List of Glossary Terms
The PDSnet Glossary of Terms contains definitions and explanations for over 2600 financial market terms. These definitions are constantly kept up-to-date with current topical examples from the markets. They are also updated for changes in legislation and current events like COVID19 and the July 2021 civil unrest.
The terms in the Glossary are directly linked to all PDSnet articles, confidential reports, lecture modules and other material. This means that a client reading one of our publications can immediately see which terms are defined in the Glossary and click through to read the definition. Terms within the definitions in the glossary are similarly linked, which gives the Glossary an enormous educational depth share market investors.
| IASB |
In March 2001, the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) Foundation was formed as a not-for-profit corporation incorporated in the State of Delaware, US. The IASC Foundation is... read more |
| ICB |
A classification system for industries launched by Dow Jones in 2005 and which has gained inetrnational acceptance. The system has 11 industries broken down into 20 super-sectors, 45 sectors... read more |
| IDC |
A development bank established by the Industrial Development Corporation Act (22 of 1940) and owned by the government. The IDC implements government's industrial policies as laid out in the various... read more |
| IDT |
This is a state owned entity which implements and manages social infrastructure programs for the government. The organisation commenced in 1990 with a R2bn grant to invest in health, education... read more |
| IDX |
International derivatives exchange allows investors to invest in single stock futures in internationally listed blue chip companies. Contracts are settled in rands and traders do not require... read more |
| IDZ |
These are special business zones which enjoy tax and other benefits to encourage rapid industrialisation. They are often located in areas where business is depressed in order to encourage growth... read more |
| IFRS |
These are a set of standards established by the International Accounting Standards Board which is the standard-setting body formed by a non-profit organisation... read more |
| IFRS9 |
A standard adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board with effect from 1st January 2020 in reaction to the 2008 sub-prime crisis to ensure that banks and other financial institutions... read more |
| ILLEGAL MINERS |
The term for an illegal miner in South Africa is Zama Zama, which means "people who try" in Zulu. Illegal miners are also known as "Galamsey". South Africa has many disused mines where the shafts... read more |
| ILLEGAL STRIKE |
A labour strike which takes place outside the ambit of the Labour Relations Act. Such wildcat strikes entitle the employer to fire those who are involved. In South Africa, however, such strikes... read more |
| ILLIQUID |
Illiquid shares are those which trade less than R200 000 worth of shares every day on average. Such shares can be traded by private investors, but the big institutions (like pension funds, unit... read more |
| IMAGE |
The way in which the public perceives a company. This can be very important to the company's marketing and to its share price. Companies with... read more |
| IMF |
An organisation with over 185 member countries that aims to maintain international currency stability and maximise economic growth. The IMF regularly... read more |
| IMMUNISATION |
Action taken by an investor or speculator to protect his business or assets against a change in prices. For example, if an investor... read more |
| IMPAIRED ASSETS |
Assets whose book value has been reduced by the board in order to reflect their true market value more accurately. Impairments result... read more |
| IMPAIRMENT |
Assets whose book value has been reduced by the board in order to reflect their true market value more accurately. Impairments result... read more |
| IMPLIED ALPHA |
The excess return expected from a stock to justify its current weighting in the portfolio. |
| IMPLIED VOLATILITY |
The volatility computed using the actual market prices of an option contract and one of a number of pricing models. For example, if the market price of an option rises without a change in the... read more |
| IMPORT |
Goods or a service which was produced in another country and brought into this country. The opposite of an export. South Africa mainly exports... read more |
| IMPORT COVER RATIO |
A ratio which assesses the level of the country's reserves in terms of how many months worth of imports they could cover. A healthy import cover... read more |
| IMPULSE WAVE |
A wave or cycle of waves that carries the current trend further in the same direction. |
| IN PLAY |
A stock that is the focus of a public bidding contest, as in a takeover or bear raid. |
| IN-THE-MONEY |
An investment term used to describe a situation in which a particular security can be sold for a profit. This is calculated by taking into consideration... read more |
| IN-THE-MONEY OPTION |
An option that has intrinsic value. A call option is in-the-money if its strike price is below the current price of the underlying futures contract. A put option is in-the-money if its strike... read more |
| INAV |
The value of a company based on its future earnings potential. Sometimes a company's net asset value (NAV) which is based on subtracting its... read more |
| INCLUSION RATE |
