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puts and calls

(Encyclopedia)puts and calls, in securities trading. A call is a contract that gives the holder the right to purchase a given stock at a specific price within a designated period of time. It is the opposite of a pu...

corner

(Encyclopedia)corner, securing of all or nearly all the supply of any commodity or stock so that its buyers are forced to pay exorbitant prices. Corners may be planned deliberately or may be brought about unintenti...

insider trading

(Encyclopedia)insider trading, stock market transactions made with knowledge of nonpublic information about corporate activity. In the United States, it has been illegal since 1934. The Securities and Exchange Comm...

commodity market

(Encyclopedia)commodity market, organized traders' exchange in which standardized, graded products are bought and sold. Worldwide, there are more than 20 major commodity exchanges and many smaller ones that trade c...

Ebbers, Bernie

(Encyclopedia)Ebbers, Bernie (Bernard John Ebbers), 1941–, American business executive and white-collar criminal, b. Edmonton, Alta, grad. Mississippi College (1967). After running a small motel chain, he entered...

margin requirement

(Encyclopedia)margin requirement, that part of a security's price that a buyer must pay for in cash. The balance of the price is met by the broker, who, in effect, is supplying a client with a loan. The smaller the...

securities trading

(Encyclopedia)securities trading, financial activity involving transactions of property such as stocks, bonds, commodities, and currency (see securities). Although the trading of stocks and bonds dates back several...

Berlage, Hendrik Petrus

(Encyclopedia)Berlage, Hendrik Petrus hĕnˈdrək pāˈtrüs berläˈgə [key], 1856–1934, Dutch architect. In both his writings and architectural practice, Berlage advocated a return to simplicity of form and cl...

Dow Jones Average

(Encyclopedia)Dow Jones Average, indicators used to measure and report value changes in representative stock groupings on the New York stock exchange. There are four different averages—industrial stocks, transpor...

broker

(Encyclopedia)broker, one who acts as an intermediary in a sale or other business transaction between two parties. Such a person conducts individual transactions only, is given no general authority by the employers...