What Is the Resource Curse? The term resource curse refers to a paradoxical situation in which a country underperforms economically, despite being home to valuable natural resources. A resource curse is generally caused by too much of the country’s capital and labor force concentrated in just a few resource-dependent industries. By failing to make adequate investments
What Is a Registered Education Savings Plan? A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP), sponsored by the Canadian government, encourages investing in a child’s future post-secondary education. Subscribers to an RESP make contributions that build up tax-free earnings. The government contributes a certain amount to these plans for children under age 18. Contributors do not receive
What Is Response Lag? Response lag, also known as impact lag, is the time it takes for monetary and fiscal policies, designed to smooth out the economic cycle or respond to an adverse economic event, to affect the economy once they have been implemented. Learn more about response lag and the timeframe before policy changes
What Is Restricted Cash? Restricted cash, in contrast to unrestricted cash, is not freely available for a company to spend or invest. Restricted cash refers to money that is held for a specific purpose and thus not available to the company for immediate or general business use. Restricted cash appears as a separate item from
What Is a Restricted Fund? A restricted fund is a reserve account that contains money that can be used only for specific purposes. Restricted funds provide reassurance to donors that their contributions are used in a manner that they have chosen. They most often appear in the context of funds held by certain nonprofits, universities
What Is a Restricted Stock Unit (RSU)? A restricted stock unit (RSU) is an award of stock shares, usually given as a form of employee compensation. The recipient must meet certain conditions before the restricted stock units are transferred to the owner. Restricted stock units are issued to employees through a vesting plan and distribution
What Is a Restrictive Covenant? A restrictive covenant is a condition that restricts, limits, prohibits, or prevents the actions of someone named in an enforceable agreement. In bond obligations, restrictive covenants limit the amount issuers can pay in dividends to investors. Restrictive covenants are common in real estate deeds and leases, where they restrict how
What Is Reproduction Cost? Reproduction cost refers to the expense involved with identically reproducing an asset or property with the same materials and specifications as an insured property based on current prices. Insurers use reproduction cost as a method of claims valuation to calculate the costs involved with the risk of replacing an insured asset
What Is Repudiation? Repudiation involves disputing the validity of a contract and refusing to honor its terms. In investing, repudiation is most relevant in fixed income securities, particularly sovereign debt. Fixed income instruments are fundamentally contracts where the borrower lends a certain amount of principal in return for payments of interest and principal on a
What Is a Repurchase Agreement? A repurchase agreement (repo) is a form of short-term borrowing for dealers in government securities. In the case of a repo, a dealer sells government securities to investors, usually on an overnight basis, and buys them back the following day at a slightly higher price. That small difference in price