In Capital Gains Tax (CGT), the percentage of a capital gain which is included in taxable income. For companies and trusts this is 66% while for individuals it is 40%. Thus, if you are in the... read more |
| INCOME |
In accounting terms, this refers to all revenues received by a company, both as a result of its sales and other sources such as interest,... read more |
| INCOME DIVIDENDS |
Payments to mutual fund shareholders consisting of dividends, interest and short-term capital gains earned on the fund's portfolio securities after deduction of operating expenses. |
| INCOME STATEMENT |
A requirement of the Companies Act and Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP), the income statement must disclose the turnover of the... read more |
| INCOME TAX ACT |
The Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 has had numerous amendments. Its basic purpose is to consolidate the law relating to the taxation of incomes and donations, to provide for the recovery of taxes... read more |
| INCORPORATION DATE |
The date on which a company was granted its certificate of incorporation by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). Every company... read more |
| INCORPORATOR |
Under the old Companies Act, the people who started a company were known as the subscribers, because they "subscribed" to the memorandum and articles of association. The new Companies Act which... read more |
| INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONAL |
A type of accountant who is not necessarily a chartered accountant, but who is sufficiently qualified to undertake an independent review on behalf of a smaller company. In order to reduce costs... read more |
| INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT TRUST |
This is a state owned entity which implements and manages social infrastructure programs for the government. The organisation commenced in 1990 with a R2bn grant to invest in health, education... read more |
| INDEPENDENT POWER PRODUCER |
An independent power producer (IPP) is a private organisation that produces power, usually from renewable sources which is then sold to Escom on contract. With the advances in particularly solar... read more |
| INDEPENDENT REGULATORY BOARD FOR AUDITORS |
This organisation established in terms of the Auditing Professions Act (26 of 2005) maintains rules and guidelines for auditors to create and ethical value-driven financial sector. Its objective... read more |
| INDEPENDENT REVIEW |
An independent review is a lower level check of a company's financial statements which can be conducted by an independent accounting professional. This type of check is open only to smaller companies... read more |
| INDEPENDENT SYSTEM AND MARKET OPERATOR |
A new electricity distribution entity that will buy electricity both from Escom and independent power producers (IPP) and then sell it to distributors. This is part of the government's plan to... read more |
| INDEX |
A weighted or unweighted average of the prices or market cap of a group of shares. There are many types of indices for sectors,... read more |
| INDEX FUND |
An index fund is a unit trust (collective investment scheme) which tracks a specific index - usually on the JSE.... read more |
| INDEX POINTS |
A measurement term for market indices. An index is an aggregate of the listed companies on an exchange, for example, the JSE Top 40 is an average of the top 40 companies trading on the JSE by... read more |
| INDICATOR |
A mathematical formula which is applied to a continuous stream of financial data which the objective of identifying buying and selling points. With the advent... read more |
| INDICE |
A weighted or unweighted average of the prices or market cap of a group of shares. There are many types of indices for sectors,... read more |
| INDIRECT |
These are costs which a company has to pay whether or not they sell anything. So expenses like rent, telephone, salaries and so on. This is as opposed to "variable costs" which go up and down... read more |
| INDIRECT COST |
These are costs which a company has to pay whether or not they sell anything. So expenses like rent, telephone, salaries and so on. This is as opposed to "variable costs" which go up and down... read more |
| INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION |
A development bank established by the Industrial Development Corporation Act (22 of 1940) and owned by the government. The IDC implements government's industrial policies as laid out in the various... read more |
| INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ZONE |
These are special business zones which enjoy tax and other benefits to encourage rapid industrialisation. They are often located in areas where business is depressed in order to encourage growth... read more |
| INDUSTRIAL POLICY ACTION PLAN |
A plan that was first produced by government following the 2008 sub-prime crisis and which has gone through at least 10 iterations since then. Essentially, the plan aims to stimulate growth in... read more |
| INDUSTRIAL SHARE |
A share in the industrial sector of the JSE. Industrials are preferable as an investment to commodity shares (companies... read more |
| INDUSTRY |
A grouping of all shares in the same industry, usually represented by a sector index. If you look at the price page of your newspaper, you... read more |
| INDUSTRY |
A grouping of all shares in the same industry, usually represented by a sector index. If you look at the price page of your newspaper,... read more |
| INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION |
