the expansion and balanced growth of international trade, and to promote international monetary cooperation among nations. The IMF also creates special drawing rights (SDR's), which provide member nations with a source of additional reserves. Member nations are required to subscribe to a Fund quota, paid mainly in their own currency. The IMF grew out of the Bretton Woods Conference of 1944.  

issue date
The date when a refund payment is issued on a Treasury Security representing the difference between the investment amount and the purchase price, as determined at auction.  
[J]

joint float
An arrangement by which a group of currencies maintain a fixed relationship relative to each other, but move jointly relative to another currency in response to supply and demand conditions in the exchange market.  
[K]

Keynesian Economics
An economic theory originated by the British economist John Maynard Keynes and his followers. Keynes maintained that governments should use the power of the budget to maintain economic growth and stability and overcome the recessionary cycles common in most western economies.  

key rate
The interest rate that controls, either directly or indirectly, bank lending rates and the cost of credit paid by borrowers.  
[L]

lender of last resort
As the nation's central bank, the Federal Reserve has the authority and financial resources to act as 'lender of last resort' by extending credit to depository institutions or to other entities in unusual circumstances involving a national or regional emergency, where failure to obtain credit would have a severe adverse impact on the economy.  

liquidity
(1) The ability of a bank or business to meet its current obligations; (2) the quality that makes an asset quickly and readily convertible into cash.  

long-term interest rates
Interest rates on loan contracts--or debt instruments such as Treasury bonds or utility, industrial, or municipal bonds--having maturities greater than one year. Often called capital market rates.  
[M]

M1
Measure of the U.S. money stock that consists of currency held by the public, travelers checks, demand deposits, and other checkable deposits including NOW (negotiable order of withdrawal) and ATS (automatic transfer service) account balances and share draft account balances at credit unions.  

M2
Measure of the U.S. money stock that consists of M1, certain overnight repurchase agreements and certain overnight Eurodollars, savings deposits (including money market deposit accounts), time deposits in amounts of less than $100,000, and balances in money market mutual funds (other than those restricted to institutional investors).  

M3
Measure of the U.S. money stock that consists of M2, time deposits of $100,000 or more at all depository institutions, term repurchase agreements in amounts of $100,000 or more, certain term Eurodollars, and balances in money market mutual funds restricted to institutional investors.  

macroeconomics
The study of economics in terms of whole systems with reference to general levels of output and income and to the interrelations among sectors of the economy. See also microeconomics.  

margin
With regard to securities, this term refers to a fractional amount of full value, or the equity outlay (down payment) required for an investment in securities purchased on credit.  

margin stock
Any stock listed on a national securities exchange, any over-the-counter security approved by the SEC for trading in the national market system or appearing on the Board's list of over-the-counter margin stock, and most mutual funds.  

market interest rates
Rates of interest paid on deposits and other investments, determined by the interaction of the supply of and demand for funds in financial markets.  

matched sale-purchase agreements
An agreement in which the Federal Reserve sells a security outright for immediate delivery to a dealer or foreign central bank, with an agreement to buy the security back on a specific date (usually within 7 days) at the same price. Matched sale-purchase agreements are the reverse of repurchase agreements and allow the Federal Reserve to withdraw reserves on a temporary basis.  

member bank
Depository institution that is a member of the Federal Reserve System. All federally chartered banks are automatically members of the System. State-chartered banks are divided into those that are members of the System (state member banks) and those that are not (nonmember banks).  

microeconomics
The study of economics in terms of individual areas of activity (as a firm, household, or prices). See also macroeconomics.  

monetary aggregates
See money supply.  

monetary base
Those assets that depository institutions can use to meet their legal reserve requirements. The monetary base consists of deposits (reserves) held by depository institutions at Federal Reserve Banks plus Treasury currency and coins outstanding.  

Monetary Control Act of 1980 - MCA
An Act which requires that all banks and all institutions that accept deposits from the public make periodic reports to the Federal Reserve System. Starting in September 1981, the Fed charged banks for a range of services that it had provided free in the past, including check clearing, wire transfer of funds, and the use of automated clearinghouse facilities.  

monetary policy
The regulation, by the Federal Reserve System, of the money supply in order to maximize production and employment and stabilize prices. See also contractionary monetary policy and expansionary monetary policy.  

monetize
To convert assets into money.  

money market
Figurative expression for the informal network of dealers and investors over which short-term debt securities are purchased and sold. Money market securities generally are highly liquid securities that mature in less than one year, typically in less than ninety days.  

money market rates
See short-term interest rates.  

money multiplier
The relationship between the monetary base and the money supply. The multiplier explains the money supply has expanded through the banking system by distribution of excess reserves.  

money supply
The amount of money (coins, paper currency, and checking accounts) that is in circulation in the economy.  

moral hazard
The risk that a party to a transaction has not entered into a contract in good faith, has provided misleading information about its assets, liabilities, or credit capacity, or has an incentive to take unusual risks in a desperate attempt to earn a profit before the contract settles.  

multilateralism
An international policy intended to free international trade from the restrictions of bilateralism. Multilateralism represents an effort to permit nations to specialize in production and exchange in accordance with the principle of comparative advantage.  

mutual savings banks
Banks which accept deposits primarily from individuals and place a large portion of their funds into mortgage loans. These institutions are prominent in many of the northeastern states. Savings banks generally have broader asset and liability powers than savings and loan associations but narrower powers than commercial banks. Savings banks are authorized to offer checking-type accounts.  
[N]

National Association Of Securities Dealers - NASD
A self-regulatory organization with jurisdiction over certain broker-dealers. The NASD requires member brokers to register, and conducts examinations for compliance with net capital requirements and other regulations. It also conducts market surveillance of the over-the-counter (OTC) securities market. National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) is a subsidiary of the NASD which facilitates the trading of approximately 5,000 most active OTC issues through an electronically connected network.  

National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations - NASDAQ
An automated information network that provides brokers and dealers with price quotations on securities traded over the counter.  

National Credit Union Administration - NCUA
An independent federal agency that supervises and insures both federal and state-chartered credit unions. NCUA is entirely funded by credit unions and receives no tax dollars.  

natural rate of unemployment
The rate of unemployment attainable without stimulating an increase in the inflation rate.  

negative amortization
An increase in the principal of a loan, when the loan payments are insufficient to pay the interest due. The unpaid interest is added to the outstanding loan balance causing the principal to increase rather than decrease as payments are made. This situation typically occurs in an adjustable mortgage with an annual cap limiting any increases in the interest rate, and also in a graduated payment mortgage, which has low initial payments so moderate-income borrowers can afford to make the loan payments.  

Negotiable Order of Withdrawal account - NOW
An interest earning account on which checks may be drawn. Withdrawals from NOW accounts may be offered by commercial banks, mutual savings banks, and savings and loan associations and may be owned only by individuals and certain nonprofit organizations and governmental units.  

nominal interest rates
Current stated rates of interest paid or earned.  

noncompetitive bidders
One of two categories of bidders on Treasury securities: competitive and noncompetitive. Noncompetitive bidders, made up of individuals or financial institutions, receive the average price and investment yield of the accepted competitive bids.  

nonmember bank
Depository institution that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. Specifically, a state-chartered commercial bank that has elected not to join the System.  

nonmember depository institution
A depository institution (commercial bank, mutual savings bank, savings and loan association, credit union, or U.S. agency or branch of a foreign bank) that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System. Nonmember depository institutions that offer transaction accounts or nonpersonal time deposits are subject to reserve requirements set by the Federal Reserve, and have access to the Federal Reserve discount window and Federal Reserve services on the same terms as member banks.  

note
A medium-term obligation of the U.S. Treasury; 2-10 years' maturity. See also bill and bond.  

numismatic
Pertaining to coins and the collection of coins and medals.  
[O]

Office of Thrift Supervision - OTS
A bureau of the Treasury Department established in August 1989. OTS has the authority to charter federal Thrift Institutions and serves as the primary regulator of approximately 2,000 federal and state chartered thrifts.  

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency - OCC
An independent bureau of the Treasury Department and the oldest federal financial regulatory body. The OCC oversees the nation's federally chartered banks and promotes a system of bank supervision and regulation that: promotes safety and soundness by requiring that national banks adhere to sound management principles and comply with the law; and encourages banks to satisfy customer and community needs while remaining efficient competitors in the financial services market.  

open-end credit
A line of credit that may be used repeatedly up to a certain limit. (Also called a charge account or revolving credit.)  

open-end lease
A lease that may involve a balloon payment based on the value of the property when it is returned. (Also called finance lease.)  

open market operations
Purchases and sales of government securities and certain other securities in the open market, through the Domestic Trading Desk at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as directed by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), to influence the volume of money and credit in the economy. Purchases inject reserves into the banking system and stimulate growth of money and credit; sales do the opposite.  

option
The right to buy or sell a security or commodity at a specified price during a specified period. The holder of an option has the right, but not the obligation, to buy (call option) or sell (put option) a security or commodity at a specified price during a specified period. The writer of an option is obligated to sell (call option) or purchase (put option) the instrument only if the holder chooses to exercise the option.  

