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Glossary of Terms

Glossary of Terms

A

Accumulation Units

Any income earned on this type of unit is added to the price of your units (no income is distributed....

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AIM (London Stock Exchange's international market for smaller growing companies)

AIM (Alternative Investment Market) is the London Stock Exchange's international market for smaller ....

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Alpha

A measure of the excess return of a portfolio relative to the benchmark, on a risk adjusted basis. I....

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Annual Management Charge

A fee paid to the fund manager once a year which service and administration fees.It is calculated da....

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Asset allocation

Describes how your money is invested in the fund. In most cases, the fund manager will split the po....

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Authorised Corporate Director (ACD)

The term used to describe the manager of an Open Ended Investment Company (OEIC). An ACD has the sam....

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B

Bear

An investor who sells a security in the hope of buying it back at a lower price, as he thinks the ma....

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Beta

A measure of market sensitivity. The sign of the beta (+/-) indicates whether, on average, the inves....

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Bid price

The bid price is the price at which units are sold to investors and are lower than the offer or buyi....

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Bid/Offer Spread

The standard differential between the price of buying and selling units. Usually quoted as a percen....

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Bond

A debt security issued by borrowers and sold to investors. Bonds have a stated rate of interest (cou....

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Bull

An investor who buys a security in the hope of selling it at a higher price, as he thinks the market....

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C

Cancellation price

This is the lowest possible price at which an investor can sell units back to the fund manager under....

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COLL (FSA regulations)

COLL is a new set of regulations, prescribed by the FSA under the rulebook for New Collective Invest....

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Collective investment schemes

Funds which pool investors' money and invest on their behalf. This term refers to unit trusts and OE....

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Coupon

This is a regular payment received by the bondholder over the lifetime of a bond. The coupon rate is....

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Creation price

This is the highest possible price at which an investor can buy units from the manager under FSA reg....

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Custodian

A major banking group, the custodian is appointed by the fund's trustee or depositary to safeguard t....

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D

Dealing

The process of buying and selling investments - shares, units in a unit trust, bonds etc....

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Discretionary fund management

The investing of clients’ money by a member firm on a discretionary basis. The customer leaves speci....

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Dividend

That part of a company's profits after tax which is distributed to shareholders - usually expressed ....

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Dual pricing

Unit trusts and OEICs can be dual-priced. Such funds have an offer price at which you buy, and a low....

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E

Ethical investing

Also known as Socially Responsible Investments (SRIs). These funds aim to avoid investing in activit....

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Ex dividend date

The ex-dividend (also known as the ‘XD’ date) defines the date from which the dividend is excluded f....

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Exit charge

With effect from 1 November 1994, under FSA regulations, unit trust managers have been given the opt....

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F

Floating Rate Note (FRN)Floating Rate Note (FRN)

This term used to describe a collective investment scheme, into which investors’ monies is pooled an....

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Forward pricing

Units are priced on a forward basis when they are bought or sold by the manager at a price which wil....

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FSA (Financial Services Authority)

The Financial Services Authority is the regulator of financial services created by the Financial Ser....

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FTSE 100 Index

Arithmetic index of the UK's leading 100 shares, weighted according to the company's market capitali....

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FTSE All-Share

A broad index based on 98% of all UK listed companies, in terms of market capitalisation, not number....

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FTSE Mid 250 Index

As above, but relating to the 250 shares below the top 100.....

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FTSE Small Cap

FTSE Small Cap constitutes the 500 smallest FTSE companies with an approximate market capitalisation....

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Fund

This term used to describe a collective investment scheme, into which investors' monies is pooled an....

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G

Gilt

Domestic Sterling denominated government bond issued by the Treasury.....

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Gross Redemption Yield

The Gross Redemption Yield of a bond is the return a bond earns on the price at which it was purchas....

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Growth fund

A fund whose main objective is capital appreciation. This contrasts with an income fund where the ma....

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H

Historic pricing

The opposite of forward pricing. This is where managers will buy and sell shares on the basis of pri....

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I

Income fund

A fund whose objective is to provide income growth on a regular basis over time.....

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Independent Financial Adviser (IFA)

An adviser not employed by a single firm who can select from all companies' products, i.e. pensions,....

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Index/indices

A grouping of shares or fixed interest securities on the stock market which are often similar in siz....

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Individual Savings Account (ISA)

An ISA is a scheme of investment with no tax liability on income or capital gains arising from asset....

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Initial Charge

The initial charge on a unit trust is made when the units are sold to the investor. The charge is a....

