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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

ADR

American Depository Receipt

After hours dealing or trading

Securities trading after regular trading hours on organized exchanges

AEX

Amsterdam Stock Exchange

Analyst

Employee of a brokerage, bank or fund manager who studies companies and makes buy-and-sell recommendations

Arbitrage

The simultaneous buying and selling of a security at two different prices in two different markets, resulting in profits without risk

Ask

The quoted offer at which someone can buy; also called the offer price

ASE

Athens Stock Exchange

At Par

At a price equal to the face value of a security

Auction

Many auctions occur in the financial markets; however the most common is the post market auction on the FTSE 100. This occurs from 1630 to 1635 and then the official settlement is declared

Authority to deal

Authorising someone to spread bet on your behalf. For this Finspreads would require your written notification and we would perform an identity check. Same as Power of Attorney

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B

Backwardation

This occurs when the bid price exceeds the offer price for a stock. This is a market distortion usually when stock is suspended or under a share repurchase scheme

Base

A technical analysis tool. A chart pattern depicting the period when the supply and demand of a certain stock are in relative equilibrium, resulting in a narrow trading range. The merging of the support level and resistance level

Base Rate

The rate at which the Bank of England lends to the retail Banks

Basis Point

Basis point is a way of expressing variations in bond yields. One basis point is 0.01 percentage point. Basis points also are used for interest rates

Bear

Someone who believes that prices in the stock market are going to decline. Opposite of a bull

Beta

The measure of an asset's risk in relation to the market

Bet Per

Same as tick size. The minimum point movement in each market, for example the FTSE has moved 10 ticks this equates to a 10 index point move in the FTSE

Bid

The quoted price at which someone can sell

Bid-Ask Spread

The difference between what buyers are willing to pay and what sellers are asking for in terms of price

Black Friday

The original Black Friday occurred on September 24, 1869, when prospectors attempted to corner the gold market

Black Monday

Refers to October 19, 1987, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 508 points on the heels of sharp drops the previous week. On Monday, October 27, 1997, the Dow dropped 554 points. While the point drop set a new record, the percentage decline was substantially less than in 1987

Black-Scholes option pricing model

A model for pricing call options based on arbitrage arguments. Uses the stock price, the exercise price, the risk-free interest rate, the time to expiration, and the expected standard deviation of the stock return

Blue-Chip Stock

Company renowned for the quality and wide acceptance of its products or services, and for its ability to make money and pay dividends

Bollinger Bands

Plus or minus two standard deviations where the standard deviations are calculated historically in a moving window estimation. Hence, the bands will widen if the most recent data is more volatile. If the prices break out of the band, this is considered a significant move

Bond

Bonds are debt and are issued for a certain period of time. The price of various bonds can be traded with Finspreads

BSE

Brussels Stock Exchange

Bull

Someone who believes that prices in the stock market are going to rise. Opposite of a bear

Buy

Same as taking a long position

Buy Order

An instruction to buy at a different price to where the market is currently trading

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C

Cable

Exchange rate between British pound sterling and the U.S. dollar

CAC 40 Index

A stock index of 40 of the 100 largest companies listed on the forward segment of the official list of the Paris Bourse

Call option

An option that gives the holder the right to buy the underlying asset. Opposite of a put. Option prices can be traded with Finspreads

Capital Gains Tax

Under current UK legislation, all profits made via financial spread betting are free of CGT

CBOT

Chicago Board of Trade

CFD

Contract For Difference. A leverage share trading product. Go to http://www.minicfds.com/ for further information

Chartist

Person who analyses markets with the use of charts

Closing Price

The price at which a product was traded to close the open position. Also refers to the price of the last transaction in a days trading session

CME

Chicago Mercantile Exchange

COMEX

Commodity Exchange (part of NYMEX)

Commodity

A commodity is food, metal, or another fixed physical substance that traders buy or sell, usually via futures contracts. Commodity prices can be traded with Finspreads

Compliance department

Department in all organized stock exchanges to ensure that all companies, traders and brokerage firms comply with the Financial Services Authority

Contingent if done order

Instructions you give us to attach a stop loss and/or limit order to your opening order if it is triggered and filled

Contract Note

The confirmation of your trade describing the market, the unit of trading, the action (buy or sell), the price and the expiry date

Cost of Carry

The interest intrinsic in our share futures prices, excluding any dividends payable during the contract period

CPI

Consumer Price Index, used as a measure of inflation

Credit Account

Credit can be allocated to your account providing evidence of funds are submitted to support such an application

Cross Rates

Foreign exchange rate between two currencies other than the US dollar. Finspreads offers spread betting on foreign exchange