OTC margin bond
A debt security, not traded on the national securities exchange, which meets certain Regulation T requirements as to size of original offering, available information, and status of interest payments. See also over the counter (OTC).  

overdraft checking account
A checking account associated with a line of credit that allows a person to write checks for more than the actual balance in the account, generally with a finance charge on the overdraft.  

over the counter - OTC
Figurative term for the means of trading securities that are not listed on an organized stock exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange, as in OTC margin bonds. Over-the-counter trading is done by broker-dealers who communicate by telephone and computer networks.  
[P]

par value
The full face value of a security.  

payments system
Collective term for mechanisms (both paper-backed and electronic) for moving funds, payments, and money among financial institutions throughout the nation. The Federal Reserve plays a major role in the nation's payments system through distribution of currency and coin, processing of checks, electronic transfer of funds, and the operation of automated clearinghouses that transfer funds electronically among depository institutions; various private organizations also perform payments system functions.  

permissible nonbank activities
Financial activities closely related to banking that may be engaged in by bank holding companies (BHC's), either directly or through nonbank subsidiaries. For example, a BHC might own finance companies or engage in mortgage banking. The Federal Reserve Board determines which activities are closely related to banking. Before making such activities permissible, the Board must determine that performance of the activities by bank holding companies is in the public interest.  

points
In reference to a loan, points consist of a lump sum payment made by the borrower at the outset of the loan period. Generally, each point equals one percent of the loan amount. See also seller's points.  

potential output
The level of real GDP(gross domestic product) that can be sustained in the long run and that is consistent with constant inflation.  

premium
The amount by which the auction price of a bill, note, or bond is higher than its face value.  

principal payments
The face amount or par value of a debt instrument where interest is paid. The interest payment is not part of the principal.  

productivity
The amount of physical output for each unit of productive input.  

pro rata
1. 'According to the rate' (Latin); 2. In proportion to a total amount. For example, if a contract is terminated prior to the end of the period for which payment has been given, a pro rata return of the payment is made, in proportion to the unused period of time remaining.  

purchasing power parity theory
A theory by which the exchange rate between any two currencies adjusts to reflect changes in the price levels within the two countries.  

purpose credit
Credit used for the purpose of buying, carrying, or trading in securities.  
[Q]

qualifying ratio
A borrower's total regular monthly debt as a percentage of gross monthly income.  

quarterlies
Interim financial reports on the condition of a publicly held company, released each quarter of its fiscal year.  
[R]

real GDP
GDP(gross domestic product) adjusted for inflation. Real GDP provides the value of GDP in constant dollars, which is used as an indicator of the volume of the nation's output.  

real interest rates
Interest rates adjusted for the expected erosion of purchasing power resulting from inflation. Technically defined as nominal interest rates minus the expected rate of inflation.  

recession
A significant decline in general economic activity extending over a period of time.  

recognition lag
The time it takes for policymakers to recognize the state of the economy. See also time lag, implementation lag, and impact lag.  

Regional Check Processing Center - RCPC
A Federal Reserve check processing operation that clears checks drawn on depository institutions located within a specified area. RCPCs expedite collection and settlement of checks within the area on an overnight basis.  

renegotiable rate
A type of variable loan rate involving a renewable short-term 'balloon' note. The interest rate on the loan is generally fixed during the term of the note, but when the balloon comes due, the lender may refinance it at a higher rate. In order for the loan to be fully amortized, periodic refinancing may be necessary. Also see balloon payment.  

repurchase agreements
An agreement by which, for example, the Federal Reserve purchases a security for immediate delivery and receives interest at a specific rate from a government securities dealer, with an agreement to sell the security back at the same price by a specific date (usually within 15 days). This arrangement allows the Federal Reserve to inject reserves into the banking system on a temporary basis to meet a temporary need and to withdraw these reserves as soon as that need has passed.  

required reserves
Funds that a depository institution is required to maintain as vault cash or on deposit with a Federal Reserve Bank; required amount varies according to required reserve ratios set by the Board of Governors and the volume of reservable liabilities held by the institution.  

required clearing balance
Amount kept by a depository institution in an account at a Federal Reserve Bank, in addition to its required reserve balance, to ensure that it can meet its daily transaction obligations without overdrawing its required reserve account and thereby incurring a penalty. Required clearing balances earn credits that can be used to pay for services provided by the Federal Reserve.  

required reserve balance
Portion of its required reserves that a depository institution must hold in an account at a Federal Reserve Bank.  

reserves
A depository institution's vault cash (up to the level of its required reserves) plus balances in its reserve account (not including funds applied to its required clearing balance).  

revolving credit
See open-end credit.  
[S]

savings and loan association - S&L
Historically, a depository institution that accepted deposits mainly from individuals and invested heavily in residential mortgage loans. Although still primarily residential lenders, S&Ls may now offer checking-type deposits and make a wider range of loans.  

savings bank
Depository institution historically engaged primarily in accepting consumer savings deposits and in originating and investing in securities and residential mortgage loans; now may offer checking-type deposits and make a wider range of loans.  

Securities and Exchange Commission - SEC
An independent, non-partisan, quasi-judicial regulatory agency with responsibility for administering the federal securities laws. The purpose of these laws is to protect investors and to ensure that investors have access to disclosure of all material information concerning publicly traded securities. The Commission also regulates firms engaged in the purchase or sale of securities, people who provide investment advice, and investment companies.  

securities
Paper certificates (definitive securities) or electronic records (book-entry securities) evidencing ownership of equity (stocks) or debt obligations (bonds).  

security interest
The property or a portion of property offered as security.  

seigniorage
The profit which results from the difference between the cost of making coins and currency and the exchange value of coin and currency in the market.  

self-regulatory organizations - SRO
Nongovernment organizations that have statutory responsibility to regulate their own members such as the New York Stock Exchange and National Association Of Securities Dealers.  

seller's points
In reference to a loan, seller's points consist of a lump sum paid by the seller to the buyer's creditor to reduce the cost of the loan to the buyer. This payment is either required by the creditor or volunteered by the seller, usually in a loan to buy real estate. Generally, one point equals one percent of the loan amount. See also points.  

short-term interest rates
Interest rates on loan contracts--or debt instruments such as Treasury bills, bank certificates of deposit, or commercial paper--having maturities of less than one year. Often called money market rates.  

small saver certificate
A certificate of deposit, with a minimum maturity of 2-1/2 years, offered by banks and thrift institutions to individuals. The interest rate on these certificates is related to the average yield on 2-1/2 year Treasury securities, in accordance with regulations issued by the Depository Institutions Deregulation Committee. There is no minimum denomination required on these certificates.  

special drawing rights - SDR
A type of international money created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and allocated to its member nations. SDRs are an international reserve asset, although they are only accounting entries (not actual coin or paper, and not backed by precious metal). Subject to certain conditions of the IMF, a nation that has a balance of payments deficit can use SDRs to settle debts to another nation or to the IMF.  

spot transaction
A foreign exchange transaction in which each party promises to pay a certain amount of currency to the other on the same day or within one or two days.  

state member bank
A bank that is chartered by a state and has elected to join the Federal Reserve System.  

structural unemployment
Long-term joblessness caused by shifts in the economy. Often structural unemployment occurs because of changes in technology.  

street name
Securities held in the name of brokers, or banks, or their nominees, instead of in the customer's name.  

surcharge
An extra charge imposed on those who purchase with a credit card instead of cash. (Currently, surcharges for credit card purchases are prohibited.)  

swap
An arrangement between the central banks of two countries for standby credit to facilitate the exchange of each other's currencies.  

swap arrangements
Short-term reciprocal lines of credit between the Federal Reserve and 14 foreign central banks as well as the Bank for International Settlements. Through a swap transaction, the Federal Reserve can, in effect, borrow foreign currency in order to purchase dollars in the foreign exchange market. In doing so, the demand for dollars and the dollar's foreign exchange value are increased. Similarly, the Federal Reserve can temporarily provide dollars to foreign central banks through swap arrangements.  

Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications - SWIFT
A message writing system that connects worldwide participating banks, primarily for the purpose of communicating payment information. Frequently, the SWIFT message is only part of an international payment.  
[T]

tender
An application or offer to purchase a U.S. Treasury bill, note, or bond.  

The Desk
The trading desk at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York through which open market purchases and sales of government and federal agency securities are made. The desk maintains direct telephone communication with major government securities dealers. A 'foreign desk' at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York conducts transactions in the foreign exchange market.  

thrift institution
A general term encompassing savings banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions.  

