Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

C

Capital
Resources and goods made and used to produce other goods and services. Examples include buildings, machinery, tools and equipment. In the context of credit transactions, capital is one of the Three Cs of Credit. It is an indicator of how creditworthy a prospective borrower is likely to be as determined by the borrower's current financial assets and net worth.
Capital Gain
A profit realized from the sale of property, stocks or other investments.
Capital Loss
A loss suffered upon the sale of property, stocks or other investments for less money than the purchase price of the asset in question.
Capital Resources
Resources made and used to produce and distribute goods and services; examples include tools, machinery and buildings.
Cash
Money in the form of paper currency or coins (as distinct from checks, money orders or credit).
Cash Available
In a credit arrangement, the difference between the cash-advance limit and withdrawals made (advances issued); the remaining balance.
Causes of Inflation
Too much money chasing too few goods is common cause for inflation. Additionally, a rise in production costs can also lead to a rise in inflation. International lending and federal taxes can also be causes of inflation, while war is also a leading cause of inflation as well.
Central Banking System
A nation's central bank that is established to regulate the money supply and oversee the nation's banks. In the United States the Federal Reserve is the central bank.
Character
In the context of credit transactions, character is one of the Three Cs of Credit. It is an indicator of how creditworthy a prospective borrower is likely to be, as determined by the borrower's handling of past debts and his or her stability in jobs and residences.
Characteristics of Money
Characteristics of money include it being durable (both physically and socially), divisible (money can be divided into increments appropriate for the cost of an item), transportable (literally meaning that money must be easy to move), and the ability to regulate the amount of money in a market by making it uncounterfeitable.
Check
A written order to a financial institution directing the financial institution to pay as stated amount of money, as instructed, from the customer's account.
Checking Account
A financial account into which people deposit money and from which they withdraw money by writing checks.
Choice
An act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more alternatives.
Circular Flow
The movement of output and income from one sector of the economy to another; often illustrated as a circular flow diagram.
Coincident Indicators
Economic variables, such as payroll employment, industrial production, personal income, and manufacturing and trade sales, that tend to change at the same time that real output changes.
Command Economy
An economy in which government makes most of the decisions about what goods and services will be produced, how they will be produced and how they will be distributed. (Compare Market economy.)
Commodities Market
The market for the purchase and sale of commodity (a basic product, usually, but not always, agricultural or mineral) futures, contracts for the sale and delivery of commodities at some future time.
Communism
In theory, an economic system based on a classless society, common ownership of all resources, the complete disappearance of government and income allocated according to need. In practice, communism usually refers to the command economic system in existence in the former Soviet Union before its downfall in 1990-1991, and in other countries such as China and Cuba.
Communities and Cities
A community can be considered a social group which retains an environment, while sharing interest in economic progress. A city can be considered a financial and commercial center.
Comparative Advantage
The ability to produce a good or service at a lower opportunity cost than some other producer. This is the economic basis for specialization and trade.
Comparison Shopping
Examining different brands or models of a product (to learn about variations in quality, size, etc.), or the prices charged by different sellers (to learn about possible cost-savings), before deciding what to buy.
Competition
The effort of two or more individuals or organizations to get the business of others by offering the best deal. Consumers compete with other consumers for goods and services. Producers compete with other producers for sales to consumers.
Competition and Market Structures
The ability of a customer to obtain goods or services before payment, based on an agreement to pay later.
Complementary Goods and Services
Goods and/or services that are typically used together, such as hamburger and hamburger buns, or tennis rackets and tennis lessons.
Complements
Goods and/or services that are typically used together, such as hamburger and hamburger buns.
Compound Interest
Interest paid on the principal and on interest earned previously.
Compounding
Paying interest on the principal and on interest already earned. For example, if someone deposits $2,000 in an account that pays interest at 8 percent, he or she will earn $160 in interest after one year, for a balance of $2,160. If the depositor leaves this sum in the account for another year, however, he or she will earn $172.80 in interest because the 8 percent rate will apply to the new balance of $2,160, not the original $2,000 deposit. The longer the money is left in the account, the more dramatic the compounding effect.
Consequence
A result or effect of an action or decision; may be positive or negative.
Consume
To buy and use a good or service.
Consumer Economics
The study of economics that addresses decisions of consumers in the marketplace and personal money management.
Consumer Price Index (CPI)
A price index that measures the cost of a fixed basket of consumer goods and services and compares the cost of this basket in one time period with its cost in some base period. Changes in the CPI are used to measure inflation.
Consumer Surplus
The difference between the price a consumer would be willing to pay for a good or service and the price that consumer actually has to pay.
Consumers
People who use goods and services to satisfy their personal needs and not for resale or in the production of other goods and services.
Consumption
The process of buying and using goods and services.
Contractionary Fiscal Policy
A decrease in government spending and/or an increase in taxes designed to decrease aggregate demand in the economy and control inflation.
Corporation
A company authorized to act as a single entity (legally, as a person), having rights, privileges and responsibilities distinct from those of the individuals within the entity. A corporation has four major characteristics: limited liability, easy transfer of ownership through the sale of stock, continuity of existence and centralized management. Most large firms today are organized as corporations. (Compare Partnership, Sole proprietorship.)
Cost-Push Inflation
Inflation caused by rising costs of production.
Cost/Benefit Analysis
A process of examining the advantages (benefits) and disadvantages (costs) of each available alternative in arriving at a decision.
Costs
An amount that must be paid or spent to buy or obtain something--as in How much do those shoes cost? Also the effort, loss, or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something--as in Learning to play that violin will cost you long hours of effort.
Costs of Production
Amounts paid for resources (land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship) used to produce goods and services.
Credit
The ability of a customer to obtain goods or services before payment, based on an agreement to pay later.
Credit Application
A request for a loan, submitted to a lender (for example, a bank or a credit union) by a prospective borrower. The credit application provides background information which the lender uses to assess the prospective borrower’s creditworthiness — his or her ability to repay the loan.
Credit Card
A small, specially coded plastic card issued by a bank, business, etc., authorizing the cardholder to purchase goods or services on credit.
Credit History
A record of past borrowing and repayments.
Credit Limit
The maximum amount of money that will be extended to a person by a financial institution or credit-card issuer.
Credit Rating
An evaluation of a borrower’s ability to repay a loan based on his or her character, capacity, and capital.
Credit Report
A report about a person's credit history, including his or her ability and willingness to repay debts, based on how reliably he or she has repaid debts in the past. Also known as a credit record.
Credit Union
A nonprofit financial institution owned by its members; offers various financial services including accounts and loans; regulated by the National Credit Union Association (NCUA).
Creditor
A person or company to whom money is owed.
Creditworthiness
The extent to which a person is deemed suitable to receive credit, especially as shown by reliability in repaying loans in the past.
Crowding-Out
Increased interest rates and decreased private investment caused by government borrowing.
Currency
The money in circulation in any country.
Currency Devaluation
When a government adjusts the value of the nation's currency so that it buys less of foreign currencies than before.
Current Account
Part of a nation's balance of payments accounts; records exports and imports of goods and services, net investment income and transfer payments with other countries.
Current Account Balance
The inflow of the goods, services, investment income and transfer accounts into the United States from foreign countries netted against the outflow of goods, services, investment income and transfer accounts from the United States to foreign countries.
Cyclical Unemployment
Unemployment caused by fluctuations in the overall rate of economic activity or phase of the business cycle.