Investment terms
The financial world can be a confusing place.
View our list of investment terms to help you understand the world of investment.
Please use the + to see the definitions of the investment terms listed below.
Absolute return
A return provided by a share or portfolio which is not measured relative to another share or benchmark index.
Accelerated Depreciation Scheme
A method of depreciation used for accounting or income tax purposes which allows greater deductions in the earlier years of the life of an asset.
Active Investors
Investors who purchase shares in companies and continuously monitor the performance of the companies in order to provide returns, as opposed to passive investors who buy shares based on index weighting.
Active share
A measure of the percentage difference between the portfolio holdings and index constituents. A higher percentage reflects a higher divergence from the index.
B-Corps
Companies certified by the non-profit B Lab which meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. B Lab is a non-profit organisation headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, which created, and awards, the B Corporation certification.
Book value
The value of an asset according to its stated value on the balance sheet of a company.
Bond
Debt investment in which an investor loans money to an entity (typically corporate or government) which borrows the funds for a defined period of time at a variable or fixed interest rate. Bonds are used by companies, municipalities, states and sovereign governments to raise money and finance a variety of activities and projects.
Bottom of the pyramid
The poorest group in a society.
Bottom-up
Analysis of a company focused principally on its management, franchise and financials, rather than the broader industry in which it operates, or macroeconomic factors, such as economic growth.
Bubble
Conditions in an asset market where valuations are extended to excessive levels.
Build-own-operate contract
A form of project deliver method. Usually for large-scale infrastructure projects, where a company receives a concession from the public sector to finance, design, construct, own and operate a facility stated in the concession contract.
Capacity management
Controlling the level of flows in terms of assets under management of a fund management company.
Capital expenditure (capex)
Expenditure applied by a company to acquire, upgrade, and maintain physical assets such as property, buildings, industrial plant, technology or equipment.
CFPS CAGR (cash flow per share compound annual growth rate)
A measure of the rate of growth of a company’s cash flow.
Change multiplier effect
Intensive change caused by complex economic and political factors, such as population change, environmental problems etc.
Circular economy
An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.
CleanTech
CleanTech companies seek to increase performance, productivity and efficiency by minimising negative effects on the environment.
Compound annual growth rate (CAGR)
A statistic that measures the compound annual return of metrics over a set period of time, assuming gains are reinvested (i.e. compounding effect).
Concession zone
A territorial area over which a company has been granted regulatory approval to provide a given service, generally for a limited period of time.
Currency peg
Fixed exchange rate mechanism, with the domestic currency usually fixed at a specific rate to the US dollar.
Cyclical
Sensitive to movements of the economy (expansion and contraction).
Dividend
A payment by a company to its shareholders.
Derivative
A tradable security whose value is derived from the actual or expected price of an underlying asset.
Discounted Cash Flow (DCF)
A valuation method used to estimate the attractiveness of an investment opportunity.
EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation)
A measure of a company’s operating performance without having to factor in financing decisions, accounting decisions or tax environments. Amortisation, like depreciation, is the practice of reducing the value of an asset to reflect its falling value over time, but is usually applied to non-tangible assets like brands.
Environmental, social and governance (ESG)
This refers to a set of criteria by which a company is judged by investors. Environmental criteria consider how it performs on environmental issues. Social criteria consider how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and the communities in which it operates. Governance deals with a company’s management, executive pay, audits, internal controls and shareholder rights.
EPS (earnings per share)
The portion of a company’s profit allocated to each outstanding share of common stock.
ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance)
ESG criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations. Environmental criteria consider how a company performs as a steward of nature. Social criteria examine how it manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls and shareholder rights.
ETF (exchange traded fund)
A type of investment fund that is traded on a stock exchange and tracks an index.
‘Externalities are internalised’
Making companies pay for externalities (costs such as pollution which are not a usual cost of business).
Fabless
A tech company which designs microchips but contracts out their production, rather than owning its own factory.
Foreign debt
Debt denominated in a foreign currency, usually US dollars.
Free-float/ownerless company
A company not owned by a family group with a broad range of shareholders.
GDP (gross domestic product)
The monetary value of all the finished goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period.
GDP per capita
The amount of GDP (gross domestic product) relative to a country’s population.
Gearing
Refers to the ratio of a company's debt-to-equity (D/E). Gearing shows the extent to which a firm's operations are funded by lenders versus shareholders.
Global Financial Crisis
The financial crisis of 2007–2008, also known as the GFC, the Great Recession or simply the 2008 financial crisis. It is considered by many economists to have been the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Golden share
A share in a company which can outvote all other shares in certain specified circumstances, and is often held by a government organisation.