Thrift Institutions Advisory Council - TIAC
A council, established following the passage of the Monetary Control Act of 1980, whose purpose is to provide information and views on the special needs and problems of thrifts. The group is comprised of representatives of savings banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions.  

time lags
In stabilization policy, refers to the period between an economic event and the impact of the economic policy to correct it. See also recognition lag, implementation lag, and impact lag.  

trade deficit
The amount by which merchandise imports exceed merchandise exports.  

trade-weighted value of the dollar
The value of the dollar pegged to or expressed relative to a market basket of selected foreign currencies. The Federal Reserve calculates a trade-weighted value of the dollar based on the weighted-average exchange value of the dollar against the currencies of 10 industrial countries.  

transaction account
A checking or similar account from which transfers can be made to third parties. Demand deposit accounts, negotiable order of withdrawal (NOW) accounts, automatic transfer service (ATS) accounts, and credit union share draft accounts are examples of transaction accounts at banks and other depository institutions.  

Treasury bill
See bill.  

Treasury bond
See bond.  

Treasury Direct
Service provided to the U.S. Department of the Treasury whereby Federal Reserve Banks hold book-entry Treasury securities purchased by individuals.  

Treasury note
See note.  

Treasury securities
See securities.  

Total Nonfinancial Debt
Includes outstanding credit market debt of federal, state, and local governments and of private nonfinancial sectors (including mortgages and other kinds of consumer credit and bank loans, corporate bonds, commercial paper, bankers acceptances, and other debt instruments).  

Twelve L - 12L
Refers to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which is the Twelfth District in the Federal Reserve System. 'L' is the official letter for the Twelfth District seal, being the twelfth letter of the alphabet.  
[U]

uncertain responses
In stabilization policy, the situation when the reactions of individuals and businesses to a policy is not what policymakers predicted (e.g., a decrease in income tax rates that does not increase consumer spending).  

unemployment rate
The percentage of the labor force that is unemployed and actively seeking a job.  

U.S. Treasury securities
Direct obligations of the U.S. Government, issued by the U.S. Treasury's Bureau of Public Debt as a means of financing the Federal Government. There are three types of securities issued: Treasury bills (T-bills), Treasury bonds, and Treasury notes.  

utility
Utility theory explains consumer tastes and preferences. Consumers purchase those things that give them satisfaction or utility. As a consumer consumes more of any one product, other goods and services look more desirable. As one consumes more of a product, smaller and smaller increments of pleasure or satisfaction come from it. The law of diminishing marginal utility underlies the law of demand.
[V]

variable rate
A variable rate agreement, as distinguished from a fixed rate agreement, calls for an interest rate that may fluctuate over the life of the loan. The rate is often tied to an index that reflects changes in market rates of interest. A fluctuation in the rate causes changes in either the payments or the length of the loan term. Limits are often placed on the degree to which the interest rate or the payments can vary.  

vault cash
Cash kept on hand in a depository institution's vault to meet day-to-day business needs, such as cashing checks for customers; can be counted as a portion of the institution's required reserves.  

velocity
The rate at which money balances turn over in a period for expenditures on goods and services (often measured as the ratio of GNP--gross national product-- to the money stock). A larger velocity means that a given quantity of money is associated with a greater dollar volume of transactions.  
[W]

wire transfer
Electronic transfer of funds; usually involves large dollar payments.  

wraparound
A financing device that permits an existing loan to be refinanced and new money to be advanced at an interest rate between the rate charged on the old loan and the current market interest rate. The creditor combines or 'wraps' the remainder of the old loan with the new loan at the intermediate rate.  
[X]

x-mark signature
A signature made by a person unable to sign his or her name. To be legally valid, the signature must be witnessed by another person.  

X9
A financial standards committee accredited by the American National Standards Institute. X9 develops and publishes voluntary financial industry payment standards for banks and other depository financial institutions.  
[Y]

yield
The return on a loan or investment, stated as a percentage of price.  

yankee bond
A dollar denominated bond issued in the United States by foreign banks and corporations. These bonds, the U.S. equivalent of the Eurobond, pay semi-annual interest, unlike the Eurobonds, which pay annual interest, and are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  
[Z]

zero-coupon mortgage
A long-term commercial mortgage that defers all payments of principal and interest until maturity.
没有理由保持沉默!

起初他们追杀共产主义者,我不是共产主义者,我不说话;
接着他们追杀犹太人,我不是犹太人,我不说话;
后来他们追杀工会会员,我不是工会会员,我不说话;
此后他们追杀天主教徒,我不是天主教徒,我不说话;
最后,他们奔我而来,再也没有人站起来为我说话了。

                             ---美国波士顿犹太人大屠杀纪念碑 Martin Niemoller (德国新教牧师)

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发表于 2004-1-4 19:20:45 |只看该作者

Glossary of Economic Terms and Concepts

http://www.uwsp.edu/business/eco ... uide/Glossary.htm#b

Absolute advantage - The ability to produce something with fewer resources than other producers would use to produce the same thing  
Alternatives - Options among which to make choices.  



Balance of trade - The part of a nation's balance of payments that deals with merchandise (or visible) imports or exports.  
Bank, commercial - A financial institution accepts checking deposits, holds savings, sells traveler's checks and performs other financial services.  
Barter - The direct trading of goods and services without the use of money.  
Benefit - The gain received from voluntary exchange.  
Bond - A certificate reflecting a firm's promise to pay the holder a periodic interest payment until the date of maturity and a fixed sum of money on the designated maturity date.  
Business (firm) - Private profit-seeking organizations that use resources to produce goods and services.  

   

Capital - All buildings, equipment and human skills used to produce goods and services.  
Capital resources - Goods made by people and used to produce other goods and services. Examples include buildings, equipment, and machinery.  
Change in demand - see Demand decrease and Demand increase.   
Change in supply - see Supply decrease and Supply increase.
Choice - What someone must make when faced with two or more alternative uses of a resource (also called economic choice).  
Circular flow of goods and services (or Circular flow of economic activity) - A model of an economy showing the interactions between households and business firms as they exchange goods and services and resources in markets.  
Collateral - Anything of value that is acceptable to a lender to guarantee repayment of a loan.  
Command economy - A mode of economic organization in which the key economic functions--what, how, and for whom--are principally determined by government directive.  Sometimes called a "centrally planned economy."  
Comparative advantage - The principle of comparative advantage states that a country will specialize in the production of goods in which it has a lower opportunity cost than other countries.  
Competition - The effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms.  
Complements - Products that are used with one another such as hamburger and hamburger buns  
Consumers - People whose wants are satisfied by consuming a good or a service.  
Consumption - In macroeconomics, the total spending, by individuals or a nation, on consumer goods during a given period.  Strictly speaking, consumption should apply only to those goods totally used, enjoyed, or "eaten up" within that period.  In practice, consumption expenditures include all consumer goods bought, many of which last well beyond the period in question --e.g., furniture, clothing, and automobiles.  
Consumer spending - The purchase of consumer goods and services.  
Corporation - A legal entity owned by stockholders whose liability is limited to the value of their stock.  
Costs - See Opportunity Cost  
Costs of production - All resources used in producing goods and services, for which owners receive payments.  
Craftsperson - A worker who completes all steps in the production of a good or service.  
Credit - (1) In monetary theory, the use of someone else's funds in exchange for a promise to pay (usually with interest) at a later date.  The major examples are short-term loans from a bank, credit extended by suppliers, and commercial paper.  (2) In balance-of-payments accounting, an item such as exports that earns a country foreign currency.  
Criteria - Standards or measures of value that people use to evaluate what is most important.  



Decision making - Choosing from alternatives the one with the greatest benefit net of costs.  
Deflation - A sustained and continuous decrease in the general price level.  
Demand - A schedule of how much consumers are willing and able to buy at all possible prices during some time period.  
Demand decrease - A decrease in the quantity demanded at every price; a shift to the left of the demand curve.  
Demand increase -  An increase in the quantity demanded at every price; a shift to the right of the demand curve.  
Determinants of demand - Factors that influence consumer purchases of goods, services, or resources.  
Determinants of supply - Factors that influence producer decisions about goods, services, or resources.  
Distribution - The manner in which total output and income is distributed among individuals or factors (e.g., the distribution of income between labor and capital).  
Division of labor -  The process whereby workers perform only a single or a very few steps of a major production task (as when working on an assembly line.)  
Durables - Consumer goods expected to last longer than three years.

  

Earn - Receive payment (income) for productive efforts.  
Economic growth - An increase in the total output of a nation over time.  Economic growth is usually measured as the annual rate of increase in a nation's real GDP.  
Economic system - The collection of institutions, laws, activities, controlling values, and human motivations that collectively provide a framework for economic decision making.  
Economic wants - Desires that can be satisfied by consuming a good or a service.  Some economic wants range from things needed for survival to things that are nice to have.  
Employment - See Full employment  
Entrepreneur - One who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business or enterprise.  
Entrepreneurship - The human resource that assumes the risk of organizing other productive resources to produce goods and services.  
Equilibrium price - The market clearing price at which the quantity demanded by buyers equals the quantity supplied by sellers.  
Exchange - Trading goods and services with others  for other goods and services or for money (also called trade).  When people exchange voluntarily, they expect to be better off as a result.  
Exchange rates - The rate, or price, at which one country's currency is exchanged for the currency of another country.  
Excise Tax - Taxes imposed on specific goods and services, such as cigarettes and gasoline.  
Exports - Goods or services produced in one nation but sold to buyers in another nation.

