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GLOSSARY

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All or None

An order type that the broker executes only if the trade can be executed for the full quantity specified. If a complete transaction is not executed, it will remain open for the time limit specified

Annuity

An investment in which the policy holder makes a lump-sum or installment payment to an insurance company and receives income at retirement.

Ask

The lowest price at which someone is willing to sell a security.

Asset Allocation Funds

Mutual funds that feature a mix of stocks, bonds, and cash equivalents to meet the investment objectives of individual investors.

Average Maturity

The lifetime of a bond, concluding when the final payment of that obligation is due.


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Back-end Load

A fee charged by a mutual fund when you sell your shares.

Bid

The highest price at which someone is willing to buy a security.

Blue Chip

A common stock of an established company that has a long record of stable growth.

Bond

A long-term debt security of the Government or a corporation with maturity of 10 years or more from the Issue date. Interest is usually paid every six months and its face value returned, repaid at maturity.

Buy

Purchase of a security.

Buy to Close

You "close" a short option position when you buy it back.

Buy to Open

"open" a long position when you buy an option.


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Call Option

Gives its buyer the right to buy or sell 100 shares of the underlying security at a fixed price before a specified expiration date. Call buyers hope the price of the stock will rise. Call sellers hope the price will stay the same or go down.

Capital Appreciation

The growth of the earnings on an investments principals

Capital Gain

Arise when an investment is sold at a higher price than originally paid. In a mutual fund, capital gains are created when the fund buys and sells underlying securities at a premium over purchase price. These gains are then distributed to unitholders at least annually. Unitholders can also earn capital gains by redeeming their fund shares at higher prices than they originally paid.

Certificate of Deposit

Debt instruments issued by banks and savings and loans. Maturities range from overnight to many years. Certificates of Deposit are issued at par and pay fixed interest at intervals or maturity. Can be brokered through Broker Dealer

Common Stock

Securities that represent an ownership interest in a corporation.

Compounding

The computation of interest paid using the principal plus the previously earned interest.

Cost Averaging

Buying securities at scheduled intervals at the same amount.

Corporate Bond

Debt obligations issued by corporations as an alternative to offering equity ownership by issuing stock. Like most municipal bonds and Treasuries, most corporate bonds pay semi-annual interest and promise to return their principal when they mature. Maturities range from 1 to 30 years.

Custodial Account

An account for the benefit of a minor with an adult as the custodian.

Current Yield

The annual interest on a bond divided by the current market price.


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Day (Only) Order

An order condition that causes your order to be canceled at the end of the current days trading if the specified limits can not be met.

Dilution

Effect on earnings per share and book value per share if all convertible securities were converted or all warrants or stock options were exercised.

Distribution

The income or capital gain made by a mutual fund that is paid to the funds investors.

Diversification

The allocation of assets among various types of investments.

Dividend Amount

Value of last quarterly cash dividend or the number of shares an investor receives for each share owned in a stock dividend.

Dividend Reinvestment

Dividends that are reinvested in the security that generated them.


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Earnings Per Share (EPS)

Four times the last quarters earning divided by the number of shares outstanding.

Earnings Per Share Date

Date of the last earnings announcement.

Electronic Funds Transfer

Transferring funds between accounts and firms electronically.

Ex-Dividend Date

Date a split or dividend is reflected in the price of the security (if you buy a stock on the ex-dividend date, you are not entitled to the dividend); for splits, this is the trading day after the distribution is made.


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Face Value

The displayed value on a bond also called principal or par value.

Fiduciary

One is legally required to act in the best interest and trust of a beneficiary or minor.

Fill or Kill (FOK)

An order condition that cancels an order if it cannot be filled immediately in its entirety.


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Good Until Canceled (GTC)

An order condition which will remain open until it is filled or until you cancel it or for 60 days (whichever is first), if it is not filled immediately due to conditions placed on the order.

Government Bond

A bond sold by the Cyprus government.


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High

The highest execution price of a trade that day, or on the last trading day.


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Immediate or Cancel

An order condition that requires all or part of an order to be executed immediately. The part of the order that cannot be executed immediately is canceled.

Index Mutual Funds

Mutual funds that seek to replicate the performance of established securities indices.

Indexing

Investing for market returns by purchasing shares in an index fund.


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Last Split Date

The last date on which the shares of a security were increased or decreased by splitting.

Last Trade

The price at which the last trade was executed; after market close, this is the closing price.

Last Trade Date and Time

The date and time the security was last traded.

Limit Order

An order instructing a broker to execute an order at a specific price or better. Buy orders are executed at or below limit price. Sell orders are executed at or above limit price.

Liquid Investment

An investment that can be easily converted to cash.

Liquid Reserve

Personal savings that can be accessed immediately.

Load

purchase or redemption fee charged by a mutual fund

Low

The lowest execution price of a trade that day, or on the last trading day.


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Margin Balance

The net open balance in your margin account. If negative, this is the amount owed to the brokerage firm. If positive, the balance is available to earn interest.

Market Indicators

A variety of indices that give an indication of the overall direction and strength of the market.

Market Capitalization

The total value of a companys stock.

Market Order

Order which instructs a broker to execute an order as quickly as possible at the best price available. During market hours, this means orders for widely traded securities will usually execute at or close to the current quotation. Buy orders will execute at or close to the "ask" price and Sell orders will execute at or close to the "bid" price. If a market order is entered when the market is closed, the order will usually execute at or close to the opening price the NEXT trading day. To prevent entering an order at the market price, one of the following price conditions must be selected: Stop, Limit or Stop Limit.

