What Are Brady Bonds? Brady bonds are sovereign debt securities, denominated in U.S. dollars (USD), issued by developing countries and backed by U.S. Treasury bonds. Throughout most of the 20th century, governments of emerging markets countries issued bonds only sporadically and on a limited basis, often due to currency and economic instability. In the late
What Is Brain Drain? Brain drain is a slang term that indicates a substantial emigration or migration of individuals. A brain drain can result from turmoil within a nation, the existence of favorable professional opportunities in other countries, or a desire to seek a higher standard of living. In addition to occurring geographically, brain drain may also occur at the
What Is Branch Accounting? Branch accounting is a bookkeeping system in which separate accounts are maintained for each branch or operating location of an organization. Typically found in geographically dispersed corporations, multinationals, and chain operators, it allows for greater transparency in the transactions, cash flows, and overall financial position and performance of each branch. Branch
What Is Branch Automation? Branch automation is a form of banking automation that connects the customer service desk in a bank office with the bank’s customer records in the back office. Banking automation refers to the system of operating the banking process by highly automatic means so that human intervention is reduced to a minimum.
What Is Branch Banking? Branch banking is the operation of storefront locations away from the institution’s home office for the convenience of customers. Since the 1980s, branch banking in the U.S. has gone through significant changes in response to a more competitive and consolidated financial services market. One of the most significant changes is that
What Is a Brand? The term brand refers to a business and marketing concept that helps people identify a particular company, product, or individual. Brands are intangible, which means you can’t actually touch or see them. As such, they help shape people’s perceptions of companies, their products, or individuals. Brands commonly use identifying markers to
What Is Booking the Basis? Booking the basis is an arrangement made between a buyer and a seller using a forward sales agreement. Booking the basis effectively locks in the current basis, or the discrepancy between the futures contract price and the spot price of the underlying asset. It does not lock in the full
What Is a Book Runner? The term book runner or a bookrunner refers to the primary underwriter or lead coordinator in the issuance of new equity, debt, or securities instruments. The book runner is the lead underwriting firm that runs or is in charge of the books in investment banking. Book runners may also coordinate with
What Is the Book-to-Bill Ratio? A book-to-bill ratio is the ratio of orders received to units shipped and billed for a specified period, generally a month or quarter. It is a widely used metric in the technology industry, specifically in the semiconductor equipment sector. Investors and analysts closely watch this ratio for an indication of
What Is the Book-to-Market Ratio? The book-to-market ratio is one indicator of a company’s value. The ratio compares a firm’s book value to its market value. A company’s book value is calculated by looking at the company’s historical cost, or accounting value. A firm’s market value is determined by its share price in the stock