Currency future

A financial future contract for the delivery of a specified foreign currency

Custodian Bank

The Financial Services Authority custody rules require Finspreads to place all client funds into a Custodian Bank

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D

Day Trading

Opening and closing of a position in the same contract in one day

Dealing (Trading) Desk

Call the dealing desk in order to trade

Delist

To remove a stock's listing on an exchange

Deliver

The sale of a futures contract may require the seller to deliver the commodity during the delivery month, if the short position is not offset prior to that time

Delivery Date

Date by which a seller must fulfil the obligations of a forward or futures contract

Delta

The ratio of the change in price of an option to the change in price of the underlying asset

Derivative

A financial contract whose value is based on or derived from, a traditional security (such as a stock or bond), an asset (such as a commodity) or a market index. Financial spread betting is a derivative product

Deutsche Borse

Germany's major securities market, including the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

Differential Market

Finspreads quote some differential prices such as the difference between Wall Street and the FTSE

Dividend

Portion of a company's earnings paid to stockholders. Clients who have buy positions in share contracts are not entitled to dividend payments

DJIA

Dow Jones Industrial Average. The index that reflects the performance of the top 30 US blue-chip stocks

Double Witching Day

The last trading day before expiry of options and futures on the same underlying asset

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E

ECB

European Central Bank

Economic Indicators

The key statistics of the economy that reveal the direction the economy is heading in

EDSP

Exchange Delivery Settlement Price. Used by many markets to arrive at the Expiry Price

EUREX

European derivatives exchange formed in 1998

EURONEXT

European securities and derivatives exchange

Euro

European Currency unit introduced on January 1 1999

Eurodollar

Exchange rate between EU member states whose currency in denominated in Euros and the U.S. dollar. Finspreads offers spread betting on currencies and foreign exchange

ETF

Exchange Traded Funds

Ex-Dividend

Without dividend, that is, the purchase of stock will not receive the most recent declared dividend. Shares paying a dividend generally tend to decline on their ex-dividend date

Expiry Date

Date at which a contract will be expired. Not to be confused with Last Day of Trading

Expiry Price

Price at which contracts are settled if they are left to expiry

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F

Fair Value

Price at which theoretical future contracts should be trading above or below the leading future contract. Fair values for stock indices are determined by differentials in interest rates and dividend payments

Fast Market

Excessively rapid trading in a specific security that causes a delay in its electronic updating

FIFO

First In, First Out. This is how multiple positions are arranged meaning that if more than one position is open in the same contract, the trade that was made second cannot be closed until all of the first one is

Fill

Execution of an opening or closing order

Flat

Indicating neither growth nor decline. Term is often used when a particular market in trading in a tight range

FTSE

Financial Times Stock Exchange

Foreign Exchange (FX or Forex)

Currency of another country. Finspreads offers spread betting on foreign exchange

Fundamental Analysis

Examination of a company's financials, assets, management, market niche, and products to determine value

Futures Contract

Trading contract that specifies a future date for delivery of an object

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G

Gamma

The ratio of a change in the option delta to a small change in the price of the asset on which the option is written

Gap

Where the market trades through a level specified by the client in an order. Market gaps are common during times of volatility. Guaranteed orders protect against gapping

Gearing

The use of debt to increase exposure to high risk/reward. Gearing is also known as leverage. Financial spread betting is a leveraged product because you do not have to fund your total exposure when opening a position, only part of it, which is referred to as trading on margin

Grey Market

Term for a group of markets that we offer that are not listed on any exchange, for example IPOs and political bets

Guaranteed order

For a small fee you can protect an order against the risk of any market gaps

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H

Hedge

A transaction that reduces risk

HKFE

Hong Kong Futures Exchange

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I

IMM

International Monetary Market

Index Futures

A futures contract on an index in the futures market

Indicators

Indices, either positive or negative, which indicate the strength and significant trends in our nation's economy. Inflation, interest rates and employment figures are examples

Inflation

The rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising

Initial Margin Requirement

Amount needed on deposit or credit in order to open a position. This can be reduced by placing a stop loss

IPO

Initial Public Offering. Private company's first offer of stock to the public

Inside Information

Material information about a company that has not yet been made public. It is illegal for holders of this information to make trades based on it

Interest Rate

Cost for the use of capital expressed as a percentage of the sum of money borrowed. Finspreads offers spread betting on interest rates

Interim Report

Financial statement that reflects only a limited period of a company's financial statement, not the entire fiscal year