Maturity Date

Date at which the face value and final interest payment of a fixed income security (for example, bond or note) is due and payable by the debt issuer. For bonds, maturity can range from one day to 30 years or more.

Mutual Fund

An investment company that pools money from shareholders and invests in a variety of securities, such as stocks, bonds and money market instruments. Most open-end mutual funds stand ready to buy back (redeem) its shares at their current net asset value, which depends on the total market value of the fund s investment portfolio at the time of redemption. Most open-end mutual funds continuously offer new shares to investors.


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Net Asset Value (NAV)

The market value of one share of a mutual fund; NAV is calculated only once each day after market close. This value does not include any sales charges or other fees.

Net Change

The amount and direction of a security s price change since its previous close.

No-load Mutual Fund

A mutual fund that does not charge a fee to buy shares of the fund at the time of purchase or at time of sale.


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Open

The price at which a security opened for trading on a given day.

Open-end Fund

A mutual fund with no limit to the number of shares that can be issued. These shares are purchased directly from the fund company itself, or through a brokerage firm.

Option

A contract that permits the owner (depending on the type of option held) to purchase or sell a security at a specific ("strike") price until a specified expiration date. An option to purchase a security is a "call." An option to sell a security is a "put." The price of the option itself is the "premium."


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Pay date

The date the shares from a split or dividend are sent to the shareholders.

Position

Security holdings in an account or portfolio.

Price

The cost for a security. For mutual funds, price is the net asset value (NAV). For mutual funds with a load, the price including the load is the Public Offering Price (POP).

Price/Earnings Ratio

Price of a stock divided by earnings per share.

Principal

The amount of money that is financed, borrowed, or invested.

Put Option

ives the buyer the right to sell a number of shares of stock at a price until the option s expiration date. Put buyers hope the price of the stock will fall. Puts may also be purchased to protect an investment in case the price of the stock goes down.


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Rights

Rights allow existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe to shares of a new issue of common stock before that stock is offered to the public. A right usually has a life of 2 to 4 weeks, is transferable, and entitles the holder to buy the new common stock below the Public Offering Price. Rights are often granted to protect existing shareholders from the effects of dilution.

Risk/Return Factor

The relationship between an investment s growth potential and its exposure to loss.


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Security Type

The type of security such as stock, bond or mutual fund.

Sell

To sell a security you own.

Sell Short

Selling a stock not owned in the hope that the price will go down. The seller must indicate that the sale is a short sale when the order is entered. This is used for stock only, and can only be done in a margin account. If available, the stock may be borrowed from a brokerage firm for delivery to the buyer and must be bought back at a future date. The firm reserves the right to call the security back at any time. Short sales require the equity be deposited in a margin account to ensure that the stock can be repurchased even if the price goes up.

Sell to Close

A long option position is closed when it is sold.

Sell to Open

A short position is opened when an option is sold.

Special Conditions

Special conditions may be applied to an order, such as All or None (AON) or Do Not Reduce (DNR).

Stock Dividends

A dividend paid in stock rather than cash.

Stop Order

An order that becomes a market order once the security has traded through the designated stop price. Buy stops are entered above the current ask price. If the price moves to or above the stop price, the order becomes a market order and will be executed at the current market price. This price may be higher or lower than the stop price. Sell stops are entered below the current market price. If the price moves to or below the stop price, the order becomes a market order and will be executed at the current market price.

Stop Limit Order

An order which becomes a limit order once the security trades at the designated stop price. A stop limit order instructs a broker to buy or sell at a specific price or better, but only after a given stop price has been reached or passed. It is a combination of a stop order and a limit order.

Surrender Charges

Fees for terminating a CD, insurance or annuity contract before it matures.

Switch/Swap

This type of order is used only for mutual funds to move money from one mutual fund to another. If this type of order is placed over the phone, it would be called a swap or an exchange. How and when this order is executed varies with the time of day entered and the specific fund involved. As a rule, the sell will be executed on day and the buy order the next.

Symbol

The symbol used to designate a security for trading.


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Time Conditions

The following time limits may be applied to Stop, Limit, or Stop Limit orders: Day Only, Good Until Canceled, Fill or Kill, Immediate or Cancel.

Trust Account

A legal plan by which the trustor places assets in trust for a beneficiary.


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Vested

The percentage of ownership in a retirement plan assets.

Volume

The daily number of shares traded in a security.


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Warrants

A type of security usually issued together with a bond or preferred stock that allows the holder to buy a proportionate amount of common stock at a fixed price (usually above the market price at the time of issuance) for a period of years or to perpetuity. Warrants are transferable and trade on the major exchanges. They are also known as Subscription Warrants.


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52-week High

The highest price at which a security has traded within the previous 52 weeks.

52-week Low

The lowest price at which a security has traded within the previous 52 weeks.


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Jan 6, 2009 7:06 am
Quotes & Research
World Markets
IndexLevel%Ch
ASE1862.322.79
DJIA8952.89-0.91
Nasdaq1628.03-0.26
FTSE1004579.640.39
CAC3359.920.31
Nikkei9046.790.04
H.Seng15387.41-1.13
Updated: 06/01/2009
07:05