Call Risk
A bondholder’s risk that a bond issuer may redeem or “call” a bond prior to its maturity date, often due to falling interest rates.
Candlestick Chart
Displays the stock open, close, high, and low prices for a given time period ie: 5 min chart, daily chart.
Capital Appreciation
Difference between what you paid for shares, stocks, and certain other investments and what you realize when you sell them. (Buy low, Sell high).
Capital Gain
Profit derived from the selling price exceeding its initial purchase price. A realized capital gain is an investment that has been sold at a profit. An unrealized capital gain is an investment that hasn't been sold yet but would result in a profit if sold. Capital gain is often used to mean realized capital gain.
Capital Gains Distribution
Profits distributed to shareholders resulting from the sale of securities held in a mutual fund's portfolio.
Capital Loss
The loss incurred when a capital asset, such as real estate or stock, decreases in value from its purchase price. A capital loss is not "realized" until the asset is sold.
Chaikin Money Flow
Oscillator that signals whether a stock is undergoing accumulation or distribution. CMF is different than a momentum oscillator in that it is not influenced by the daily price change. CMF focuses on the location of the close relative to the range for the time period.
Channel
Price trending between parallel trendlines.
Charitable Remainder Trust
A trust that allows you to leave assets to a charity and receive income and tax benefits at the same time. You can receive income from the trust for a specified period of time, after which all remaining assets are transferred to the charity.
Commercial Paper
The term used for the short-term IOUs (generally three to nine months in duration) of large, creditworthy corporations.
Compounding
Earnings on an investment's earnings. Over time, compounding can produce significant growth in the value of an investment.
Consumer Price Index
The most commonly used measure of inflation, the CPI tracks the average change in the prices of a fixed "market basket" of goods and services, including energy, food, health care, clothing, and entertainment.
Contingent Beneficiary
The named individual or entity who will receive a benefit from an insurance policy, pension plan, trust, or will if he, she, or it is predeceased by the named primary beneficiary. Also referred to as the secondary beneficiary.
Contrarian
Investment style based on sentiment. Contrarians are typically bullish when sentiment is bearish and bearish when sentiment is bullish.
Correction
After an advance, a decline of 10% or less and/or that does not penetrate the low from which the advance began is known as a correction.
Correlation
The degree to which the movements of two or more variables (such as investment returns) are related.
Credit Quality
The measure of a bond issuer's ability to make regular interest payments and pay the face value of the bond at maturity.
Credit Risk
A measure of a bond issuer's ability to repay its principal and interest as promised; An individual consumer's creditworthiness, as reported on a credit rating.
Crossover
Point on a graph where two lines intersect. Crossovers may indicate a buy or sell signal.
Cycles
Price (high or low) that repeats itself at the same interval over time.
Cyclical Stocks
Companies that are sensitive to economic performance. Cyclical stocks tend to perform well when the economy is growing and not so well when the economy contracts.