What Is the Social Security Administration (SSA)? The Social Security Administration (SSA) is a U.S. government agency that administers social programs covering disability, retirement, and survivors’ benefits, among other services. It is also responsible for issuing Social Security numbers and managing the program’s finances and trust fund. Key Takeaways The Social Security Administration (SSA) oversees
What Is a Social Security Number (SSN)? The term Social Security number (SSN) refers to a numerical identifier assigned to U.S. citizens and other residents to track income and determine benefits. The SSN was created in 1936 as part of The New Deal to provide for retirement and disability benefits. The original intention of the
What is Speculation? In the world of finance, speculation, or speculative trading, refers to the act of conducting a financial transaction that has substantial risk of losing value but also holds the expectation of a significant gain or other major value. With speculation, the risk of loss is more than offset by the possibility of
What Is the Speculation Index? The Speculation Index is computed as the ratio of the trading volume on the NYSE American (formerly the American Stock Exchange or AMEX) to that of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). A high level in the index may signal increased speculation among traders since the NYSE American tends to
What Is a Speculative Bubble? A speculative bubble is a spike in asset values within a particular industry, commodity, or asset class to unsubstantiated levels, fueled by irrational speculative activity that is not supported by the fundamentals. Key Takeaways A speculative bubble is a sharp, steep rise in prices that is fueled by market sentiment
What is a Speculator A speculator utilizes strategies and typically a shorter time frame in an attempt to outperform traditional longer-term investors. Speculators take on risk, especially with respect to anticipating future price movements, in the hope of making gains that are large enough to offset the risk. Speculators that take on excessive risk typically don’t last
What Does “Spider” Mean? Spider (SPDR) is a short form name for a Standard & Poor’s depository receipt, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) managed by State Street Global Advisors that tracks the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (S&P 500). Each share of an SPDR contains a 10th of the S&P 500 index and trades at roughly
What Is a Spinning Top Candlestick? A spinning top is a candlestick pattern that has a short real body that’s vertically centered between long upper and lower shadows. The candlestick pattern represents indecision about the future direction of the asset. It means that neither buyers nor sellers could gain the upper hand. A candlestick pattern forms when the buyers
What Is a Split Limit? A split limit is an insurance policy provision that states different maximum dollar amounts the insurer will pay for different components of a claim. These policies, also referred to as split liability policies, are commonly part of the automobile insurance industry and generally come with three types of claims: bodily
What Is a Split Payment? A split payment involves using multiple payment sources to settle the whole cost of a single transaction. A person using two different credit cards to pay for an item or a table of restaurant guests splitting the bill three ways are both common examples of split payments. Key Takeaways A