  

Factors of production -  Resources used by businesses to produce goods and services.  
Federal Reserve System - The central bank and monetary authority of the United States.  
Final goods - Products that end up in the hands of consumers.  
Fiscal policy - A government's program with respect to (1) the purchase of goods and services and spending on transfer payments, and (2) the amount and type of taxes.  
Functions of money - The roles played by money in an economy.  These roles include medium of exchange, standard of value, and store of value.  
Full employment - A  term that is used in many senses.  Historically, it was taken to be that level of employment at which no (or minimal) involuntary unemployment exists.  Today economists rely upon the concept of the natural rate of unemployment to indicate the highest sustainable level of employment over the long run.  

  

Goods - Objects that can satisfy people's wants.  
Government - National, state and local agencies that use tax revenues to provide goods and services for their citizens.  
Gross domestic product (GDP) - The value, expressed in dollars, of all final goods and services produced in a year.  
Gross domestic product (GDP), real - GDP corrected for inflation.

   

Households - Individuals and family units which, as consumers, buy goods and services from firms and, as resource owners, sell or rent productive resources to business firms.  
Human capital - The health, strength, education, training, and skills which people bring to their jobs.  
Human resources - The quantity and quality of human effort directed toward producing goods and services (also called labor).

  

Incentives - Factors that motivate and influence the behavior of households and businesses.  Prices, profits, and losses act as incentives for participants to take action in a market economy.  
Imports - Goods or services bought from sellers in another nation.  
Income - The payments made for the use of borrowed or loaned money.  
Increase in productivity - When the same amount of an output can be produced with fewer inputs; more output can be produced with the same amount of inputs; or a combination of the two.  
Inflation - A sustained and continuous increase in the general price level.  
Interdependence - Dependence on others for goods and services; occurs as a result of specialization.  
Interest rates - The price paid for borrowing money for a period of time, usually expressed as a percentage of the principal per year.  
Investment in capital goods - Occurs when savings are used to increase the economy's productive capacity by financing the construction of new factories, machines, means of communication, and the like.  
Investment - The purchase of a security, such as a stock or bond.  
Investment in capital resources - Business purchases of new plant and equipment.  
Investment in human capital - An action taken to increase the productivity of workers.  These actions can include improving skills and abilities, education, health, or mobility of workers.

   

Labor force - That group of people 16 years of age and older who are either employed or unemployed.  
Labor market - A setting in which workers sell their human resources and employers buy human resources.  
Labor union - A group of employees who join together to improve their terms of employment.  
Land - Natural resources or gifts of nature that are used to produce goods and services.  
Law of demand - The principle that price and quantity demanded are inversely related.  
Law of supply - The principle that price and quantity supplied are directly related.  
Loss - Business situation in which total cost of production exceeds total revenue; negative profit.

   

Market - A setting where buyers and sellers establish prices for identical or very similar products, and exchange goods and/or services.  
Market economy - An economic system where most goods and services are exchanged through transactions by private households and businesses.  Prices are determined by buyers and sellers making exchanges in private markets.  
Medium of exchange - One of the functions of money whereby people exchange goods and services for money and in turn use money to obtain other goods and services.  
Mixed economy - The dominant form of economic organization in noncommunist countries.  Mixed economies rely primarily on the price system for their economic organization but use a variety of government interventions (such as taxes, spending, and regulation) to handle macroeconomic instability and market failures.  
Monetary policy - The objectives of the central bank in exercising its control over money, interest rates, and credit conditions.  The instruments of monetary policy are primarily open-market operations, reserve requirements, and the discount rate.  
Money - Anything that is generally accepted as a medium of exchange with which to buy goods and services, a good that can be used to buy all other goods and services, that serves as a standard of value, and has a store of value.  
Money market - A term denoting the set of institutions that handle the purchase or sale of short-term credit instruments like Treasury bills and commercial paper.

  

National debt - The net accumulation of federal budget deficits.  
National income - The amount of aggregate income earned by suppliers of resources employed to produce GNP; net national product plus government subsidies minus indirect business taxes.  
Natural resources - "Gifts of nature" that are used to produce goods and services.  They include land, trees, fish, petroleum and mineral deposits, the fertility of soil, climatic conditions for growing crops, and so on.  
Non-durables - Consumer goods expected to last less than three years.  
Non-price determinants of supply - The factors that influence the amount a producer will supply of a product at each possible price.  The non-price determinants of supply are the factors that can change the entire supply schedule and curve.  
Normal profit - The minimum payment an entrepreneur expects to receive to induce the entrepreneur to perform entrepreneurial functions.  
Normative economics - Normative economics considers "what ought to be"--value judgments, or goals, of public policy.  Positive economics, by contrast, is the analysis of facts and behavior in an economy, or "the way things are."

   

Opportunity cost - The next best alternative that must be given up when a choice is made.

   

Physical capital - Manufactured items used to produce goods and services.  
Price - The money value of a unit of a good, service, or resource  
Prices - The amounts that people pay for units of particular goods or services.  
Private goods - A commodity that benefits the individual.  An example is bread, which, if consumed by one person, cannot be consumed by another person. (See public goods.)  
Producers - People who use resources to make goods and services (also called workers).  
Production - The making of goods available for use; total output especially of a commodity or industry.  
Productive resources - All natural resources (land), human resources (labor), and human-made resources (capital) used in the production of goods and services.  
Productivity - The ratio of output (goods and services) produced per unit of input (productive resources) over some period of time.  
Profit - The difference between total revenues and the full costs involved in producing or selling a good or service; it is a return for risk taking.  
Property tax - Taxes paid by households and businesses on land and buildings.  
Public goods - A commodity whose benefits are indivisibly spread among the entire community, whether or not particular individuals desire to consume the public good.  For example, a public-health measure that eradicates smallpox protects all, not just those paying for the vaccinations.  These goods are often provided by the government.  To be contrasted with private goods.

   

Quantity demanded - The amount of a product consumers will purchase at a specific price.  
Quota - A legal limit on the quantity of a particular product that can be imported or exported.  
Quantity supplied - The amount of a product producers will produce and sell at a specific price.

   

Resources - All natural, human, and human-made aids to production of goods and services (also called productive resources).  
Revenue - Payments received by businesses from selling goods and services.

   

Sales tax - Taxes paid on the goods and services people buy.  
Save - Set aside earnings (income) for a future use.  
Saving - Occurs when individuals, businesses, and the economy as a whole do not consume all of current income (or output).  
Scarcity - The condition that results from the imbalance between relatively unlimited wants and the relatively limited resources available for satisfying those wants.  
Services - Activities that can satisfy people's wants.  
Shortage - The situation resulting when the quantity demanded exceeds the quantity supplied of a good or service, usually because the price is for some reason below the equilibrium price in the market.  
Specialists - People who produce a narrower range of goods and services than they consume (also called specialized workers).  
Specialization - The situation in which people produce a narrower range of goods and services than they consume.  
Spend - Use earnings (income) to buy goods and services.  
Standard of living - A minimum of necessities, comforts, or luxuries held essential to maintaining a person or group in customary or proper status or circumstances.  
Standard of value - One of the functions of money whereby the value of goods and services is expressed in money terms (prices).  
Stock - A certificate reflecting ownership of a corporation.  
Store of value - One of the functions of money allowing people to save current purchasing power to buy goods and services in a future time period.  
Substitutes - Products that can replace one another such as butter and margarine.  
Supply - A schedule of how much producers are willing and able to sell at all possible prices during some time period.  
Supply decrease - A decrease in the quantity supplied at every price; a shift to the left of the supply curve.  
Supply increase - An increase in the quantity supplied at every price; a shift to the right of the supply curve.  
Surplus - The situation resulting when the quantity supplied exceeds the quantity demanded of a good or service, usually because the price is for some reason below the equilibrium price in the market.

  

Tariff - A tax on an imported good.  
Taxes - Required payments of money made to governments by households and business firms.  
Total cost - Cost of resources used in producing a product multiplied by the quantity produced.  
Total revenue - Selling price of a product multiplied by the quantity demanded.  
Trade - See Exchange.
Trade agreement - An international agreement on conditions of trade in goods and services.  
Trade-off - Giving up some of one thing to get some of another thing.  
Traditional economy - A mode of economic organization which borrows economic decisions made at an earlier time or by an earlier generation

   

Unemployment - The situation in which people are willing and able to work at current wage rates, but do not have jobs.

   

Wages - The payment resource earners receive for their labor.  
Work - Employment of people in jobs to make goods or services.  
Workers - See Producers.
没有理由保持沉默!

