FIXED INCOME is any type of investment that yields a regular (fixed) payment. For example, if you borrow money and have to pay interest once a month, you have issued a fixed income security. When a company does this, it is called a bond (although preferred stock is also sometimes considered to be fixed income). The term fixed income is also applied to peoples income which is invariant each period. This could include income derived from fixed income investments such as bonds and preferred stocks or pensions that guarantee a fixed income. See NON-FIXED INCOME.
CAPITAL ADEQUACY is a measure of the financial strength of a bank or securities firm, usually expressed as a ratio of its capital to its assets. For banks, there is now a worldwide capital adequacy standard, drawn up by the Basle Committee of the Bank for International Settlements. This ratio requires banks to have capital equal to 8 per cent of their assets.
ASK PRICE, in the context of the over-the-counter market, the term "ask" refers to the lowest price at which a market maker will sell a specified number of shares of a stock at any given time. The term "bid" refers to the highest price a market maker will pay to purchase the stock. The ask price (also known as the "offer" price) will almost always be higher than the bid price. Market makers make money on the difference between the bid price and the ask price. That difference is called the "spread".
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