Latent Hazard
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IPO Initial public offering or simply public offering, is when a company issues its shares to investors for the first time, usually via the stock market.
LCH.Clearnet Europe’s main clearing house, a central counterparty that acts as a go-between when two parties trade. Once the trade is made, it acts as the guarantor for the trade. LCH.Clearnet undertakes the settlement for these futures and options markets.
LESLP London Emergency Services Liaison Panel. It normally includes representatives from the Metropolitan, City of London and the British transport police, the London fire brigade and ambulance service, local authorities, the port of London authority, the marine coastguard, the RAF, the army and the voluntary sector. Its remit is to provide a framework for the successful resolution of an incident.
Leverage [gearing] The term used to describe the use of debt or borrowings to finance the purchase of an investment or asset with the intention of increasing the investors returns – which happens when the performance of the investment or asset exceeds the cost of the debt. Where the returns are less, leverage destroys investor wealth.
Loan to value [LTV] ratio This represents the relationship between the amount of borrowings and the value of the property on which the money has been lent. Borrowings of £8.5m on property worth £10m would give a LTV ratio of 85%.
Long gilts / Long end of the gilts market Gilts that have over 15 years before they are repaid (i.e. to their maturity / redemption date). Their prices are very sensitive to interest rate changes. Rising interest rates result in falling gilt prices.
Margin The amount paid to the intermediary – broker / bank – who undertakes a futures transaction. This sum is to protect the intermediary from any losses that might accrue to their client. An initial margin is paid and this is followed by additional margin calls if the market has moved against their client’s position. These margin payments are collected by the speculator’s broker / bank, and passed to the clearing house, which calculates the size of the margin required. See LCH Clearnet.
Margin calls Where the speculator in a future finds the market is moving against them additional money or securities are required by broker / bank to maintain their safeguard. With financial futures contracts there is a contractual obligation to pay up for losses (or receive profit) at the expiry date. The margin payment is there to protect the broker / bank in case the investor cannot pay up.
Mortgage register A register held by Companies House, which lists for each company, the properties over which there is a legal charge in respect of secured borrowings thereon.
Multifactor models A financial model which incorporates many variables and seeks to identify how sensitive the performance of different investments are to different types of market-wide shocks, such as inflation, economic growth or interest rate changes.
My word is my bond In the City markets, the terms of a verbal agreement to do a deal are a legally binding contract.
Nominee name When purchasing financial securities, many buyers go through an intermediary, and the shares are registered in a nominee name. The users of nominee names are expected to file the appropriate disclosure forms, at which point the ultimate owner of the shares becomes apparent. The use of nominee names simplifies the process of transfers.
Nominee name management business An intermediary that acts as a custodian or agent for the buyer of shares and financial instruments and provides nominee name account management services.
Not for profit corporation A new type of structure put forward for publically funded bodies. See www.custodianholder.com.
Off balance sheet Usually refers to a liability which does not show up in the balance sheet of a set of accounts.
Options [traded] Similar to futures, but the buyer has the right and not the obligation to complete the deal. The investor or speculator pays an upfront sum to do a financial transaction at a specific future date and price. If the market or price has moved against them they can walk away from the transaction and their loss is limited to the initial sum paid. Traded options can be traded in the market right up to their expiry, and their prices to a large extent reflect the volatility of the underlying index / interest rate / exchange rate, etc.
Outsourcing The subcontracting of services or a process to a third party provider such that the day to day provision of the service becomes the responsibility of the third party.
Over the counter market Or OTC is a market which is not exchange traded, which means that the trading is outside the jurisdiction and rules of an exchange. Often a market made by a bank in one of their instruments, and where this is the case the investor / speculator relies on the reputation and financial robustness of the bank.
P45 The form that an employer passes a former employee when they are made redundant or sacked.
PFI Private finance initiative. Used to fund large public sector building projects. The contractors pay for the construction costs and then rent the finished project back to the public sector. Historically seen as a way of keeping the expenditure off the Government’s balance sheet. PFI liabilities are now estimated to exceed £100 billion. See PPP.
Portfolio A collection of investments held by an investor / speculator.
Position The extent to which a speculator has invested and represents the extent of their financial obligation.