起初他们追杀共产主义者,我不是共产主义者,我不说话;
接着他们追杀犹太人,我不是犹太人,我不说话;
后来他们追杀工会会员,我不是工会会员,我不说话;
此后他们追杀天主教徒,我不是天主教徒,我不说话;
最后,他们奔我而来,再也没有人站起来为我说话了。

                             ---美国波士顿犹太人大屠杀纪念碑 Martin Niemoller (德国新教牧师)

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地板
发表于 2004-1-4 19:22:04 |只看该作者

Glossary of Economic Terms & Programs

http://www.eflorida.com/infocenter/m_glossary.asp


Annual Average Employment - the average number of workers in a particular industry or occupation for a given year. Averaging over a year removes the effect of seasonal variations in employment. The average is calculated by dividing the sum of January through December employment by twelve.  

Annual Average Payroll - calculated by dividing total wages earned by workers in an industry in one year by the annual average employment in that industry.

Average Weekly Wage - calculated by dividing the annual average payroll by 52.  

Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) - part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, BEA is a Federal statistical agency responsible for estimation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Foreign Direct Investment, and other economic data.  Their website address is: http://www.bea.doc.gov.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) - part of the U.S. Department of Labor, this Federal agency functions as the principal data-gathering agency of the Federal government with regards to labor statistics. The BLS collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates data relating to employment, unemployment, labor force, productivity, prices, family expenditures, wages, industrial relations, and occupational safety and health. Well-known data released by BLS include the Consumer Price Index, the Producer Price Index, the unemployment rate, and non-farm employment levels. Their website address is: http://www.bls.gov.

Bureau of the Census - part of the U.S. Department of Commerce. It conducts censuses of population and housing every ten years and of agriculture, business, governments, manufacturing, mineral industries, and transportation every five years. The Census Bureau also conducts the monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) in cooperation with BLS. Data from this survey provide data inputs for the calculation of unemployment statistics. Their website address is: http://www.census.gov.

Consumer Price Index (CPI) - a measure of the average change in prices over time for a fixed market basket of goods and services. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes CPIs for two population groups: (1) for all urban consumers (CPI-U) which covers approximately 80 percent of the total population and (2) for all urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) which covers 32 percent of the total population. Among the CPI components are the costs of housing, food, transportation, and electricity. While the CPI is not technically a cost-of-living index, it is often used to indicate changes in the cost-of-living.

Covered Employment - a count of the number of employees who are "covered" by a state's unemployment insurance program or the federal unemployment insurance program. It provides a very accurate and complete count of employment by industry and geographic area.

Current Employment Statistics (CES) Survey - a monthly survey of nonfarm business establishments used to collect nonfarm payroll employment, worker hours and payroll, by industry and area. Through the Federal/State cooperative effort, these data are used to compute current monthly employment, hours, and earnings estimates, by industry, for the nation, the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and over 250 MSA's and PMSA's.

Current Population Survey (CPS) - a monthly household survey of the civilian non-institutional population of the United States. This BLS survey provides statistics on employment, unemployment, and wages, by industry, occupation, and demographic characteristics. Data for this survey are collected by the Bureau of the Census.

Discouraged Workers - persons, aged 16 or over, without jobs who are not actively seeking employment because they believe, rightly or wrongly, that they would be unable to find a job. Even though discouraged workers would like to be employed, they are not counted as unemployed, or even as part of the labor force.

Dislocated Occupation - an occupation to which workers who become unemployed are unlikely to return. This situation is created when structural or long-term cyclical changes occur in an industry, when an industry is required to make technological changes which will change its occupation mix, or when a raw resource required by the industry is exhausted or set aside for other purposes.

Dislocated Workers - workers who have become unemployed because of structural changes in an industry, natural disaster, or other factors, and have limited opportunity to return to their old industry or occupation.

Disposable Personal Income - the income that is available to persons for spending and saving. It is calculated as personal income less the sum of personal tax payments and personal non-tax payments to Federal, State, and local governments.

Durable Goods - manufactured items generally considered to have a normal life expectancy of three years or more. In terms of manufacturing industries, they would fall into the 2-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 24, 25, and 32-39. Automobiles, furniture, household appliances, and mobile homes are examples.

Earnings - this measure is the sum of three components of personal income wage and salary disbursements, other labor income, and proprietors' income. Each of these components is measured before the deduction of personal contributions for social insurance, which is excluded from personal income. Therefore, the measure "net earnings" is calculated as earnings less personal contributions for social insurance, so that it can then be used in the computation of personal income as the sum of net earnings, transfer payments, and personal dividend income, personal interest income, and the rental income of persons. Earnings is often used in the analyses of regional economies as a proxy for the income that is generated from participation in current production.

Employed - a condition in which persons 16 years of age or older worked for compensation in a business during the week which includes the 12th day of the month, worked at least 15 hours during the survey week as unpaid workers in a family business, or had jobs from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, or labor-management dispute.

Employment (non-farm payroll) - a count of all persons who worked either full or part-time, or received pay from a nonagricultural employer for any part of the pay period which included the 12th day of the month. Because this count comes from a survey of employers, persons who work for two different companies would be counted twice. Therefore, non-farm payroll employment is really a count of the number of jobs, rather than the number of persons employed. Persons may receive pay from a job if they are temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, or labor-management dispute. This count is based on where the jobs are located, regardless of where the workers reside, and is therefore sometimes referred to as employment "by place of work". Non-farm payroll employment data are collected and compiled by the Employment Department's Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey.

Employment (total) - a count of all civilians 16 years of age or older who worked for compensation in a business or on a farm during the week which included the 12th day of the month, worked at least 15 hours during the survey week as unpaid workers in a family business, or had jobs from which they were temporarily absent due to illness, bad weather, vacation, or labor-management dispute. This count is based on the residence of the workers, and each worker is counted only once, even if they hold more than one job. Therefore, this is sometimes referred to as employment "by place of residence." Total employment data are compiled by the Employment Department's Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) staff.

ES-202 Program - a Federal/State cooperative program which collects and compiles employment and wage data for workers covered by State unemployment insurance (UI) laws, and Federal civilian workers covered by UCFE.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - the total value of all goods and services produced in the United States, regardless of who produces it. GDP is compiled quarterly by the U.S. Department of Commerce. CES employment and earnings data are used for advance GDP estimates. ES-202 wage data are used for the final GDP estimates.

Gross State Product (GSP) - the total value of all goods and services produced by a given state.  GSP can be expressed as either current or real GSP.  Current GSP is the nominal dollar value in a given year.  Real GSP is the value of output adjusted for inflation, indexed to a base year.

Income - a recurrent benefit, usually measured in money, that is derived from capital and labor. The major elements of income are wages (including tips, bonuses, etc.), rents, interest and dividend income, and proprietor's income.

Labor Force - that part of the population, aged 16 and over, which is employed or unemployed, but looking for work. This includes those involved in active military duty.

Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) - the percent of people 16 years of age and older in a specific population who are considered part of the labor force (i.e., either employed or unemployed).

Labor Force Separation - occurs when someone permanently leaves the labor force through death, retirement, or through becoming disabled. Retirement, in this context, is defined more broadly than the typical understanding of the word. It includes any "long-term" removal from the labor force, such as might occur when a parent remains at home during the early years of their child's life.

Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) Program - a Federal/State cooperative program which produces employment, labor force, and unemployment estimates for states and local areas.

Metropolitan Area (MA) - the term used to collectively describe the set of areas know as Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), Primary Metropolitan Statistical Areas (PMSAs), and Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Areas (CMSAs). Each MA must include a central city of 50,000 or more inhabitants, or an urbanized area of at least 50,000 population, provided that the component county/counties of the MA have a total population of at least 100,000.

Natural Increase (population) - the number of births minus the number of deaths in a specified area over a specified period of time.

Net Migration (population) - the number of people who moved into an area minus the number of people who moved out during a specified period of time.

Nominal Dollars/Income - the face, actual, or par value of currency with no regard to actual purchasing power over time. In other words, this is "dollar value" not adjusted for inflation.

Non-durable Goods - manufactured items generally considered to last for less than three years. In terms of manufacturing industries, they would fall into the 2-digit Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes 20-23 and 26-31. Food, beverages, clothing, shoes, and gasoline are examples.

Occupation - a collection of jobs with similar duties (e.g., secretary, machinist, accountant, truck driver), regardless of industry. Most occupations are found in more than one industry.

Occupational Classifications - systems of collective job descriptions, which attempt to place individual jobs into general, but recognizable categories. Currently, three different occupational classifications systems are in general use in the U.S.:

1. Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT)
2. Occupational Employment Statistics (OES)
3. Census Occupational Codes

Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) - a Federal/State cooperative program, which collects detailed occupational data by industry in a three-year cycle.


Pay-in-kind - a component of wage and salary disbursements. The estimates of pay-in-kind reflect the value of the food, lodging, clothing, and miscellaneous goods and services that are received by employees from their employers as either full or partial payment for services performed.

Pay Period - the frequency with which workers' wages are calculated and paid; usually weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly.

Payroll - total wages paid by a business to its employees for work performed during the pay period.

Per Capita Personal Income - an estimate of total personal income (including wages, rents, dividends, interest, and proprietary income) divided by the total population. This estimate can be used to compare economic areas as a whole, but it does not reflect how the income is distributed among residents of the area being examined.