In-the-money Option

A put option that has a strike price higher than the underlying future price, or a call option with a strike price lower than the underlying futures price. Option prices can be traded with Finspreads

IPE

International Petroleum Exchange

Intrinsic Value

The value of an option if it were to expire immediately with the underlying stock at its current price

Issued Share Capital

Total amount of shares that have been issued

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L

Lagging Indicators

Economic indicators that follow rather than precede a country's overall pace of economic activity

Last Day of Trading

The last day on which you can open or close a trade in a particular market. Not to be confused with Expiry Date

Leading Indicators

Economic indicators that change before the economy changes

Level Two

Live pricing system that provides market depth

Leverage

Leverage is the realisation that a large return can be obtained from a relatively small outlay with risks attached. Leverage is also known as gearing

Liability

Debt, financial obligation, or potential loss

LIBOR

London Interbank Offered Rate

LIFFE

London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange

Limit order

Minimum selling or maximum buying price as instructed by the client. A limit order is an order to buy or sell a better price to where the market is currently trading

Limit up, limit down

Price change, up or down, a product is allowed to make during one day of trading

Liquidity

A market characterized by the ability to buy and sell with relative ease

LME

London Mercantile Exchange

Long

Opening a buy position in expectation that the market price it will rise

LSE

London Stock Exchange

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M

Margin

The deposit or available credit needed on your account in order to have your positions open. Learn more about Finspreads margins

Margin Call

A call from the credit department for further funds to be deposited in the account to support additional exposure from running losses

Market Capitalisation

The number of shares of a company in issue, multiplied by its share price

Market Maker

Dealer who maintains firm bid and offer prices in a market

Market Gap

A term used when the price of a stock rockets or dives in a direction away from its last price range

Market On Open Order

A specific order to open or close a position at the price that a market opens, but is not guaranteed

Market On Close Order

A specific order to open or close a position at the price that a market closes, but is not guaranteed

Market Order

An order to have a position opened or closed when the underlying market trades at the specified price. Market orders are then filled at our quote at the time

MATIF

March Terme International de France (Paris futures market)

MSI

Milan Stock Exchange

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N

NASDAQ

National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations

Nikkei

Refers to the price-weighted average of 225 stocks of the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange

Normal Market Size (NMS)

A system that categorizes the size of transactions that are normal for a particular security and forces market makers to deal within these sizes

NYBOT

New York Board of Trade

NYMEX

New York Mercantile Exchange

NYSE

New York Stock Exchange

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O

Offer

The price offered at which someone can buy; also called the ask

One Cancels the Other (OCO)

OCO orders you can leave two separate opening orders in the same market so that if one of them is triggered and filled, the other is cancelled. This leaves you with just the one open position

Open position

A long or short position whose value will change with a change in prices

Option

A financial derivative instrument that gives the right to purchase (call) or sell (put) a fixed amount of stock at a specified price and within a certain time limit. Option prices can be traded with Finspreads

Option writer

Also called the option seller; the party who grants a right to trade a security at a given price in the future

Order

Buy or sell instruction given by a client to a dealer

Order Book

A term used for the SETS system employed in London. Orders to buy and sell are allowed to collect on an order book where they can match and execute against one another

Our Quote

The Finspreads dealing quote. Orders can be left based on our quote, meaning they will not be triggered or filled until the Finspreads buy or sell price hits the specific level. These orders can be filled outside normal market hours. Some orders may be filled outside normal market hours if we offer this facility.  Please refer to the Market Information Sheets for information on our trading hours.

Out-of-the-money Option

A call option is out of the money if the strike price is greater than the market price of the underlying security. That is, you have the right to purchase a security at a price higher than the market price, which is not valuable. A put option is out of the money if the strike price is lower than the market price of the underlying security. Option prices can be traded with Finspreads

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P

Partial Fill

Where the client has specified that they wish only part of their stake filled on a closing order

Par Value

Face value of a security

Portfolio

A collection of investments, real and/or financial

Power of Attorney

Authorising someone to spread bet on your behalf. For this Finspreads would require your written notification and we would perform an identity check. Same as Authority to deal

Pull an Order

Cancel an order

Put Option

A financial derivative instrument used in options trading. A put would give an investor the right, but not the obligation, to sell shares at a fixed price up to a predetermined date. The opposite of a put is a call. Option prices can be traded with Finspreads

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Q

Quote

A Finspreads quote will incorporate our spread which is the difference between the buying and selling price. Also see Our Quote

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R

Real Time

A real-time stock or bond quote is one that states a security's most recent price as opposed to a delayed quote. Finspreads dealing prices update in real-time