Growth stocks
Companies expected to grow earnings strongly in the future.
Hard currency earner
When the income of a company is denominated in a currency which is regarded as lower risk, such as US dollars or euros.
Headwinds
Conditions which slow company growth.
Intellectual property
Creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works and designs, as well as symbols, names and images used in commerce.
Internet of things
The interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.
Initial public offering (IPO)
The process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance.
Leveraging up
An increase in a company’s amount of debt.
Local debt
Debt denominated in a country’s domestic currency.
Market cap
The value of a company traded on the stock market.
Modern Monetary Theory
An economic theory concerned with currency and unemployment.
Moody’s and Fitch
International ratings agencies which measure risks associated with countries and companies.
Net cash
A company’s total cash minus total liabilities when discussing financial statements.
Net debt
A measure of debt held by a company.
NGO
Non-governmental organisation.
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
An international organisation that works to build better policies to improve people’s lives.
Oligopoly
When a market is shared between a few firms which are able to maintain higher prices as a result.
Overweight
A position larger than the benchmark index weighting in a stock.
Paris Agreement
The Paris Agreement sets out a global framework to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C. It also aims to strengthen countries’ ability to deal with the impacts of climate change and support them in their efforts. The Paris Agreement is the first-ever universal, legally-binding global climate change agreement, adopted at the Paris Climate Conference (COP21) in December 2015.
Pluralism
Having different points of view or multiple political parties.
Physical metrics
Measurements based on ‘real’ assets of a company, such as plant and machinery or property, rather than human capital (workforce) or intangible assets, like brands or trademarks.
Price/book ratio (P/B)
The ratio of a company’s market value to its book value where the book value is the company’s assets expressed on the balance sheet. A lower ratio could mean that the company is undervalued.
Price/earnings ratio (P/E)
The ratio of a company’s share price to its earnings per share.
Price/Free Cash flow (Price / FCF)
A valuation metric that indicates a company’s ability to generate cash revenues (which can be used to repay debt, pay dividends or re-invest). Price/FCF is calculated by dividing the share price of the company by its free cash flow per share.
Principles for Responsible Investment
A United Nations-supported international network of investors working together to implement its six aspirational principles. Its goal is to understand the implications of sustainability for investors and support signatories to facilitate incorporating these issues into their investment decision-making and ownership practices.
Proprietary trading
When a trading desk at a large financial institution (brokerage firm or investment bank) uses the organisation's own capital and balance sheet to conduct financial transactions.
Provisions
Amounts put aside by a bank to cover bad debts.
Proxy vote
Refers to a ballot cast by a single person or firm on behalf of a company’s shareholder who may not be able to attend a shareholder meeting.
Quantitative Easing (QE)
An unconventional monetary policy in which a central bank purchases government securities or other securities from the market in order to lower interest rates and increase the money supply.
Quant fund
An investment fund where the managers run computer-based models to determine whether to buy/sell stocks.
Renewables
A natural resource or source of energy that is not depleted by use, such as water, wind or solar power.
Reserve currency
A large quantity of currency maintained by a central bank or major financial institution to prepare for investments, transactions and international debt obligations, or to influence a domestic exchange rate.
Resolutions
Propositions put before the directors or members of a company to vote on.
Return on Equity (ROE)
A measure of the net income of a company as a percentage of shareholders equity. Used to analyse the ability to generate profit and efficiency of company management.
Rights issue
An invitation to existing shareholders of a company to purchase additional new shares in the company at a discounted price.
Secondary issue
A sale of new or closely held shares of a company that has already made an initial public offering (IPO).
Subprime
A credit classification referring to lending of higher risk.
Sustainable development
Economic and social development without using up the world’s natural resources. It aims for high human development with a sustainable environmental footprint.
SWOT analysis
A process which identifies a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
Tangible assets
Assets which have a physical form, like property, computer equipment or factories, as opposed to intangible assets, like brands and trademarks.
Tailwinds
Conditions favourable to a company’s growth.
Top-down
An investment philosophy focused on trends in the economy as a whole rather than a company level (bottom-up).
Tracking error
Amount by which the return of a stock differs from the index.
Trading commission
The fee charged by a brokerage company when buying or selling shares in a company.
Underweight
A position less than the benchmark index weighting in a stock.
Utility-scale solar photovoltaics
Solar power generation at a large scale.
Value stocks
Companies which may not grow earnings, but whose share price does not reflect the value of its assets.
VIE (variable interest entity)
A business structure in which an investor has a controlling interest despite not having a majority of voting rights.
Warrant
A financial derivative which moves in price more than the underlying security.