Dictionary


Bull CD, Bear CD
A bull CD pays its holder a specified percentage of the increase in return on a specified market index while guaranteeing a minimum rate of return. A bear CD pays the holder a fraction of any fall in a given market index.
Bull Market
A securities market characterized thus on rising prices.
Bullish, Bearish
Words used to describe investor attitudes. Bullish means optimistic; bearish means pessimistic. These terms also describe the bull market and bear market.
Bundling, Unbundling
A trend allowing creation of securities either by combining primitive and derivative securities into one composite hybrid or by separating returns on an asset into classes.
Business Cycle
The recurrent rise and fall of a country's economic fortune over time. It is characterized by fluctuating employment levels, industrial productivity, and interest rates.