Recession

Downturn in a country's economy, as measure by a decline in GDP

Resistance Level

A price level above which it is supposedly difficult for a security or market to rise

Retail Investor

Small individual investors who commit capital for their personal account rather than on behalf of another

Reuters

International news and quotation service based in London

Rights Issue

A privilege allowing existing shareholders to buy shares shortly before they are offered to the public at a specified and usually discounted price and usually in proportion to the number of shares already owned. Such corporate actions mean that Finspreads will adjust any position accordingly

Risk Adverse

Someone who seeks the least risky products

Risk Lover

Someone who seeks the most risky products, in the hope of higher returns

ROCE

Return On Capital Employed

Road Show

Finspreads often do free trading seminars in major cities around the UK and Europe

Rollover

Transferring a trade that is near expiry into the next contract period

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S

S&P 500

The Standard and Poors index of the top 500 US companies

SEAQ

Stock Exchange Automated Quotations

SEC

Securities and Exchange Commission

Sector

Used to characterize a group of securities that are similar with respect to type and industry

Sell

Same as taking a short position

Settlement Price

A figure determined by the closing price

Short

Opening a sell position in expectation that the market price it will fall

Slippage

See Gap or Market Gap

Speculate

A estimation made following research

Spike

Sharp up or down movement in the value of something

Spot market

Market in which commodities are bought and sold for cash and immediate delivery

Spread

The difference between the buy and sell price

Starcall

Unique telephone service offered by Finspreads for you to check your account. Call 08700 11 33 55

Stop Loss Order

An order to close a position at a particular level when the price moves against you

Stop Order

An opening or closing order to buy or sell at a worse price to where the market is currently trading

Straddle

Purchase or sale of an equal number of puts and calls with the same terms at the same time

Strangle

Buying or selling an out-of-the-money put option and call option on the same underlying instrument, with the same expiration. Profits are made only if there is a drastic change in the underlying instrument's price

Strategy

Plan of action for achieving a goal

Strike Price

The stated price per share for which underlying stock may be purchased or sold by the option holder upon exercise of the option contract. Option prices can be traded with Finspreads

Supply and Demand

Economic theory that simply states price is a function of the market, supply and demand

Support Level

A price level below which it is supposedly difficult for a security or market to fall. That is, the price level at which a market tends to stop falling because there is more demand than supply; can be identified on a technical basis by seeing where the stock has bottomed out in the past

Suspended Trading

Temporary halt in trading in a particular security, in advance of a major news announcement or to correct an imbalance of orders to buy and sell

Swing Trading

Refers to a type of short term (one day to a couple of weeks) trading, triggered by technical analysis, for example, momentum

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T

Takeover

Acquiring control of a corporation by stock purchase or exchange

Taking a view

Forming an opinion as to where market prices are headed and acting on it

Target Price

Maximum retail price for a product under development. In the context of takeovers, the price at which an acquirer aims to buy a target firm.  In the context of options, the price of the underlying security at which an option will become in the money. In the context of stocks, the price that someone hopes a stock will reach in a certain time period

Tax

Under current UK legislation, any capital gains made through financial spread betting in tax free

Technical Analysis

Analysis of a financial market by charting its performance, using historical patterns, and focusing on trends

Tick Size

The minimum point movement in each market, for example the FTSE has moved 10 ticks this equates to a 10 index point move in the FTSE

Time to Maturity

The time remaining until a financial contract expires

Time Value

Portion of an option price that is in excess of the intrinsic value, due to the amount of volatility in the stock; sometime referred to as premium.  Time value is positively related to the length of time remaining until expiration

Trade Balance

Overall difference between a countrys imports and exports

Trading Range

Range between the highest and lowest prices at which a stock is traded

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U

Underlying Asset

The security or market that Finspreads prices are based on (derived from)

Unencumbered Funds

Funds that trading margin is not using i.e. available trading resources

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V

Variation Margin

Same as open P + L e.g. any running profit from an open position can be used as additional margin. Conversely, any running loss will need to be funded, especially if there is no stop loss in place

Volatile

Situation that changes rapidly or suffers from extreme fluctuations

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W

Wall Street

Referring to the index of the top 30 US traded stocks

Warrant

A derivative product that is a certificate that authorising the holder to buy securities at a certain price. Warrants are like call options, but with much longer time spans-sometimes years

Watch List

A list of markets selected for surveillance. Watch lists can be created in your account online

Working Order

An order remains working until it is filled or deleted

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Y

Year End

End of accounting period when the books are closed out. Also, refers to Finspreads Year End bets tradable on our major indices

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