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Investment grade bonds

These bonds have a low risk of the company that issued them being unable to repay them. The most sec....

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Investment Management Association (IMA)

The IMA is a trade body for the UK investment management industry. Its members provide UK investmen....

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ISIN (International Securities Identification Number )

International Securities Identification Number (ISIN). International code for a listed security.....

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J

Junk bonds

These are bonds rated 'BB' or lower because of its high default risk. They are also known as a "high....

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K

Key Features Document

A document which must be offered to investors in Non-UCITS Retail Schemes (NURS) before or at the po....

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L

Launch date

The date on which a unit trust or similar collective investment scheme starts investing its assets.....

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Lipper

Lipper, a Reuters company, supplys mutual fund information, analytical tools, and commentary. Lipper....

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M

Manager's report

Half-yearly fund accounting and investment report.....

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Market capitalisation

Market capitalisation is used to indicate the value of a company by multiplying the number of shares....

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Mid market price

A price between the offer and bid price. The mid price is equal to the sum of the best bid price and....

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Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

The Committee is made up of economic experts and examines all the data available and relevant to dec....

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Money laundering

This is the process of passing money gained illegally through the financial system to convert into l....

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N

Net Asset Value (NAV)

The total value of a company or fund, based on quoted mid-market prices, together with other assets ....

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Notice of Cancellation

Where a client has purchased a unit trust under advice from a professional adviser, the fund provide....

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O

OBSR

OBSR are investment consultants based in the UK and offer ratings on the premise that a fund selecti....

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OEICs

Now known as ICVCs (Investment Company with Variable Capital). These are very similar to unit trusts....

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Offer price

The offer price is the price at which a company is looking to sell units. Usually higher than the ....

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Open-ended

These funds have no limit to the number of units (or shares) they can issue. The price of the units ....

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P

PEP (Personal Equity Plan)

Personal Equity Plans are tax efficient savings and investment plans which were replaced by ISAs in ....

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Portfolio

A group of investments held across asset classes (stocks, bonds, real estate, gold) or within the sa....

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Pound cost averaging

Buying more units when prices are low and fewer units when prices are high.....

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Prospectus

When a company applies for a listing of its securities which are to be offered to the public in the ....

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Q

Quartile rankings

Quartile rankings are a measure of how well a fund has performed against all other funds. The rankin....

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R

Rating agencies

Rating agencies determine the issuer’s ability to meet their debt obligations to their investors. Ag....

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Redemption Yield

The Redemption Yield shows what the total return on a bond would be if held to its maturity date. It....

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Registrar

The registrar is responsible for the administration of the share register, distributing shareholder ....

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Reinvestment of income

Income allocations can be reinvested to purchase further units in the existing investment vehicle....

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Risk rating

The risk index is to set out RUTM's definition of risk for each fund. The ratings are determined by ....

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Running Yield

Used to describe the income investors get from their portfolio as a percentage of market value of th....

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RUTM

These acronyms stand for Rathbone Unit Trust Management Limited....

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S

SEDOL

The Stock Exchange Daily Official List number to identify any security.....

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Sharpe Ratio

A measure of the risk adjusted return of an investment/portfolio. It is given by the excess return a....

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Simplified Prospectus

Offered to all investors in UCITS funds before the point of purchasing units/shares. This document ....

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Spread

In investment terms this is used to describe the difference between the buying and selling price, i.....

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Standard & Poor's Fund Services

An independent company with two main divisions: Micropal (now managed by Morningstar), which provide....

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T

Total Expense Ratio

A calculation of costs expressed as a percentage. TERs provide investors with a clearer picture of ....

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Trustee

Responsible for overseeing the fund manager's activities in relation to a unit trust. Usually a lar....

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Turnover

The rate at which securities within a fund are exchanged for other securities of the same class.....

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U

UCITS

A fund or directive that can be marketed in all countries in the European Union. UCITS stands for ‘U....

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Unit trusts

These are open-ended funds where private investors pool their money to be invested in a portfolio of....

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V

Valuation point

The name given to the time of day that unit trusts or OEICs are valued and then priced, (usually mid....

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Volatility

A measure of risk. It shows the variability of returns over a 5 year period (where that length of hi....

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W

Weighting

The percentage/share of a portfolio held in a single asset or sector compared with its benchmark/ano....

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X

XD date

See ex-dividend date....

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Y

Yield

The amount of income generated by a fund's investments in relation to the price. Equity funds will q....

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