Position building The building up of a investment or speculative holding in a company or financial instrument over time through a series of purchases.
PPP Public-private partnerships. A collaboration between a public body and private company, in which the private body brings to the partnership management skills and financial acumen, and are paid for providing their services. See PFI.
Public Sector Net Cash Requirement [PSNCR] The size of the annual shortfall between Government revenues and expenditures – it is the fiscal deficit expressed in cash terms. The Government has three main ways of financing the PSNCR – selling of new gilts issues, issuing more notes and coins, and borrowing overseas. Of these, new gilts issues usually form the significant part of the funding of the PSNCR. Gilt prices are influenced by supply and demand. Excessive new gilts issues [or expectations thereof] push gilts prices down and gilts yields up.
Put In the context of a derivative instrument – with an option contract it is the right and for a futures contract it is an obligation to sell an underlying security – index / commodity / asset at a predetermined price on a specific future date. A speculator can make a profit if prices fall further than expected, as they can buy at a lower price in the market and sell on at the higher price by exercising their put contract.
REIT A Real Estate Investment Trust is a company that owns and operates income producing property – usually a portfolio of commercial property investments. In the UK REITs are quoted on a stock exchange which gives the investor liquidity – unlike investing in direct property. The investor in a the shares of a REIT receives dividends instead of rental income and the share price moves with due regard to the changes in value of the underlying value of the REIT’s property assets and future performance expectations. REITs have a favourable tax position unlike the traditional listed property investment company which does not. The quality of both the property portfolio and the REIT’s management team are seen as important ingredients.
Securities Financial instruments which may be shares in a company or debt obligations.
Sell-side promote The marketing of shares in a company by a stockbroker or a financial adviser to the company.
Sentiment The attitude of investors and speculators towards the market. It is said “Bullish views are driven by greed and bearish views by fear”.
Settlement The whole process of closing a contract for buy or sell transactions, when in the financial markets money changes hands.
Short [to] To sell something in the expectation of buying it back at a lower price and thus making a profit. A common activity for speculators in a falling market. The opposite of to go long.
Short interest rates A rate of
interest that is set today and usually refers to 3 month interest rates as found in the London interbank market – the market where banks lend to each other. This is also known as 3 month LIBOR – London Interbank Offer Rate.
Slush fund A colloquial term which describes a pool of money used for corrupt purposes.
Soft facilities management Or soft FM. The provision of services relating to the maintenance of a building such as cleaning, security, catering, reception, telephonists and the like. In contrast, hard FM is the provision of services that relate to the repairs and maintenance of a building’s fabric, mechanical and electrical services, landscaping, energy procurement, IT and communications.
Speculator A person who bets against market expectations with the purpose of making a profit. Speculators are said to provide the market with extra liquidity and help smooth price movements.
Stake building The buying of shares in a listed company whereby the purchaser is intent on purchasing a sizeable number of shares.
TA Territorial Army – Britain’s voluntary reserve land forces, which support the Regular Army.
Tight [price] Characteristics of an actively traded market where the buying (bid) and selling (ask) prices are close together (narrow).
Trade weighted exchange rate This is the measure of how a currency’s exchange rate is moving in relation to all its trading partners rather than to any single one of them. The weighting reflects the volume of trade being done with each trading partner.
Unhedged Where a speculator is exposed to price fluctuations; i.e. they are unguarded against a loss. This loss in the futures market can be many times the initial outlay. This exposure may be further exaggerated if the speculator has financed their position with borrowed money. See Hedged.
Unfunded pension liabilities Public sector pension schemes are usually defined benefit pension schemes, which provide pensions linked to employees’ final salaries, and are guaranteed by the employer. Whilst private pension schemes have strict solvency criteria to ensure that the appropriate pension payments can be met, public sector defined benefit pension schemes have less rigorous requirements. The shortfall between the total of the future expected pension payments less the assets held to meet these liabilities is the unfunded element – the public sector’s unfunded pension liabilities are currently estimated by leading actuaries at over £1,000 billion. This is an off balance sheet Government liability.