Personal Income - an estimate of total gross income, received from wages, proprietor's income, rents, dividends, interest payments, and transfer payments.

Producer Price Index (PPI) - a Bureau of Labor Statistics program, which measures the average change in producers' selling prices of a fixed set of goods and services. The PPI is sometimes thought of as the "Wholesale" or "Industrial" Price Index.

Seasonal Adjustment - a statistical process which removes the effect of typical seasonal events such as summer breaks for schools, or weather-related fluctuations in food processing or construction. Data which have been seasonally adjusted are more likely to reflect true changes in the economy.

Seasonal Unemployment - unemployment resulting from the seasonality of some industries. For example, unemployment in the construction industry tends to increase in the winter months because of poor weather conditions.

Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) - published in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual by the Office of Management and Budget and is used in the presentation of the State and local area estimates of earnings by industry. It is only used for the estimates for the private sector, although it is designed to cover both public and private economic activities. In the SIC, establishments are classified by the primary activity in which they are engaged, and each establishment is assigned an industry code. An establishment is an economic unit, usually at one location, that conducts business, provides services, or performs industrial operations. Industries are classified in the following four levels:

The division or one-digit level, such as manufacturing;  
The major-group or two-digit level, such as food and kindred products;  
The industry-group or three-digit level, such as meat products;  
And the industry or four-digit level, such as meat packing plants.
Structural Unemployment - unemployment resulting from a basic, long-term change in demand or technological conditions in an economy. This unemployment tends to be long-term in nature as it results from a mismatch between the skills possessed by the job seekers and the skills required for the jobs, which are available.

Transfer payments - this component of personal income measures the payments to persons for which no current services have been performed. It consists of payments to individuals and to nonprofit institutions by Federal, State, and local governments and by businesses.

Unemployment - a situation, which exists when members of the non-institutional civilian labor force wish to work but cannot find a job. It is considered an involuntary situation instead of one in which persons voluntarily choose leisure over work. There are several types of unemployment categorized by their causes and characteristics. They are: cyclical unemployment, frictional unemployment, seasonal unemployment, structural unemployment, and technological unemployment.

Unemployment Insurance - a government program which collects taxes (premiums) from employers in order to pay benefits to persons who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment insurance benefits help provide economic stability to individuals and communities during times of economic downturn.

Unemployment Rate - the percent of the non-institutional civilian labor force which is currently unable to find employment, but which is actively seeking employment. It is calculated by dividing the number of unemployed by the number in the labor force at a given point in time.

Wage and salary disbursements - this component of personal income measures the remuneration of employees; it includes the compensation of corporate officers; commissions, tips, and bonuses; voluntary employee contributions to certain deferred compensation plans, such as 401(k) plans; and receipts in kind, or pay-in-kind, that represent income to the recipient. It reflects the amount of wages and salaries disbursed, but not necessarily earned, during the year. This component is measured before deductions, such as social security contributions and union dues.
没有理由保持沉默!

起初他们追杀共产主义者,我不是共产主义者,我不说话;
接着他们追杀犹太人,我不是犹太人,我不说话;
后来他们追杀工会会员,我不是工会会员,我不说话;
此后他们追杀天主教徒,我不是天主教徒,我不说话;
最后,他们奔我而来,再也没有人站起来为我说话了。

                             ---美国波士顿犹太人大屠杀纪念碑 Martin Niemoller (德国新教牧师)

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5
发表于 2004-1-4 19:23:39 |只看该作者

A Glossary of Terms Used in Economics

http://coba.shsu.edu/micprin/EcoGloss/ad.htm#above-feeq


A

Above full-employment equilibrium

An above full-employment equilibrium is a macroeconomic equilibrium in which real GDP exceeds potential GDP.

Absolute advantage

A person has an absolute advantage in the production of two goods, if by using the same quantities of inputs, that person can produce more of both goods than another person can. A country has an absolute advantage if its output per unit of inputs of all goods is larger than that of another country.

Abstract

The process (used in building a theory) of focusing on a limited number of variables to explain or predict an event.

Accounting cost

The actual outlays or expenses incurred in production; the costs that are actually paid and can be recorded as transactions. Also referred to as explicit cost.

Accounting profit

Accounting profit is the total revenue of the firm minus the total explicit costs of the firm in producing its product. It differs from both normal profit, which is a cost to the firm payable as the opportunity cost of the entrepreneur, and economic profit, which is the total revenue of the firm minus both the total explicit and total implicit cost of the firm in producing its output. Conceptually, both accounting profit and economic profit are residual concepts (revenue minus cost), while normal profit is a cost concept.

Ad valorem tax

An ad valorem tax is a tax that is specified as a percentage of value. Sales, income, and property taxes are three of the more popular ad valorem taxes devised by government.

Adverse selection

The tendency for people to enter into agreements in which they can use their private information to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of the less-informed party.

Aggregate demand

Aggregate demand is the relationship between the aggregate quantity of real GDP demanded and the price level.

Aggregate hours

Aggregate hours are the total number of hours worked by all the people employed, both full time and part time, during a year.

Aggregate planned expenditure

Aggregate planned expenditure is the expenditure that households, firms, governments, and foreigners plan to undertake in given circumstances. It is the sum of planned consumption expenditure, planned investment, planned government purchases of goods and services, and planned exports minus planned imports.

Aggregate production function

The aggregate production function is the relationship between the quantity of real GDP supplied and the quantities of labor and capital and the state of technology.

Allocative efficiency

Obtaining the most consumer satisfaction from the resources which are available. When allocative efficiency is attained, the economy is doing the best job possible of satisfying unlimited wants with limited resources. Contrast with technical efficiency.

Antitrust law

A law that regulates and prohibits certain kinds of market behavior, such as monopoly and monopolistic practices. While this type of law is continually evolving under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice, there are three "big" pieces of legislation which provide the framework for its enforcement in the United State -- the Sherman Antitrust (1890), the Clayton Act (1914) and the Federal Trade Commission Act (1914).

Arbitrage

The process of purchasing a product in a lower-priced market and re-selling it to someone else in a higher priced market with essentially no risk; basically, the philosophy of "buy low-sell high." For example, say the same product is sold in one market at a price of $30 and in another market at a price of $31. In this case, an arbitrageur could purchase the product in the first market and immediately turn around an sell it in the second market, thereby earning $1 risk-free. Arbitrage opportunities arise from minor pricing discrepencies among markets.

Arbitrageur

A person involved in arbitrage. Arbitrageurs play an important role in markets by helping to eliminate price discrepancies between markets or related products.

Ask

The price that sellers say they are willing to sell a good for in an auction market.

Asset

Something which can be owned. In general, asset may fall into one of two classes -- physical assets and financial assets. A physical asset (also known as a real asset) is a productive resource, property, or satisfaction-generating good. A financial asset (also known as a paper asset) is a legal claim to or ownership of a physical asset, such as stocks, bonds, money, and government securities.

Automatic fiscal policy

Automatic fiscal policy is a change in fiscal policy that is triggered by the state of the economy.

Automatic stabilizers

Automatic stabilizers are mechanisms that stabilize real GDP without explicit action by the government.

Autonomous expenditure

Autonomous expenditure is the sum of those components of aggregate planned expenditure that are not influenced by real GDP.

Average cost pricing rule

A rule that sets price equal to average total cost.

Average fixed cost (AFC)

Average fixed cost (AFC) is total fixed cost per unit of output. It is calculated by dividing total fixed cost by output.

Average product

The average product of a resource is the total product divided by the quantity of the resource employed.

Average revenue

Average revenue is the revenue per unit of output sold -- total revenue divided by the quantity of the good sold.

Average tax rate

The percentage of income that is paid in tax.

Average total cost (ATC)

Average total cost (ATC) is total cost per unit of output. It is calculated by dividing total cost by output. It may also be calculated as average fixed cost plus average variable cost.

Average variable cost (AVC)

Average variable cost (AVC) is total variable cost per unit of output. It is calculated by dividing total variable cost by output.

Axiom

An axiom is a basic precondition or assumption underlying a theory. Axioms are basic, unverifiable world view assumptions, including personal beliefs, political views, and cultural values, that form the foundation of a theory. Axioms can not be verified with real world data, and as such are largely accepted on faith. Belief in a supreme, omnipotent, omniscience being is one such axiom. The notion that people are basically good (or bad) is another. The presumption that the universe abides by cause-and-effect relationships is a key axiom for science.

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B

Bad

A bad is a product, either tangible or non-tangible, which yields disutility to a consumer when it is consumed. Contrast with goof and service.

Balanced budget

A balanced budget is a government budget in which tax revenues and expenditures are equal.

Balance of payments accounts

An accounting statement of the money value of international transactions between one nation and the rest of the world over a specific time period. The statement shows the sum of transactions of individuals, businesses, and government agencies located in one nation, against those of all other nations and includes trading, borrowing, and lending.

Balance of trade

That part of a nation's balance of payments accounts dealing with imports and exports, that is trade in goods and services, over a given period. It is computed as the value of exports minus the value of imports.If exports of goods exceed imports, the trade balance is said to be 'favorable' (a balance of trade surplus); if imports exceed exports, the trade balance if said to be 'unfavorable (a balance of trade deficit).'

Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

The BIS, located in Basle, Switzerland, was established in 1930 to administer the post-World War I reparations agreements. Since the 1960s, the BIS has evolved into an important international monetary institution, and has provided a forum in which central bankers meet and consult on a monthly basis. As an independent financial organization, the BIS performs a variety of banking, trustee, and agent functions, primarily with central banks.

Bank holding company (BHC)

Company that owns, or has controlling interest in, one or more banks. A company that owns more than one bank is known as a multibank holding company. A bank holding company may also own another bank holding company, which in turn owns or controls a bank; the company at the top of the ownership chain is called the top holder. The Board of Governors is responsible for regulating and supervising bank holding companies, even if the bank owned by the holding company is under the primary supervision of a different federal agency (the Comptroller of the Currency or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation).

Barriers to entry

Barriers to entry are legal, financial, logistical, or natural constraints which protect an existing firm from potential competitors. Barriers to entry are a prime source of the market power of a firm and of reducing the level of competition between firms within a market.

Barter

The direct exchange of one product for other products.

Below full-employment equilibrium

A below full-employment equilibrium is a macroeconomic equilibrium in which potential GDP exceeds real GDP.

Benefits principle of taxation

The idea that people should pay taxes based on the benefits they receive from government services.

Bid

The price that buyers say they are willing to pay for a good in an auction market.

Big tradeoff

The conflict between equity and efficiency.

Bilateral monopoly

A situation in which there is a single seller (a monopoly) and a single buyer (a monopsony).

Bilateralism

An international policy having as its objective the achievement of particular balances of trade between two nations by means of discriminatory tariffs, exchange, or other controls. The initiative is usually taken by the country having an 'unfavorable' balance of trade. Extensive bilateralism results in a shift of international trade away from channels that would result from the principle of comparative advantage. Compare to multilateralism.

Bill

See Treasury bill.

Black market

A market in which certain goods or services are traded in a manner contrary to the laws or regulations of the government in power (such as the price exceeding the legally imposed price ceiling). Typical reasons why the market goes underground in this way include the desire by substantial numbers of buyers and sellers to evade restrictive government price controls or inconvenient rationing schemes, to avoid paying heavy taxes on the good or service in question, or simply to be able to obtain forbidden products which the government does not want the people to have at all (such as illegal drugs).

Board of Governors

Central governmental agency of the Federal Reserve System, located in Washington, DC, and composed of seven members who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Board is responsible for domestic and international economic analysis with other components of the System; for the conduct of monetary policy; for supervision and regulation of certain banking organizations; for operation of much of the nation's payments system; and for administration of most of the nation's laws that protect consumers in credit transactions.

Bond

See Treasury bond.

Bretton Woods system

An international monetary system operating from 1946-1973. The value of the dollar was fixed in terms of gold, and every other country held its currency at a fixed exchange rate against the dollar. In this system of fixed exchange rates, the goal was for each country's central bank to intervene in the foreign exchange market to prevent their currency from trading outside a particular band. When trade deficits occurred, the central bank of the deficit country financed the deficit with its reserves of international currencies. The system was named after a conference held in Bretton Woods, N.H.

Budget constraint

All the combinations (or bundles) of goods a person can purchase given (1) a money income and (2) prices for those goods. The budget constraint limits the household's consumption choices as to what and how much can be purchased. In a two-product/two-price case, as is used in the analysis of indifference curves, the budget constraint is often referred to as the budget line.

Budget deficit

A budget deficit is a government's budget balance that is negative -- government expenditures exceed tax revenues.

Budget line

The various combinations of two products which can be purchased given (1) a money income and (2) prices for those goods. The budget line is used in the analysis of consumer behavior when combined with indifference curves.

Budget surplus

A budget surplus is a government's budget balance that is positive -- tax revenues exceed government expenditures.

Bundesbank

Established in 1875, the central bank of West Germany, located in Frankfurt.

Business cycle

The business cycle is the periodic but irregular up-and-down movement in production. The four phases of the business cycle are the trough, expansion (or recovery), peak, and recession.

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C

Capacity output

The output at which average total cost is a minimum--the output at the bottom of the U-shaped ATC curve.

Capacity utilization rate

The percentage of the economy's total plant and equipment that is currently in production. Usually a decrease in this percentage signals a slowing down of the economy, possibly the beginning of a recession, while an increase signals economic expansion.

Capital

Capital is the man-made resources which are used in the production process -- it is the equipment, buildings, tools, and manufactured goods that we use to produce other products. It is one of the four classes of resources used in production. Payments to capital resources are known as interest.

Capital account

The capital account is a record of foreign investment in a country minus its investment abroad.

Capital accumulation

Capital accumulation is the growth of capital resources.

Capital flight

A large and sudden reduction in the demand for financial assets located in a country.

Capital gain

The increase in the value of an asset through an increase in its price.

Capital gains tax

A tax on the increase in the value of an asset.

Capital stock

The total quantity of plant, equipment, buildings, and inventories.

Capture theory

A theory of regulation that states that the regulations are supplied to satisfy the demand of producers to maximize producer surplus -- to maximize economic profit.

Cartel

A group of firms that has entered into a collusive agreement to restrict output and increase prices and profits.

Causation

A relation of cause and effect between variables in which one variable is a determinant of another variable.

Central bank

A central bank is a bank's bank and a public authority charged with regulating and controlling a country's monetary policy and financial institutions and financial markets. For example, the Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States and the Bundesbank is the central bank of Germany.

Ceteris paribus

Ceteris paribus means "other things being equal" -- all other relevant things remaining the same.

Chain-weighted output index

An index that measures the growth rate of real GDP.

Change in demand

A change in demand is a change in consumers' willingness and ability to purchase products which occurs when some influence on those plans (other than the price of the product) changes. It is illustrated by a shift of the demand curve and by the creation of a new demand schedule.

Change in supply

A change in supply is a change in producers' willingness and ability to produce and sell their products which occurs when some influence on those plans (other than the price of the product) changes. It is illustrated by a shift of the supply curve and by the creation of a new supply schedule.

Change in the quantity demanded

A change in the quantity demanded is a change in the consumers' willingness and ability to purchase products which occurs when the price of the product changes, ceteris paribus. A change in the quantity demanded is illustrated by a movement along the demand curve and as a movement along a given demand schedule.

Change in the quantity supplied

A change in the quantity supplied is a change in the producers' willingness and ability to produce and sell products which occurs when the price of the product changes, ceteris paribus. A change in the quantity supplied is illustrated by a movement along the supply curve and as a movement along a given supply schedule.

Circular-flow diagram

A visual model of the economy that shows how trade exists within an economy. The simple circular flow model uses two flows (physical and money) to illustrate trade within two markets (product and resource) between two sectors (household and business) of an economy. Notably, the value of the physical flow is exactly equal to, and in opposite directon of, the value of the money flow.

Classical growth theory

Classical growth theory is a theory of economic growth based on the view that real GDP growth is temporary and that when real GDP per person increases above subsistence level, a population explosion brings real GDP back to subsistence level.

Closed economy

An economy that does not interact with other economies in the world. Contrast with open economy.

Coase theorem

The proposition that if property rights exist and transactions costs are low, private transactions are efficient. Equivalently, with property rights and low transaction costs, there are no externalities.

Coincidence of wants

A condition required for exchange in a nonmonetary system; to accomplish a trade, it is necessary to find someone who has what you want and also wants what you have.

Collateral

Property that is offered to secure a loan or other credit and that becomes subject to seizure on default. (Also called security.)

Collective bargaining

A process of negotiation between representatives of employers and unions to agree on terms of employment, work rules, and other items associated with work.

Collusive agreement

An agreement between two (or more) producers to restrict output so as to increase prices and profits.

Command system

A system in which some people give orders and other people obey them.

Commercial bank

A firm, licensed either by the Comptroller of the Currency (in the U.S. Treasury) or by a state agency to receive deposits and make loans. These depository institutions offer a broad range of deposit accounts, including checking, savings, and time deposits, and extend loans to individuals and businesses. Commercial banks can be contrasted with investment banking firms, such as brokerage firms, which generally are involved in arranging for the sale of corporate or municipal securities.

Comparable worth

A doctrine according to which jobs deemed comparable should be paid the same wage.

Comparative advantage

A person or country has a comparative advantage in an activity if that person or country can perform that activity at a lower opportunity cost than anyone else or any other country.

Compensating wage differential

A difference in wages for people with similar skills based on some characteristic of the job, such as riskiness, discomfort, or convenience of the time schedule.

Competitive market

A market with many buyers and sellers trading homogeneous products. In competitive markets, since there are many buyers and many sellers, each has a negligible impact on the market price and is said to be a price taker.

Complement

A complement is a product which is used in conjunction with another product. With complements, the demand for one rises as the price of the other falls (or, the demand for one falls as the price of the other rises). Hence, an inverse relationship exists between changes in the price of one good and changes in the demand for another good (its complement). Goods which have a negative cross price elasticity of demand are complements. Contrast with substitute.

