What Are Oil Sands? Oil sands, or tar sands, are sand and rock material that contain crude bitumen—a dense, viscous form of crude oil. Bitumen is too thick to flow on its own, so extraction methods are necessary. Bitumen is extracted and processed using two methods: mining and in-situ recovery. Oil sands are found primarily in
What Is the Old Lady? The “Old Lady” is an eighteenth-century nickname for the Bank of England. It is a short version of the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, a reference to the bank’s address in the middle of London. Key Takeaways The Old Lady, or the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, is a colloquial
What Is the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund? The Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund (OASI) is a U.S. Treasury account holding the tax receipts that fund Social Security benefits paid to retired workers, their surviving spouses, and eligible children. The fund is managed by the Social Security Administration (SSA), which has the
What Is Old Economy? Old economy is a term used to describe the blue-chip sector that enjoyed substantial growth during the early parts of the last century as industrialization expanded around the world. These sectors do not rely heavily on technology or technological advancement, but use processes that have been around for hundreds of years. Even with
Oligopsony: An Overview An oligopsony is a market for a product or service which is dominated by a few large buyers. The concentration of demand in just a few parties gives each substantial power over the sellers and can effectively keep prices down. The opposite effect can be seen in an oligopoly. It is a
Oliver Williamson (1932 to 2020) was a U.S. economist, Nobel Prize laureate, and academic, best known as one of the leaders of New Institutional Economics (NIE) and the founder of Transaction Cost Economics (TCE), novel economic frameworks that moved traditional theory beyond an exclusive focus on markets and price theory—and permanently changed how economists, governments
What Is an Ombudsman? An ombudsman is an official, usually appointed by the government, who investigates complaints (usually lodged by private citizens) against businesses, financial institutions, universities, government departments, or other public entities, and attempts to resolve the conflicts or concerns raised, either by mediation or by making recommendations. Ombudsmen may be called by different
What Is an Order Management System (OMS)? An order management system (OMS) is an electronic system developed to execute securities orders in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Brokers and dealers use an OMS when filling orders for various types of securities and can track the progress of each order throughout the system. An OMS in
What is On-The-Run Treasury Yield Curve? The on-the-run Treasury yield curve graphically shows the current yields versus maturities of the most recently sold U.S. Treasury securities and is the primary benchmark used in pricing fixed-income securities. Key Takeaways The on-the-run Treasury yield curve graphically shows the current yields versus maturities of the most recently sold
What Is On Account? “On account” is an accounting term that denotes partial payment of an amount owed. On account is also used to denote the purchase/sale of goods or services on credit. On account can also be referred to as “on credit.” Key Takeaways “On account” is used in accounting to note partial payments