Furthermore, state pensions are funded on a pay as you go basis using National Insurance (NI) contributions – so the NI contributions of those in work are used to pay the state pensions of those who are retired. As the percentage of people of working age declines relative to those who are retired, this shortfall will also grow significantly. See Unit linked pensions.
Unit linked pension A pension fund in which the benefits depend on the performance of the units in the investment fund into which the pension contributions have been put. Usually synonymous with defined contribution pension funds where contributions are paid into the fund and on retirement the size of the pension is determined by the performance of the fund and the amount of contributions made. Unlike defined benefit pension schemes, where the pension payouts – representing a percentage of the employee’s final salary – are guaranteed by the employer, unit linked / defined contribution pensions are not guaranteed and are linked to the performance of the investment markets rather than final salary and the element of guarantee is minimal.
Un-provided for Where the cost of (or liability for) an item is not included in a set of accounts; it may also be said to be off-balance sheet.
Venture capital fund An investment fund which normally comprises the money of wealthy private investors. The fund invests in private companies with the aim being to enable the company to grow by using the venture capital moneys. The normal exit route is usually via an IPO of the private company. See IPO.
USB memory stick Or universal serial bus flash drive. A data storage device that uses the USB port of a computer. It has replaced the use of floppy disks. These USB drives are easy to use, removable and rewritable. Their small size, light weight and shape gives them their name.
Value at risk model Or VaR. A model which seeks to identify the exposure a financial institution or bank faces in terms of risk exposure to volatile movements in market prices.
Yield In the context of gilts, the yield represents the annual income return that the investor will receive. The total return (income plus capital gains / losses) also known as the gross redemption yield, is the return that would be received by holding the gilt to its redemption date.
Zero sum game Futures and options markets have a buyer on one side of a transaction and a seller on the other. One makes a profit the other a loss, such that when added together the total is zero.
Forthcoming Publications from
Galleons Green
‘CHANGING THE PERCEIVED VIEW’ SERIES
In a changing world, inertia can result in the perceived view becoming out of date. This new series from Galleons Green is written by experts who put forward alternative solutions to everyday issues.
In many areas, whether it be: business, health, science, art, or the environment, there are perceptions as to what the correct approaches or accepted methodologies are. This series is designed to widen the debate and to push forward the boundaries.
Each book has its own web site, to which readers comments can be submitted. These comments will be forwarded to the author, thereby providing the wherewithal for each book to evolve over time.
New Titles:
Indexhold
Annuities and Government REITs
Custodianholders & Not-for-Profit Corporations
A new publication in the “Changing the Percieved View” Series
INDEXHOLD
Sustainable excellence: homes for key workers in top locations
ISBN-13: 978-1-906960-01-8
High land prices, a shortage of affordable housing, higher environmental standards, cyclical market conditions and a widening gap between the haves and have-nots are putting relentless pressure on the very people society needs: the key workers without whom public services and the quality of life for the many would be greatly diminished.
This book puts forward a new land tenure – Indexhold – which builds on the existing landlord and tenant framework to provide a new ownership structure for key workers seeking homes close to their place of work in high cost areas, and for rural communities under threat from second homeowners. The book also considers the role indexhold can play in helping those home owners caught up in the sub-prime crisis.
For further details:
www.indexhold.com
A new publication in the “Changing the Percieved View” Series
ANNUITIES & GOVERNMENT REITs
Funding pensions and Government deficits
ISBN-13: 978-1-906960-02-5
Public sector funding deficits and pressures on private pensions have become a feature following the Government rescue of the banking sector.
This book considers the role Government REITs – Real Estate Investment Trusts – and mortgage REITS could can play in reducing: the public sector deficit, money supply and defined benefit pension shortfalls.
For further details:
www.annuityreits.com
A new publication in the “Changing the Percieved View” Series
CUSTODIANHOLDERS & NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS
Public sector business structure for the 21st century
ISBN-13: 978-1-1906960-03-2
How can public services be made more efficient, transparent and accountable to the service users?
This book sets out a new management structure: the Not-for-Profit Corporation, whose management is accountable to custodianholders.
For further details:
www.custodianholder.com
Endnote
1 A list of the companies is also set out in Appendix ‘A’.
Piers Venmore-Rowland, Latent Hazard