Skip to ContentGo to accessibility pageKeyboard shortcuts menu
OpenStax Logo

actual rate of return
the total rate of return, including capital gains and interest paid on an investment at the end of a time period
bond
a financial contract through which a borrower like a corporation, a city or state, or the federal government agrees to repay the amount that it borrowed and also a rate of interest over a period of time in the future
bond yield
the rate of return a bond is expected to pay at the time of purchase
bondholder
someone who owns bonds and receives the interest payments
capital gain
a financial gain from buying an asset, like a share of stock or a house, and later selling it at a higher price
certificate of deposit (CD)
a mechanism for a saver to deposit funds at a bank and promise to leave them at the bank for a time, in exchange for a higher interest rate
checking account
a bank account that typically pays little or no interest, but that gives easy access to money, either by writing a check or by using a “debit card”
compound interest
an interest rate calculation on the principal plus the accumulated interest
corporate bond
a bond issued by firms that wish to borrow
corporate governance
the name economists give to the institutions that are supposed to watch over top executives in companies that shareholders own
corporation
a business owned by shareholders who have limited liability for the company’s debt yet a share of the company’s profits; may be private or public and may or may not have publicly-traded stock
coupon rate
the interest rate paid on a bond; can be annual or semi-annual
debit card
a card that lets the person make purchases, and the financial institution immediately deducts cost from that person’s checking account
diversification
investing in a wide range of companies to reduce the level of risk
dividend
a direct payment from a firm to its shareholders
equity
the monetary value a homeowner would have after selling the house and repaying any outstanding bank loans used to buy the house
expected rate of return
how much a project or an investment is expected to return to the investor, either in future interest payments, capital gains, or increased profitability
face value
the amount that the bond issuer or borrower agrees to pay the investor
financial intermediary
an institution, like a bank, that receives money from savers and provides funds to borrowers
high-yield bonds
bonds that offer relatively high interest rates to compensate for their relatively high chance of default
index fund
a mutual fund that seeks only to mimic the market's overall performance
initial public offering (IPO)
the first sale of shares of stock by a firm to outside investors
junk bonds
see high-yield bonds
liquidity
refers to how easily one can exchange money or financial assets for a good or service
maturity date
the date that a borrower must repay a bond
municipal bonds
a bond issued by cities that wish to borrow
mutual funds
funds that buy a range of stocks or bonds from different companies, thus allowing an investor an easy way to diversify
partnership
a company run by a group as opposed to an individual
present value
a bond’s current price at a given time
private company
a firm frequently owned by the people who generally run it on a day-to-day basis
public company
a firm that has sold stock to the public, which in turn investors then can buy and sell
risk
a measure of the uncertainty of that project’s profitability
savings account
a bank account that pays an interest rate, but withdrawing money typically requires a trip to the bank or an automatic teller machine
shareholders
people who own at least some shares of stock in a firm
shares
a firm's stock, divided into individual portions
simple interest
an interest rate calculation only on the principal amount
sole proprietorship
a company run by an individual as opposed to a group
stock
a specific firm's claim on partial ownership
Treasury bond
a bond issued by the federal government through the U.S. Department of the Treasury
venture capital
financial investments in new companies that are still relatively small in size, but that have potential to grow substantially
Order a print copy

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Citation/Attribution

This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's permission.

Want to cite, share, or modify this book? This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution License and you must attribute OpenStax.

Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/principles-microeconomics-3e/pages/1-introduction
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a digital format, then you must include on every digital page view the following attribution:
    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/principles-microeconomics-3e/pages/1-introduction
Citation information

© Jan 23, 2024 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License . The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.