What is Equity Valuation? Equity valuation is a blanket term and is used to refer to all tools and techniques used by investors to find out the true value of a company’s equity. It is often seen as the most crucial element of a successful investment decision. Investment Banks typically have a equity research department,…
What is the Forward Curve? The forward curve or the future curve is the graphical representation of the relationship between the price of forward contracts and the time to maturity of the contracts. The vertical axis measures the price of a forward contract, and the horizontal axis measures the time to maturity of that forward…
What is Indexing? Indexing is a passive investment strategy where you construct a portfolio to track the performance of a market index. It is commonly done with the S&P 500 Index, where investors try to mimic the performance of the index. Indexing also refers to metrics used to gauge the performance of an economic activity….
What is an Accredited Investor? An accredited investor refers to an individual or institutional investor who has met certain requirements set by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Accredited investors are allowed to purchase securities that are not available to other investors and that have not been registered with any regulatory authority. The SEC…
What is After Hours Trading? After hours trading refers to the time outside regular trading hours when an investor can buy and sell securities. The main exchanges in the United States, NASDAQ and NYSE, hold standard trading sessions that start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. After the end of regular trading, the…
What is the Euro to Dollar (EUR/USD)? The Euro to Dollar exchange rate (EUR/USD or €/$ for short) is the amount in U.S. dollars that equals 1 Euro. It is the convention for quoting the exchange rate between the two currencies. This guide will provide an overview of the factors that impact the FX rate,…
What is Treasury Direct? Treasury Direct is the online platform through which investors can purchase U.S. government securities directly from the U.S. Treasury. Such securities include Treasury bills (T-bills), Treasury bonds, Treasury notes, or savings bonds that are backed by the U.S. government. Treasury Direct is most often used to purchase government bonds when they…
What is the Presidential Cycle? The Presidential Cycle is a theory that suggests that the United States stock market experiences a decline in the first year a new president takes office. The theory was first developed by Yale Hirsch, a stock market historian. It suggests that the US presidential elections exert a predictable effect on…
What is Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA)? Credit Valuation Adjustment (CVA) is the price that an investor would pay to hedge the counterparty credit risk of a derivative instrument. It reduces the mark to market value of an asset by the value of the CVA. Credit Valuation Adjustment was introduced as a new requirement for fair…
What is Mean-Variance Analysis? Mean-Variance Analysis is a technique that investors use to make decisions about financial instruments to invest in, based on the amount of risk that they are willing to accept (risk tolerance). Ideally, investors expect to earn higher returns when they invest in riskier assets. When measuring the level of risk, investors…
