Tag: stocks

Arithmetic Index definition explanation

What is Arithmetic Index?
An index of securities that uses an arithmetic sum to determine changes in the index without taking the relative size of the securities into account. An arithmetic index of stocks does not incorporate weightings based on market capitalization, price, or any other metric, but merely calculates the raw changes in each component, then divides the sum by the number of index components.

Also known as an “”unweighted index””. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Small Minus Big – SMB definition explanation

What is Small Minus Big – SMB?
One of three factors in the Fama and French stock pricing model. SMB accounts for the spread in returns between small- and large-sized firms, which is based on the company’s market capitalization.

This factor is referred to as the “”small firm effect””, as smaller firms tend to outperform large ones. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Investment Style definition explanation

What is Investment Style?
The overarching strategy or theory used by either a retail investor or an institutional money manager to set asset allocation and choose individual securities for investment. The investment style of a fund helps set expectations for long-term performance potential and aids in advertising the fund to investors looking for a specific type of market exposure. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Diversification definition explanation

What is Diversification?
A risk management technique that mixes a wide variety of investments within a portfolio. The rationale behind this technique contends that a portfolio of different kinds of investments will, on average, yield higher returns and pose a lower risk than any individual investment found within the portfolio.

Diversification strives to smooth out unsystematic risk events in a portfolio so that the positive performance of some investments will neutralize the negative performance of others. Therefore, the benefits of diversification will hold only if the securities in the portfolio are not perfectly correlated. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Market Price definition explanation

What is Market Price?
The current price at which an asset or service can be bought or sold. Economic theory contends that the market price converges at a point where the forces of supply and demand meet. Shocks to either the supply side and/or demand side can cause the market price for a good or service to be re-evaluated. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Counter-Cyclical Stock definition explanation

What is Counter-Cyclical Stock?
A type of stock in which the underlying company belongs to an industry or niche with financial performance that is negatively correlated to the overall state of the economy. As a result, the stock’s price will also tend to move in a direction that is opposite to the general economic trend, meaning appreciation occurs during times of recession and depreciations in value occur in times of economic expansion. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Marlboro Friday definition explanation

What is Marlboro Friday?
A reference to Friday, Apr 2, 1993, when Philip Morris, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, announced that it would be cutting the price of Marlboros to compete with generic cigarette makers. The company’s stock tanked 26% following the announcement, losing about $10 billion off its market cap in a single day.

The day is remembered as a landmark moment in the 1990s consumer movement away from name brand products in favor of cheaper generic products with prices 50% lower than their branded competitors. In its wake, money managers moved cash from name brand consumer goods makers like Coca-Cola and Tambrands (the former maker of Tampax tampons) to technology stocks and generic consumer goods producers. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Falling Knife definition explanation

What is Falling Knife?
A slang phrase for a security or industry in which the current price or value has dropped significantly in a short period of time. A falling knife security can rebound, or it can lose all of its value, such as in the case of company bankruptcy where equity shares become worthless.

A falling knife situation can occur because of actual business results (such as a big drop in net earnings) or because of increasingly negative investor sentiment. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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Best Of Breed definition explanation

What is Best Of Breed?
A stock that represents the most optimal investment choice for a specific sector or industry due to its high quality compared to its competitors. This slang is derived from dog shows, where the highest quality dog for each breed wins an award and is given the “”best of breed”” title. Read more for examples and further explanation including related video clips and also comments
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