Money and Finance: English Vocabulary List

an economic system that is not operated by the government rather by free competition and supply and demand

"Competition drives innovation in a free market"

"The free market allows prices to be determined by supply and demand without government interference."

a place in which shares and stocks are traded

"Investors monitored the stock exchange closely"

"The stock exchange closed sharply lower after investors panicked about the rising inflation rates."

(of organizations or people) legally declared as unable to pay their debts to creditors

"The company is bankrupt."

"The bankrupt company had to sell all of its assets and the owners lost everything they had invested in the business."

having little or no financial resources

"I am broke."

"After paying his rent and bills he was completely broke and he had to borrow money from his parents to buy groceries."

an economic system in which private businesses determine production, prices, and salaries not the government

"Most countries operate under a market economy"

"In a market economy businesses compete for customers which generally leads to lower prices and innovation."

(always plural) money received for work done or services provided

"The company's earnings increased by twenty percent."

"The company's quarterly earnings exceeded analyst expectations causing the stock price to jump significantly."

to gather and store a large supply of food, money, etc., usually somewhere secret

"Squirrels hoard nuts."

"During times of uncertainty, some people tend to hoard essential supplies like canned goods and bottled water."

costing a lot of money, more than the necessary or affordable amount

"She has extravagant tastes."

"Her extravagant spending habits left her with almost no savings even though she earned a very good salary."

to reach a stable or steady state after a period of fluctuation or change

"Prices level off now."

"The airplane climbed rapidly to ten thousand feet and then leveled off for the remainder of the flight."

the process or provision of financial aid for something such as a charity or cause, usually through holding special events

"Students organized fundraising for the local shelter"

"The charity organized a fundraising gala that raised over one million dollars for cancer research."

the joining of two companies or organizations together to form a larger one

"The merger created a larger corporation"

"The merger between the two airlines created the largest carrier in the country by passengers carried."

a technology that allows short-range data transfer between cell phones and other electronic devices to do things such as paying for a purchase, etc.

"Near-field communication enables wireless mobile payments"

"Near field communication allows smartphones to make payments by simply tapping a terminal."

a ten-cent coin of Canada and the US

"She saved every dime for college"

"She found a dime on the sidewalk and considered it a lucky sign for the day."

having no meaningful value, impact, or utility

"This is worthless junk."

"After the market crashed, many of the speculative investments became completely worthless overnight."

costing much money, often more than one is willing to pay

"The mistake was costly."

"Making a mistake at this stage of the project could be very costly and might delay our launch date."

already paid for

"This is a prepaid card."

"The prepaid phone card had twenty dollars of credit and she used it to call her family in another country."

having great value or importance

"The artifact is priceless."

"The memories we made during our vacation are priceless and no amount of money could ever replace them for us."

to change the ownership of an industry, service, or business from public to private

"The government plans to privatize the railway system."

"The government decided to privatize the national railway company to make it more efficient and profitable."

an amount of money that a government or organization pays to lower the costs of producing goods or providing services so that prices do not increase

"The government increased the farming subsidy recently"

"The government removed the fuel subsidy causing gasoline prices to rise dramatically overnight."

a tax paid on goods imported or exported

"The tariff raised prices on imported goods"

"The new tariff on imported steel raised prices for domestic car manufacturers significantly."

an accountant's profession or tasks

"She works in accountancy"

"After studying accountancy for five years, she finally became a certified public accountant."

an amount of money invested in a business

"She owns a large stake in the company"

"He had a personal stake in the company's success because he invested his life savings."

a payment or concession to encourage someone to do something specific

"The bonus served as a strong incentive"

"Tax incentives encouraged businesses to invest in renewable energy and reduce their carbon emissions."

to vary or waver between two or more states or amounts

"Stock prices fluctuate throughout the trading day."

"The price of gasoline tends to fluctuate depending on global oil supply and demand throughout the year."

to legally prevent money, property, or a bank account from being used or sold

"They will freeze your bank account."

"The government decided to freeze all assets belonging to the corrupt officials."

a time of little economic activity and high unemployment, which lasts for a long time

"The Great Depression was bad."

"The prolonged economic depression caused widespread hardship and social unrest."

a balanced state between opposing influences or powers

"The chemical reaction reached equilibrium eventually"

"The ecosystem reached equilibrium after the wolves were reintroduced to control the deer population."

a situation in which one organization or entity exclusively controls the production, distribution, or trade of a product or service, making other rivals unable to compete

"The company has a monopoly."

"The tech giant's market monopoly allowed them to dictate prices without fear of competition."

someone or something that gives money, clothes, etc. to a charity for free

"An anonymous donor funded the new library"

"The anonymous donor gave five million dollars to build a new children's hospital wing."

a system that provides the amount of prices, costs, etc. so that one can compare them with their previous value

"The price index went up."

"This consumer price index measures the average change over time in prices paid by urban consumers."

a group of shares that a person or organization owns

"He has a large portfolio."

"The investor carefully managed their diverse portfolio of stocks and bonds to maximize returns."

one dollar

"I have one buck."

"He spent his last buck on a lottery ticket and surprisingly won fifty dollars."

a five-cent coin of Canada and the US

"A nickel is worth five cents."

"A nickel is worth five cents and features Thomas Jefferson's portrait on the front."

the topmost point on a graph that indicates the highest level reached during a progression or development

"The graph reached its peak."

"The stock market graph showed a significant peak before experiencing a sharp decline in value."

a share in something monetary

"I want my cut."

"He demanded a significant cut of the profits from the successful venture."

a statement indicating the cost of a specific service or piece of work

"Get a price quotation."

"The contractor provided a detailed quotation for the renovation work required."

to provide money or resources to support a business, project, or person

"We need to back this project."

"The venture capitalists agreed to back the startup with substantial seed funding."

to merge several financial accounts, debts, funds, into one

"Consolidate your debts."

"Many people choose to consolidate their numerous credit card debts into a single loan."

to put an amount of money or other item of value into a bank account

"Deposit your money into a savings account."

"You need to deposit the check into your bank account before you can use the money for any purchases."