Economics

Economics

basics of economics

Industry: Economy

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Economics

scenario analysis

Economy; Economics

Testing your plans against various possible scenarios to see what might happen should things not go as you hope. Scenario analysis is an important technique in risk management, helping firms and ...

The cost of finding what you want. The economic cost of buying something is not simply the price you pay. Finding what you want and ensuring that it is competitively priced can be expensive, be it ...

seasonally adjusted

Economy; Economics

There are seasonal patterns in many economic activities; for instance, there is less construction in winter than in summer, and spending in shops soars as Christmas approaches. To reveal underlying ...

secondary market

Economy; Economics

A market in second-hand financial instruments. Bonds and shares are first sold in the primary market, for instance, through an initial public offering. After that, their new owners often sell them in ...

second-best theory

Economy; Economics

As we do not live in a perfect world, how useful are economic theories based on the assumption that we do? Second-best theory, set out in 1956 by Richard Lipsey and Kelvin Lancaster (1924–99), looks ...

securities

Economy; Economics

Financial contracts, such as bonds, shares or derivatives, that grant the owner a stake in an asset. Such securities account for most of what is traded in the financial markets.

securitization

Economy; Economics

Turning a future cashflow into tradable, bond-like securities. Creating such asset-backed securities became a lucrative business for financial firms during the 1990s, as they invented new securities ...