What Is a Spousal IRA? A spousal IRA is a strategy that allows a working spouse to contribute to an individual retirement account (IRA) in the name of a non-working spouse with no income or very little income. This is an exception to the provision that an individual must have earned income to contribute to
What is the S&P Phenomenon? The S&P phenomenon is the tendency for stock to temporarily rise following the announcement of its addition to the S&P 500 Index. This is attributed to mutual funds and exchange traded funds that mimic the S&P 500 Index buying the stock for their portfolios. Inclusion in the index may also
What Is a Spread? A spread can have several meanings in finance. Generally, the spread refers to the difference or hap that exists between two prices, rates, or yields. In one of the most common definitions, the spread is the gap between the bid and the ask prices of a security or asset, like a
What Is Spread Betting? Spread betting refers to speculating on the direction of a financial market without actually owning the underlying security. It involves placing a bet on the price movement of a security. A spread betting company quotes two prices, the bid and ask price (also called the spread), and investors bet whether the
What Is a Spread Indicator? A spread indicator is a measure that represents the difference between the bid and ask price of a security, currency, or asset. The spread indicator is typically used in a chart to graphically represent the spread at a glance, and is a popular tool among forex traders. The indicator, displayed
What Is a Spread-Load Contractual Plan? A spread-load contractual plan spreads a mutual fund’s sales charge, or load, over a period of time. It is a fee-payment structure applicable to mutual funds in which the sales charge or commission (load) is not entirely paid at the time the investor first contributes funds to the mutual
What Is a Spreadlock? A spreadlock is a credit derivative contract that establishes a predetermined spread for future interest rate swaps. The two main types of spreadlocks that can be used are forward-based spreadlocks and option-based spreadlocks. With a spreadlock, an interest rate swap user may lock in a current spread between a swap and
What is Spread-To-Worst? Spread-to-worst (STW) measures the dispersion of returns between the best and worst performing security in a given market, usually bond markets, or between returns from different markets. Key Takeaways Spread-to-worst (STW) measures the dispersion of returns between the best and worst performing security in a given market, usually bond markets, or between
What Is Spring Loading? Spring loading is an option-granting practice in which options are granted to employees at a time that precedes a positive news event. This is a controversial practice as it allows employees to potentially book instant profits after the news event. It is not illegal but it does bear a resemblance to
What is Sprinkling Provision Sprinkling provision is a provision within a life insurance agreement that allows the policy’s trustee to spread the death benefit around to beneficiaries at his or her discretion. The sprinkling provision gives beneficiaries in greater need of funds, the opportunity to receive a greater portion of the payout than if the
