What Is a Private Currency? Private currencies are units of value issued by a private organization (such as a corporation or nonprofit enterprise) to act as an alternative to a national or fiat currency, which would otherwise be the standard unit of value in a country. As a result, these currencies are not legal tender.
What Is Private Equity? Private equity describes investment partnerships that buy and manage companies before selling them. Private equity firms operate these investment funds on behalf of institutional and accredited investors. Private equity funds may acquire private companies or public ones in their entirety, or invest in such buyouts as part of a consortium. They
What Is the Price-to-Rent Ratio? The price-to-rent ratio is the ratio of home prices to annualized rent in a given location. This ratio is used as a benchmark for estimating whether it’s cheaper to rent or own property. The price-to-rent ratio is used as an indicator for whether housing markets are fairly valued, or in
What Is a Price-Weighted Index? A price-weighted index is a stock index in which each company included in the index makes up a fraction of the total index proportional to that company’s share stock price per share. In its simplest form, adding the price of each stock in the index and dividing by the total
What Is Prima Facie? The Latin expression prima facie means “at first sight”, “at first view”, or “based on first impression”. In both civil and criminal law, the term is used to denote that, upon initial examination, a legal claim has sufficient evidence to proceed to trial or judgment. In most legal proceedings, one party
What Is the Primary Mortgage Market? The primary mortgage market is the market where borrowers can obtain a mortgage loan from a primary lender. Banks, mortgage brokers, mortgage bankers, and credit unions are all primary lenders and are part of the primary mortgage market. How the Primary Mortgage Market Works Homeowners can deal directly with
What Is a Primary Account Holder? The term primary account holder refers to the main user of an account such as a credit card, bank account, or even a debt vehicle such as a loan. This is the person who is legally responsible for the debt and balance along with the maintenance of the account.
What Is a Primary Account Number? The term primary account number refers to a 14-, 15-, 16-, or even up to 19-digit number generated as a unique identifier designated for a primary account. Primary account numbers are also called payment card numbers as they are found on payment cards like credit and debit cards. This
What Is a Primary Beneficiary? A primary beneficiary is an individual or organization who is first in line to receive benefits in a will, trust, retirement account, life insurance policy, or annuity upon the account or trust holder’s death. An individual can name multiple primary beneficiaries and stipulate how distributions would be allocated. Key Takeaways A
What Is a Primary Dealer? A primary dealer is a bank or other financial institution that has been approved to trade securities with a national government. In many countries, primary dealers are the only entities who can make a bid for newly-issued government securities. A primary dealer in the U.S. may thus underwrite new government