A grouping of all shares in the same industry, usually represented by a sector index. If you look at the price page of your newspaper,... read more |
| INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION BENCHMARK |
A classification system for industries launched by Dow Jones in 2005 and which has gained inetrnational acceptance. The system has 11 industries broken down into 20 super-sectors, 45 sectors... read more |
| INEFFICIENT MARKETS |
Behavioural finance. Driven by frame dependence and heuristic bias, when market prices stray from fundamental values. In simple terms, new and important information which affects the profitability... read more |
| INELASTIC |
A microeconomics terms which indicates that the demand or supply for a particular good or serive is not reponsive to changes in price. In a supply and demand graph showing price on the Y-axis,... read more |
| INFLATION |
Inflation is the degree to which a country's currency loses purchasing power over one year - expressed as a percentage. This is usually measured... read more |
| INFLATION TARGET |
The Reserve Bank, through its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) strives to keep the inflation rate between 3% and 6%. They target the CPI-X... read more |
| INFLATION TARGETING |
The Reserve Bank, through its Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) strives to keep the inflation rate between 3% and 6%. They target the CPI-X... read more |
| INFORMAL SECTOR |
A large sector of the economy that operates (mostly illegally, depending on their size) substantially in cash, thus avoiding their tax obligations. It is... read more |
| INFOWIZ |
An electronic information system operated by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) to provide information on LSE-listed companies to investors and the media. This system is similar to the Stock Exchange... read more |
| INFRASTRUCTURE |
The roads, bridges, electricity distribution network, water supply and sewerage and other civil work usually funded by taxes or rates and provided by the government... read more |
| INITIAL MARGIN |
The amount a futures market participant must deposit into a margin account at the time an order is placed to buy or sell a futures contract. |
| INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING |
Usually coinciding with a listing, this is the first offer of shares to the investing public by a company. |
| INJECTION |
An amount of cash inserted into an economy from outside. A good example would be the $4,3bn loan which South Africa obtained from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to help it manage the COVID-19... read more |
| INPUT |
A material or product which is used to make another product. Inputs in South Africa are deductible for value-added tax (VAT) purposes. If a business buys something and VAT is charged on that... read more |
| INSIDE DAY |
Also called an inside day, the harami is a top or bottom candlestick reversal pattern which comprises of a small candle situated within the body of it's preceding candle. Harami means pregnant... read more |
| INSIDER |
The illegal dealing in shares by people who, because of their privileged position, have information that materially impacts on the value of the shares,... read more |
| INSIDER TRADING |
The illegal dealing in shares by people who, because of their privileged position, have information that materially impacts on the value of the shares,... read more |
| INSIDER TRADING ACT |
The Insider Trading Act (135 of 1998), promulgated in January 1999, was designed to prevent people with inside information concerning any security from trading in the security. It was repealed... read more |
| INSIDERS |
The illegal dealing in shares by people who, because of their privileged position, have information that materially impacts on the value of the shares,... read more |
| INSOLVENCY |
A legal status which is applied by the court to a person who is unable to pay his/her debts. An insolvent person is restricted in terms of being able to obtain further credit. In law a person... read more |
| INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR |
A collective investment scheme (as opposed to an individual), that invests funds arising from deposits, premiums, contributions etc.. Examples are insurance... read more |
| INSTITUTIONAL SHARE |
A share which is followed by the big institutions and held by them in their portfolios. A listed share which is patronised by the large institutional investors on the JSE. In South Africa there... read more |
| INSTRUMENT |
A very generalised term for any sort of security or debt claim. Thus instruments can include shares, debentures, bonds, derivative contracts and so on. |
| INSURANCE ACT (18 0F 2017) |
This is a new act which came into effect on the 1st of July 2018 and which seeks "To provide for a legal framework for the prudential regulation and supervision of insurance business in the Republic... read more |
| INSURANCE COMPANY |
A company which is established in terms of the Insurance Companies Act (18 of 2017) to provide insurance policies to protect members of the public, both... read more |
| INTANGIBLE |
Any asset which is not concrete. For example, goodwill or patents, which belong to the company, are not represented by any physical object, but refer to the company's rights to something or the... read more |
| INTANGIBLE ASSETS |
Any asset which is not concrete. For example, goodwill or patents, which belong to the company, are not represented by any physical object, but refer to the company's rights to something or the... read more |
