Some important American terms that may not always be understood in Britain, or which have different a different meaning:
- Anti-trust
- Used to describe laws and regulatory mechanisms that keep markets competitive, for example by preventing the formation of cartels (trusts).
- Checking account
- Current account
- Common stock
- Ordinary shares. The term stock is casually used to refer to securities in the US, but not in the UK. The British usage is technically more correct.
- CPA
- Certified public accountant. Broadly equivalent to a chartered accountant or other accountant belonging to a body whose members may be auditors.
- Dow theory
- A system of technical analysis based on the the ideas of Charles Dow, founder of the Wall Street Journal and co-founder of Dow Jones & Co.
- John Doe/Jane Doe
- An unnamed defendant of a a lawsuit. Often used when suing someone whose real identity has not yet been established, for example in cases of anonymous libel or breach of copyright.
- Inventory
- Stock. The term inventory is also sometimes used in Britain.
- Income statement
- Profit and loss account.
- Leverage
- Gearing. The two terms are clearly based on similar metaphors.
- Mutual fund
- A collective investment vehicle similar to a unit trust or an OEIC.
- Operating leverage
- Operational gearing
- Preferred stock
- Preference shares.
- Savings and loan association
- A financial institution similar to a building society.
- Specialist
- A market participant with a similar role to a market maker. Differences in regulation and market mechanisms mean that the roles can very different in some ways. What is common across markets is the trade-off of a privileged position in the trading system in return for providing the market with stability or liquidity. The term market maker is also used in the US when appropriate.
- Stock
- Equity securities
- Wall Street
- New York's financial district. Equivalent to the City and used as an adjective in the same way: e.g. “Wall Street Analyst”