back up the truck v. phr.— «The safety of these securities caused financial firms to load upon on them (“back up the truck,” in Wall Street parlance). They were considered so safe that financial firms used borrowed funds to buy more, and...
window-dress v.— «Tuesday’s markets should also be influenced by the end of the third quarter. Fund managers usually try to “window dress”—Wall Street lingo for closing out positions—before they have to report their quarterly...
good bank/bad bank n.— «American International Group (AIG): NY Posts reports that AIG is considering forming a separate company to hold billions in securities that have dogged its balance sheet for the past several quarters. According to...
suckers’ rally n.— «They raise the hopes of investors. They occur out of nowhere. They can be money-making opportunities. But they tend to be fleeting. These are the stock rallies that occur when the economic outlook is bleak, news...
doughnut n.— «The “doughnut” watch: The most remarkable thing about the analyst meeting is always the way Wall Street types cluster around top executives in the hallways and at meals, straining to hear some valuable piece of...
take under n.— «The rumor turned out to be wrong, as rumors often do. But this one even had an exact price: Lehman would be sold for $15 a share, traders buzzed all afternoon, in what would amount to a “take under”—Wall Street parlance...