| INTEGRATED REPORT |
The King 3 report on corporate governance requires that companies produce an integrated report which includes a "sustainability report". Listed companies are required by the JSE Rules to adhere... read more |
| INTEGRATED RESOURCE PLAN |
A government plan which maps out the supply of electricity going forward. The IRP was first produced in 2010 and promulgated in March 2011. The plan is supposed to be updated every 2 years, but... read more |
| INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY |
The product of creative effort. Intellectual property can take the form of an invention, a piece of art work, a piece of writing, a symbol, a name or a design. Intellectual property is the subject... read more |
| INTERBANK RATES |
The foreign exchange rates at which large international banks quote other large international banks. Because of the size of such transactions and creditworthiness of the counterparties, such... read more |
| INTEREST |
Interest is the price of money. When one person or company lends money to another then interest is charged at a percentage of the capital lent over... read more |
| INTEREST BEARING DEBT |
That portion of a company's debt which bears interest. In some cases the founders of a company will inject capital into the company which is interest-free and usually the money owed to a company's... read more |
| INTEREST COVER RATIO |
The ratio of a company's interest expense to its earnings before interest and taxation (EBIT). In general, a company's EBIT should be sufficient to cover its interest bill at least 3 times. The... read more |
| INTEREST RATE |
The price of money. Money behaves in much the same way as a commodity, in the sense that when it is in short supply, it becomes more expensive and vice... read more |
| INTEREST RATE SWAPS |
An arrangement that requires both sides of the transaction to make payments to each other based on two different interest rates. The most commonly traded requires one side to pay a fixed rate... read more |
| INTERIM DIVIDEND |
... read more |
| INTERIM FINANCIAL RESULTS |
In terms of the Companies Act, all public companies are required to produce interim financial statements covering the first six months of... read more |
| INTERMARKET ANALYSIS |
Observing the price movement of one market for the purpose of evaluating a different market. |
| INTERMEDIATE GOODS |
These are goods or services which are used in the production of the final goods which are sold to the consumer. Intermediate goods are also sometimes called "semi-finished goods". The demand... read more |
| INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN |
The rate of interest which an individual, or, more commonly, an investment company is willing to accept. To determine your IRR, you need to ask yourself what amount of money received in a year's... read more |
| INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD |
In March 2001, the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) Foundation was formed as a not-for-profit corporation incorporated in the State of Delaware, US. The IASC Foundation is... read more |
| INTERNATIONAL DERIVATIVES EXCHANGE |
International derivatives exchange allows investors to invest in single stock futures in internationally listed blue chip companies. Contracts are settled in rands and traders do not require... read more |
| INTERNATIONAL FINANCAIL REPORTING STANDARD 9 |
A standard adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board with effect from 1st January 2020 in reaction to the 2008 sub-prime crisis to ensure that banks and other financial institutions... read more |
| INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL REPORTING STANDARDS |
These are a set of standards established by the International Accounting Standards Board which is the standard-setting body formed by a non-profit organisation... read more |
| INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND |
An organisation with over 185 member countries that aims to maintain international currency stability and maximise economic growth. The IMF regularly... read more |
| INTERNATIONAL SECURITIES IDENTIFICATION NUMBER |
... read more |
| INTERNATIONAL TRADE |
The buying and selling of products and services between countries. It is generally recongised that countries benefit directly from trade with other countries. This is because each country has... read more |
| INTRADAY |
Literally, "within the day" as opposed to inter-day. Intraday trades are those that occur during the trading day - i.e. where a security is both... read more |
| INTRINSIC NET ASSET VALUE |
The value of a company based on its future earnings potential. Sometimes a company's net asset value (NAV) which is based on subtracting its... read more |
| INTRINSIC VALUE |
... read more |
| INTRODUCING BROKER |
A firm or individual that solicits and accepts futures orders from customers but does not accept money, securities, or property from the customer. An IB must be registered with the Commodity... read more |
| INVENTORY |
Another word for stocks of raw material, work in progress, consumable stores and finished goods. The valuation of the inventory is critical... read more |
| INVERTED HAMMER |
The counterpart of the hammer, this is also a bullish bottom reversal candlestick formation which derives its significance from it's shadow and implies that an upward trend is imminent. The inverted... read more |
| INVERTED THREE BUDDHA |
