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What Is a Retail Lender? A retail lender is a lender who lends money to individuals or retail customers. Banks, credit unions, savings and loan institutions, and mortgage bankers are popular examples of retail lenders. Other retail lenders may include third-party lenders partnering with retail businesses to offer credit to customers. Key Takeaways Retail lenders

What Is a Retail Industry ETF? A retail industry ETF is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that invests its capital solely in the stocks of companies that sell retail merchandise to consumers. Investors that are seeking exposure to the retail sector would purchase shares of a retail industry ETF hoping for appreciation in their investment. Key

What Is the Retail Inventory Method? The retail inventory method is an accounting method used to estimate the value of a store’s merchandise. The retail method provides the ending inventory balance for a store by measuring the cost of inventory relative to the price of the merchandise. Along with sales and inventory for a period

What Is a Retail Investor? A retail investor, also known as an individual investor, is a non-professional investor who buys and sells securities or funds that contain a basket of securities such as mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs). Retail investors execute their trades through traditional or online brokerage firms or other types of

What Is a Retail Note? A retail note is a debt obligation issued by a corporation. They can be purchased directly from the issuer at par in $1,000 increments, like bonds, but with no accrued interest or added markups. They are subordinated and unsecured debt and are often an attractive option compared with bonds. Key

What Is a Retail Repurchase Agreement? A retail repurchase agreement, also known as a “retail repo agreement,” is a financial product that serves as an alternative to traditional savings accounts. When an investor enters into a retail repurchase agreement with a bank, that investor purchases a share of a pool of securities, usually consisting of

What Are Retail Sales? The term “retail sales” refers to an economic metric that tracks consumer demand for finished goods. This figure is a very important data set as it is a key monthly market-moving event. Retail sales are reported each month by the U.S. Census Bureau and indicate the direction of the economy. It

What Are Retained Earnings? Retained earnings are the cumulative net earnings or profits of a company after accounting for dividend payments. As an important concept in accounting, the word “retained” captures the fact that because those earnings were not paid out to shareholders as dividends, they were instead retained by the company. For this reason

What Is a Retainer Fee? A retainer fee is an amount of money paid upfront to secure the services of a consultant, freelancer, lawyer, or other professional. A retainer fee is most commonly paid to individual third parties that have been engaged by the payer to perform a specific action on their behalf. These fees

What Is a Retaliatory Eviction? A retaliatory eviction occurs when a landlord attempts or succeeds at removing a renter, or refuses to renew a lease in response to a complaint or action that is within a tenant’s legal rights. Retaliatory evictions are generally illegal, as they take place following a tenant’s exercise of one or