Fast Market

What is 'Fast Market' A condition that will be officially declared by a stock market exchange when the financial markets are experiencing unusually high levels of volatility, combined with unusually heavy trading. Fast markets occur rarely, but when one does occur, brokers are not held to the same constraints as they are during a regular market. ...

Federal Call

What is 'Federal Call' A special type of margin call requiring a trader to deposit sufficient cash in order to meet federal requirements on the amount of credit that brokers may extend. These margin requirements are set by Regulation T of the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 12 - Banks and Banking. Currently the margin requirements are...

Federal Home Loan Bank Act

DefinitionThe Federal Home Loan Bank Act, is a United States federal law passed under President Herbert Hoover in order to lower the cost of home ownership. It established the Federal Home Loan Bank Board to charter and supervise federal savings and loan institutions. It also created the Federal Home Loan Banks which lend to building and loan associations, cooperative...

Fair Trade Investing

What is 'Fair Trade Investing' Investing in companies or projects that promote fair trade with producers in developing nations. Basic fair trade philosophies call for equal pay for suppliers of raw goods and materials as well as respect for strong environmental practices and a focus on the trading relationships between advanced economies and developing nations. ...

Farmers Home Administration (FmHA)

What is 'Farmers Home Administration - FmHA' A USDA entity established to assist farmers and rural families by funding and guaranteeing loans for housing and other farming-related needs. Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) offers financing and technical help to rural individuals and communities via four key programs: housing, utilities, business, and community development. The organization operates around 1,900 county and district...

Fat Cat

What is 'Fat Cat' A slang word used to describe executives who earn what many believe to be unreasonably high salaries and bonuses. These top executives also receive generous pensions and retirement packages, consisting of extra compensation not available to other company employees. Explaining 'Fat Cat' This term conjures up the image of cats that...

Family Limited Partnership (FLP)

What is 'Family Limited Partnership - FLP' A type of partnership designed to centralize family business or investment accounts. FLPs pool together a family's assets into one single family-owned business partnership that family members own shares of. FLPs are frequently used as an estate tax minimization strategy, as shares in the FLP can be transferred between generations,...

Farmer Mac – Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation – (FAMC)

DefinitionThe Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, also known as Farmer Mac, is a stockholder-owned, publicly traded company that was chartered by the United States federal government in 1988 to serve as a secondary market in agricultural loans such as mortgages for agricultural real estate and rural housing. The company purchases loans from agricultural lenders, and sells instruments backed by those...

Fail

What is 'Fail' In common trading terms, if a seller does not deliver securities or a buyer does not pay owed funds by the settlement date, then the transaction is said to fail. In a stock exchange, this occurs if a stockbroker does not deliver or receive securities, within a specified time after a security sale or...

Factory Orders

Definition The monthly Full Report on Manufacturers' Shipments, Inventories, & Orders from the United States Census Bureau, more commonly called the Factory Orders report, totals the dollar volume of new orders, shipments, unfilled orders, and inventories reported by domestic manufacturers. Figures within the Factory Orders report are reported in the billions of dollars and also in a percent change from...