The opposite of a head-and-shoulders formation, this formation normally comes at the bottom of a long downtrend and signals the end of that down-trend. The market... read more |
| INVESTABLE MARKET CAPITALISATION |
The free float of a company's shares multiplied by their current market price. Also known as the free float market cap., or the investable market capitalisation. This is used in the construction... read more |
| INVESTEC AUSTRALIA PROPERTY FUND |
04 - 11 - 2019 Investec Australia Property Fund (IAP) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) which concentrates on property investments in Australia and New Zealand. It is owned 23% by... read more |
| INVESTMENT |
|
| INVESTMENT ANALYST |
An investment analyst does research on listed shares in order to provide information to a fund manager to enable him to allocate funds... read more |
| INVESTMENT BANK |
A bank which is focused on helping companies with their corporate actions - especially the raising of additional capital through an initial public offer (IPO), a rights issue or the issue and... read more |
| INVESTMENT CLUBS |
A small private club formed by a group of investors, usually novices, who pool their time and resources to learn more what they can on their own about various... read more |
| INVESTMENT HOLDING COMPANY |
A company which holds shares in other companies as subsidiary or associate companies. |
| INVESTOR |
A person, either natural or juristic, that purchases and holds any investment in a security. On the JSE, most of the investors are... read more |
| INVESTOR BEHAVIOUR |
The behaviour of investors as a group. Group investor behaviour creates observable patterns in share prices, indexes and other financial information. This is the basis for technical analysis.... read more |
| INVESTOR PROTECTION LEVY |
A levy charged by the JSE on all trades on the JSE consisting of 0,0002% of the value of the trade. This pays for insider trading investigations and prevents market manipulation. |
| INVISIBLE |
Any asset which is not concrete. For example, goodwill or patents, which belong to the company, are not represented by any physical object, but refer to the company's rights to something or the... read more |
| INVISIBLE EXPORTS |
Those exports which are for the sale overseas of services such as insurance and intangible products. "Invisibles" as they are known form part of the income of the country and part of its export... read more |
| INWARD LISTING |
A foreign company, listed on the JSE and classified by the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) as foreign for index purposes. These companies can be included in the indices, but at a reduced weight.... read more |
| IPAP |
A plan that was first produced by government following the 2008 sub-prime crisis and which has gone through at least 10 iterations since then. Essentially, the plan aims to stimulate growth in... read more |
| IPO |
Usually coinciding with a listing, this is the first offer of shares to the investing public by a company. |
| IRA |
An American retirement vehicle called an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). An employer's retirement plan that, as specified by tax law, allows employees to elect to have their federal taxable... read more |
| IRBA |
This organisation established in terms of the Auditing Professions Act (26 of 2005) maintains rules and guidelines for auditors to create and ethical value-driven financial sector. Its objective... read more |
| IRON |
A metal with the chemical symbol "fe". Iron oxidises (rusts) very quickly and so is not often found naturally. However, the world has abundant supplies of iron ore from which iron can be obtained... read more |
| IRP |
A government plan which maps out the supply of electricity going forward. The IRP was first produced in 2010 and promulgated in March 2011. The plan is supposed to be updated every 2 years, but... read more |
| IRR |
The rate of interest which an individual, or, more commonly, an investment company is willing to accept. To determine your IRR, you need to ask yourself what amount of money received in a year's... read more |
| IRREGULAR FLAT |
A type of Elliott wave correction that has a 3-3-5 wave pattern, where the B wave terminates beyond the start of wave A. A "flat" is in progress, implying that a larger pattern is developing.... read more |
| ISIN |
... read more |
| ISLAND FORMATION |
A period of sideways movement after a substantial fall, where the share moves up and down within a relatively narrow trading range. Eventually,... read more |
| ISMO |
A new electricity distribution entity that will buy electricity both from Escom and independent power producers (IPP) and then sell it to distributors. This is part of the government's plan to... read more |
| ISSUED CAPITAL |
The value of the company’s authorised shares which have been sold to shareholders. Companies issue shares to the public to raise capital in what is known as... read more |
| ISSUED SHARES |
The value of the company’s authorised shares which have been sold to shareholders. Companies issue shares to the public to raise capital in what is known as... read more |
| ISSUED SHARES |
The number of shares which a company has sold to the public to raise capital for its establishment or expansion. A company must obtain authorisation from the Companies and... read more |
| ITRIX |
A joint initiative by the JSE and Deutsche Bank to offer South African investors a method of investing in overseas markets using rands on the JSE. There are five Itrix ETF's trading on the JSE: ... read more |