index

Definition

A curated roadmap to finding stuff in a document or database, the thing your pointer finger is named after, or a numerical benchmark that tells you if markets are having a good day or a panic attack. In finance, it's the scorecard everyone obsesses over.

Example Usage

The S&P 500 index dropped 2% after the Fed announcement.

Source: Merriam-Webster via Free Dictionary API

Related Terms

Intermediate

qualified opinion

An auditor's statement that financial statements are fairly presented except for specific issues, essentially saying 'mostly good but we have concerns.' It's the accounting equivalent of 'we need to talk.'

💰 Finance / Accounting

Advanced

big bath

The strategy of writing off massive losses all at once to get the bad news over with, typically when a new CEO arrives and can blame everything on their predecessor. It's financial spring cleaning with someone else's mess.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

capitalization

Either the total value of a company's outstanding shares (market cap) or the act of writing things with capital letters—context matters. In finance, it's how much the market thinks your company is worth, which may bear no resemblance to reality. Also refers to recording costs as assets rather than expenses, because accountants love making things complicated.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Beginner

revenues

The money flowing into a company's or government's coffers from all possible sources—taxation, sales, investments, or whatever creative accounting method they're employing this quarter. The number that makes CFOs smile or weep.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Beginner

financing

The art of obtaining money for a venture, purchase, or operation, typically through loans, investments, or creative accounting that would make your grandmother worry. In real estate and business, it's the difference between owning something outright and owing a bank for the next 30 years. Everyone says they're 'exploring financing options' which usually means 'we're broke but optimistic.'

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

Securities

Tradeable financial instruments like stocks and bonds, given a name that implies safety despite being approximately as secure as a sandcastle at high tide. The irony of calling them securities when they can lose 50% of their value overnight is Wall Street's longest-running joke.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Translate This Term

See “index” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Intermediate

CC&Rs

Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions—the rulebook that HOAs use to control your life in writing....