Constant returns to scale

Constant returns to scale are technological conditions under which a given percentage increase in all of the firm's inputs (the long-run) results in the firm's output increasing by the same percentage. With constant returns to scale, the firm's long-run average cost stays the same as its output changes.

Consumer efficiency

Consumer efficiency is the situation which occurs when consumers cannot make themselves better of by reallocating their budget.

Consumer equilibrium

Consumer equilibrium is a situation in which a consumer has allocated his or her income in the way that maximizes his or her total utility from the goods and services consumed.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is an index that measures the average level of prices of the goods and services that a typical urban family buys.

Consumer surplus

Consumer surplus is the value that the consumer gets from each unit of a good minus the price paid for it.

Consumption expenditure

Consumption expenditure is the total amount spent on consumption goods and services.

Consumption function

The consumption function is the relationship between consumption expenditure and disposable income, other things remaining the same.

Contestable market

A market in which one firm (or a small number of firms) operates but in which entry and exit are free, so the firm (or firms) in the industry faces competition from potential entrants.

Contractionary fiscal policy

Contractionary fiscal policy is a decrease in government expenditures or an increase in tax revenues.

Contractionary monetary policy

Contractionary monetary policy is a policy decision of the Federal Reserve System which is designed to restrict the growth of money and credit in the economy.

Controlled experiments

Empirical tests of theories in a controlled setting in which particular effects can be isolated.

Cooperative equilibrium

The outcome of a collusive agreement between players when the players make and share the monopoly profit.

Corporation

One of the three basic forms of business organization (the other two being proprietorship and partnership). A corporation is a business established through ownership shares (termed corporate stock). A corporation is considered a distinct legal person which can be sued, forced to pay taxes, etc., just like a human person. Unlike proprietorships and partnerships, a corporation exists separately from it's owners. As such, the owners have what is termed limited liability. Owners can not be held personally responsible for corporate debts. They owners can only lose the value of their ownership shares, but no more.

Correlation

The degree to which economic variables are observed to move together: If they move in the same direction, there is positive correlation; if they move in opposite directions, there is negative correlation.

Cost

The value of everything a seller must give up to produce a good.

Cost-benefit analysis

A study that compares the costs and benefits to society of providing a public good.

Cost-push inflation

A term that applies when increases in the price level (inflation) are caused by increases in cost. Compare to demand-pull inflation.

Craft union

An organized group of workers representing a single occupation, whose members come from a variety of industries. Contrast to industrial union.

Cross price elasticity of demand

The responsiveness of consumers in the demand for one good (holding the price of that good constant) as the price of a related good changes, other things remaining the same. It is measured as the percentage change in the demand of good B divided by the percentage change in the price of good A. A negative cross price elasticity of demand indicates the two goods are complements. A positive cross price elasticity of demand indicates the two goods are substitutes. A cross price elasticity of demand which is inconsistent in sign or is equal to zero indicates the the goods are unrelated in use.

Crowding out

The decline in private investment owing to an increase in government purchases.

Council of Economic Advisers

A three-member group of economists appointed by the President of the United States to analyze the economy and make recommendations about economic policy.

Currency

The paper bills and coins in the hands of the public.

Cyclical unemployment

The deviation of unemployment from its natural rate due to fluctuations in the business cycle
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D

Deadweight loss

Deadweight loss is a measure of inefficiency. It is equal to the loss in total surplus (consumer surplus plus producer surplus) when output is below or above its efficient level. Generally, these market inefficiencies are attributable to market imperfections created by market power, taxes, regulations, or other factors.

Debtor nation

A debtor nation is a country that, during its entire history, has borrowed more from the rest of the world than it has lent to it.

Decisions at the margin

Decision making characterized by weighing additional (marginal) benefits of a change against the additional (marginal) cost of a change with respect to current conditions.

Decreasing returns to scale

Decreasing returns to scale are technological conditions under which a given percentage increase in all the firm's inputs (the long-run) results in the firm's output increasing by the smaller percentage. With decreasing returns to scale, the firm's long-run average cost increases as its output increases.

Deflation

A deflation is a process in which the price level falls -- a negative inflation.

Demand

Demand is defined as a schedule of various prices and quantities of a product which consumers are willing and able to purchase during a period of time, ceteris paribus.
Demand is described by a demand schedule and illustrated by a demand curve. A change in the price of the product will cause a change in quantity demanded while a change in one of the determinants of demand will cause a change in demand.

Demand curve

A demand curve is a curve that shows the relationship between the quantity demanded of a good and its price when all other influences on consumers' planned purchases remain the same. It is based on the demand schedule of prices and quantities demanded.

Demand for labor

The relationship between the quantity of labor demanded and the real wage rate when all other influences on firm¡¯s hiring plans remain the same.

Demand schedule

The numerical tabulation of the various quantities demanded of a good at different prices. The demand schedule is the basis for the demand curve.

Demand-pull inflation

A term used when an increase in aggregate demand occurs which cannot be offset by a corresponding increase in real supply causing an increase in the price level (inflation). An inflation that results from an initial increase in aggregate demand. Compare to cost-push inflation.

Deposit multiplier

The deposit multiplier is the amount by which an increase in bank reserves is multiplied to calculate the increase in bank deposits.

Depository institution

A financial institution that obtains its funds mainly through deposits from the public. This includes commercial banks, savings and loan associations, savings banks, and credit unions. Although historically they have specialized in certain types of credit, the powers of nonbank depository institutions have been broadened in recent years. For example, NOW accounts, credit union share drafts, and other services similar to checking accounts may be offered by thrift institutions.

Depreciation

The decrease in the capital stock resulting from wear and tear and obsolescence.

Depression

A severe or long-lasting recession.

Derived demand

Demand for a productive resource which is derived from the demand for the goods and services produced by the resource.

Diminishing marginal rate of substitution

The general tendency for the marginal rate of substitution of one good for another to diminish as a consumer moves along an indifference curve increasing consumption of the first good.

Diminishing marginal product

See diminishing marginal returns.

Diminishing marginal returns

Diminishing marginal returns is the tendency for the marginal product of an additional resource eventually to be less than the marginal product of the previous unit of the resource.

Diminishing marginal utility

Diminishing marginal utility is the decrease in marginal utility that a consumer gets from a product as more of it is consumed. Note that, even if marginal utility is diminishing, so long as the marginal utility is positive, increased consumption leads to increased total utility. It is only when marginal utility is negative that additional consumption reduces total utility.

Direct relationship

A direct relationship is a relationship between two variables that move in the same direction. As one variable increases, the other variable also increases. For a comparison, see inverse relationship.

Discounting

The conversion of a future amount of money to its present value.

Discount rate

The discount rate is the interest rate at which the Fed stands ready to lend reserves to commercial banks.

Discouraged workers

Discouraged workers are people who are available and willing to work but who have given up the effort to find work.

Discretionary fiscal policy

Discretionary fiscal policy is a policy action that is initiated by an act of Congress.

Discretionary policy

A policy that responds to the state of the economy in a possibly unique way that uses all the information available, including perceived lessons from past "mistakes."

Discrimination

The offering of different opportunities to otherwise similar individuals. Discrimination is often based on differences in race, ethnic group, sex, age, or other personal characteristics.

Diseconomies of scale

Features of a firm's technology that lead to rising long-run average cost as output increases.

Disequilibrium

A state of either surplus or shortage in a market.

Disequilibrium price

A price other than equilibrium price. A price at which quantity demanded does not equal quantity supplied. At a disequilibrium price, a shortage or a surplus is evident. If the market does not have outside interference, it is generally expected that a disequilibrium price will correct itself to the equilibrium price. A shortage suggests that the price will rise, while a surplus suggests that the price will fall.

Disposable income

Disposable income is aggregate income minus taxes plus transfer payments.

Disutility

Disutility is the dissatisfaction which a person receives from the consumption of a product. Generally, a product which yields disutility is referred to as a bad. Contrast with utility.

Dominant strategy equilibrium

The outcome of a game in which there is a single best strategy (a dominant strategy) for each player, regardless of the strategy of the other players.

Dumping

Dumping is the sale of a good or service to a foreign country at a price that is less than the cost of producing the good or service.

Duopoly

A market in which two producers of a good or service compete.

Dynamic comparative advantage

Dynamic comparative advantage is a comparative advantage that a person or country possesses as a result of having specialized in a particular activity and, as a result of learning-by-doing, having become the producer with the lowest opportunity cost.
没有理由保持沉默!

起初他们追杀共产主义者,我不是共产主义者,我不说话;
接着他们追杀犹太人,我不是犹太人,我不说话;
后来他们追杀工会会员,我不是工会会员,我不说话;
此后他们追杀天主教徒,我不是天主教徒,我不说话;
最后,他们奔我而来,再也没有人站起来为我说话了。

                             ---美国波士顿犹太人大屠杀纪念碑 Martin Niemoller (德国新教牧师)

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