What Is a Soft Fork? In blockchain technology, a soft fork is a change to the software protocol where only previously valid transaction blocks are made invalid. Because old nodes will recognize the new blocks as valid, a soft fork is backwards-compatible. This kind of fork requires only a majority of the miners upgrading to enforce
What Is a Soft Credit Check? A soft credit check is an inquiry into your credit report initiated either by you or a company. It can occur even if you didn’t apply for credit and is primarily used to screen for preapproval financing offer or background check. The good news is that a soft inquiry
What Is a Soft Landing? A soft landing, in economics, is a cyclical slowdown in economic growth that avoids recession. A soft landing is the goal of a central bank when it seeks to raise interest rates just enough to stop an economy from overheating and experiencing high inflation, without causing a severe downturn. Soft
What Is a Soft Loan? A soft loan is a loan with no interest or a below-market rate of interest. Also known as “soft financing” or “concessional funding,” soft loans have lenient terms, such as extended grace periods in which only interest or service charges are due, and interest holidays. They typically offer longer amortization
What Are Soft Metrics? In finance, the term “soft metrics” is used to describe indicators related to the value or performance of a company which deviate from traditional “hard” metrics such as net profit margins or earnings per share (EPS). Soft metrics are typically used when hard metrics are difficult to obtain. During periods of
What Is a Soft Paper Report? A soft paper report is a reference to a lack of confidence in a report’s facts or general disrespect for a report’s author. A soft paper report has only one use—as toilet paper—which is how its name was derived. Key Takeaways A soft paper report is a report whose contents
What Are Soft Skills? Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person’s relationships with other people. In the workplace, soft skills are considered to be a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person’s knowledge and occupational skills. Sociologists may use the term “soft skills” to describe a person’s emotional
What Is Software as a Service (SaaS)? SaaS is a licensing model in which access to software is provided on a subscription basis, where the software is located on external servers rather than on servers located in-house. Software as a Service is commonly accessed through a web browser, with users logging into the system using
What Is a Sold-out Market? In finance, the term “sold-out market” refers to a situation in which most investors have already sold or closed out their positions. As a result, the market may lack the liquidity necessary to remain viable. A common example of a sold-out market would be when a commodity futures contract has
What Is a Sole Proprietorship? A sole proprietorship—also referred to as a sole trader or a proprietorship—is an unincorporated business that has just one owner who pays personal income tax on profits earned from the business. Many sole proprietors do business under their own names because creating a separate business or trade name isn’t necessary.
