Exotic Currency

What Does it Mean?
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A foreign exchange term for a thinly traded currency. Exotic currencies are illiquid, lack market depth and trade at low volumes. Trading an exotic currency can be expensive, as the bid-ask spread is usually large.

Investopedia Says:
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Exotics are not considered major currencies because they are not easily traded in a standard brokerage account. Major currencies include the U.S. dollar, Euro, Canadian dollar and Swiss franc. Examples of exotic currencies include the Thai baht, Uruguay peso or Iraqi dinari.

Catch-Up Contribution

What Does it Mean?
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A type of retirement savings contribution that allows people over 50 to make additional contributions to their 401(k) and/or individual retirement accounts. The catch-up contribution provision was created by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA), so that older individuals would be able to set aside enough savings for retirement.

Investopedia Says:
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Originally, the ability to make catch-up contributions under EGTRRA was set to end at around 2011. However, the Pension Protection Act of 2006 made catch-up contributions and other pension-related provisions permanent. 

Although using catch-up contributions is a great way for many people to expand their retirement savings, a report from the Vanguard Center for Retirement Research entitled "Catch-Up Contributions in 2004: Plan Sponsor and Participant Adoption" (2004) found that only 13% of eligible candidates use catch-up contributions to expand their savings.

Risk Of Ruin

What Does it Mean?
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The probability of an individual losing sufficient trading or gambling money (known as capital base) to the point at which continuing on is no longer considered an option to recover losses.  

Risk of ruin is calculated by taking into account the probability of winning (or making money on a trade), the probability of incurring losses, and the portion of an individual's capital base that is in play or at risk. Also known as the "probability of ruin".

Investopedia Says:
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Risk of ruin need not result in bankruptcy (although it often does), but rather the point at which continuing on would be unwise. It signifies a risk more relevant in trading and gambling, where there is a high probability of losing an entire bet or trade. 

The risk becomes even greater for individuals who trade large percentages of their accounts. For example, say an investor has $3,000 and purchases $3,000 worth of call options. If there is a 40% chance that the options will not be exercised, then the risk of ruin is 40%. 

Graveyard Market

What Does it Mean?
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The period near the end of a prolonged bear market. In a graveyard market, long-time investors have taken large losses, while new investors prefer to stay liquid by sitting on the sidelines and keeping their money in cash or cash-equivalent securities until market conditions improve.

Investopedia Says:
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The term graveyard market is an apt description of this market phenomenon: the investors in a graveyard market can't get out of it, and the investors who aren't in it don't want to be. Therefore, until a positive outlook becomes more conclusive, the overall market conditions will be slow to improve.

Soft Patch

What Does it Mean?
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A period of economic slowdown amid a larger trend of economic growth. This buzzword is most often used in the financial media and by the U.S. Federal Reserve to describe a period of economic weakness.

Investopedia Says:
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This term gained popularity when former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan used it in his review of the overall U.S. economy. Central banks often cut interest rates in an attempt to spur the economy through the soft patch. An example of a soft patch would be an economic slowdown due to rising commodity prices, which is believed to be short term, with the economy growing at a faster rate after the slow patch. 

Shareholder Value

What Does it Mean?
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The value delivered to shareholders because of management's ability to grow earnings, dividends and share price. In other words, shareholder value is the sum of all strategic decisions that affect the firm's ability to efficiently increase the amount of free cash flow over time.

Investopedia Says:
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Making wise investments and generating a healthy return on invested capital are two main drivers of shareholder value. It is no wonder why there is a fine line between responsibly growing shareholder value and doing whatever is needed to generate a profit. Reckless decisions and aggressively chasing profit at the expense of the environment or others can easily cause shareholder value to decline.

Downswing

What Does it Mean?
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A reduction in the overall level of economic or business activity. Downswings may be caused by fluctuations in the business cycle or a variety of macroeconomic events. Downswing may also refer to the downward movement in the value of a security following a period of stable or rising prices.

Investopedia Says:
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A downswing is one of many buzzwords related to poor performance in the market. When interest rates rise, the economy will typically experience a downswing. The new rates make it more difficult for businesses to acquire financing, which results in a lower number of new firms and less expansion.

A downswing in the stock market or a single security will usually occur after the market has peaked. At this point, a bear market starts to occur as prices swing lower.