Average inventory is a calculation that estimates the value or number of a particular good or set of goods during two or more specified time periods. Average inventory is the mean value of an inventory within a certain time period, which may vary from the median value of the same data set, and is computed by averaging the starting and ending inventory values over a specified period.
A night depository is a secured bank drop box where accountholders (usually small business owners or employees) can deposit their daily cash, checks, and credit card slips outside of normal banking hours (usually between 9 AM and 5 PM). The bank will collect the deposits and credit them to the client’s account on the following business day.
Buy to cover refers to a buy order made on a stock or other listed security to close out an existing short position. A short sale involves selling shares of a company that an investor does not own, as the shares are borrowed from a broker but need to be repaid at some point.
Main Street is a colloquial term used by economists to refer collectively to America’s independent small businesses. It gets its name from a common name for the principal commercial street of small towns across the country. In England, the equivalent term is High Street.
Coase Theorem is a legal and economic theory developed by economist Ronald Coase that affirms that where there are complete competitive markets with no transactions costs, an efficient set of inputs and outputs to and from production-optimal distribution will be selected, regardless of how property rights are divided. Further, the Coase Theorem asserts that if conflict arises over property rights under these assumptions, then parties will tend to settle on the efficient set of inputs and output.
An accrued expense is an accounting term that refers to an expense that is recognized on the books before it has been paid; the expense is recorded in the accounting period in which it is incurred.. Because accrued expenses represent a company’s obligation to make future cash payments, they are shown on a company’s balance sheet as current liabilities; accrued expenses are also known as accrued liabilities. An accrued expense is only an estimate, and will likely differ from the supplier’s invoice that will arrive at a later date.
In the world of markets, a widow maker is an investment that results in large, potentially devastating losses. It can also refer to a trade that results in a loss for virtually everyone who tries it. In colloquial usage, a widow maker refers to anything with the potential to kill someone quickly. The phrase has historically been used in forestry and medicine.
A killer application, or killer app is a software program with a user-interface perceived as innovative enough to influence computing trends and sales. The term dates to the early development of personal computers and software in the 1980’s when accounting, database and word-processing applications were being developed for mass use. The term killer application may be derived from the fact that such an application was perceived to be innovative enough to overcome the competition and spur sales of both applications and computers running operating systems advanced enough to accommodate the latest innovations.
A mortgage-backed security (MBS) is an investment similar to a bond that is made up of a bundle of home loans bought from the banks that issued them. Investors in MBS receive periodic payments similar to bond coupon payments.
A killer application, or killer app is a software program with a user-interface perceived as innovative enough to influence computing trends and sales. The term dates to the early development of personal computers and software in the 1980’s when accounting, database and word-processing applications were being developed for mass use. The term killer application may be derived from the fact that such an application was perceived to be innovative enough to overcome the competition and spur sales of both applications and computers running operating systems advanced enough to accommodate the latest innovations.