What Is a Stable Value Fund? A stable value fund is a portfolio of bonds that are insured to protect the investor against a decline in yield or a loss of capital. The owner of a stable value fund will continue to receive the agreed-upon interest payments regardless of the state of the economy. Stable
What Is a Stafford Loan? Stafford loans are a type of federal, fixed-rate student loan available to college and university undergraduate, graduate, and professional students attending college at least half-time. These loans are also called direct loans and are given out under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. They are intended to supplement
What Is a Stag? Stag is a slang term for a short-term speculator—a day trader, for example— who attempts to profit from short-term market movements by quickly moving in and out of positions. Day traders, or stags, typically require access to a lot of liquid capital to fund their positions and make a living. This
What Is Stagflation? Stagflation is an economic cycle characterized by slow growth and a high unemployment rate accompanied by inflation. Economic policymakers find this combination particularly difficult to handle, as attempting to correct one of the factors can exacerbate another. Once thought by economists to be impossible, stagflation has occurred repeatedly in the developed world
What Is the Staggers Act? The Staggers Rail Act of 1980 is a federal law that significantly deregulated the railroad industry in the United States. The act encouraged greater reliance on competition to set rates and allowed railroads to set their own rates based on market forces. The Act was passed to replace the highly-regulated
What Is a Stagger System? A stagger system is a method of electing a company’s board of directors that puts up only part of the board for re-election in any one year, in contrast to the system in which all board members go up for re-election annually. Key Takeaways A stagger system involves dividing a
What Is Stagnation? Stagnation is a prolonged period of little or no growth in an economy often highlighted by periods of high unemployment. A rate of growth of less than 2-3% annually as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) is considered stagnation. Stagnation can occur on a macroeconomic scale or in specific industries or companies.
What Is a Stakeholder? A stakeholder is a party that has an interest in a company and can either affect or be affected by the business. The primary stakeholders in a typical corporation are its investors, employees, customers, and suppliers. However, with the increasing attention on corporate social responsibility, the concept has been extended to include
What Is a Stalking Horse Bid? A stalking horse bid is an initial bid on the assets of a bankrupt company. The bankrupt company will choose an entity from a pool of bidders who will make the first bid on the firm’s remaining assets. The stalking horse sets the low-end bidding bar so that other
What Is a Stalled Pattern? A stalled pattern is a candlestick chart pattern that occurs during an uptrend, but indicates a likely bearish reversal. It is also known as a deliberation pattern. Candlestick charts are price charts that show the open and closing prices of a security, as well as their highs and lows for
