Your Free Online Legal Dictionary • Featuring Black’s Law Dictionary, 2nd Ed.

Category: Finance

PARADOX OF THRIFT

An economic belief which states that if a person saves a significant portion of their income, they are going to get poorer, rather than becoming richer. The reason quoted is because the

PARETOPOLY

A situation in which there are a number of small scale sellers, while the large sellers are lesser in number.

PARTNERSHIP BY ESTOPPEL

A legal, binding partnership that may occur where previously, no formal partnership agreement was in place. A person who exhibits such conduct, or says words which represent, or allow him to be

PASSIVE INVESTOR

An investor in a firm or company who does not take direct part in the management.

PASTEURIZATION

A method of food preservation derived by Louis Pasteur, a French microbiologist. Usually, considerably high temperatures are given to the food in order to deavctivate several enzymes. The food needs to be

PAY AS YOU GO

An accounting method of a pension fund which allows the employer to charge contributed amounts by an employee to the earnings of a firm, allowing in more accurate pension calculations.

PAYBACK PERIOD METHOD

Method of evaluating the period of time it would take for the company to get the amount of return equivalent ot its initial investment. Usually, pay back periods should be lesser. It

PAYOFF TABLE

A tool used for decision analysis which lists down all the pros and cons of any decision. It makes use of payoffs, and provides various combinations or alternatives, giving a better idea

PECUNIARY EXTERNALITIES

A position in which the prices used for production by any producer are affected favorably or unfavorably by the impact of other producers.

PENT-UP-DEMAND

A common term that is used to define a certain portion of the consumer behavior in a certain market. Commonly used by economists to determine the cyclical economy trends, as well as

PERCENTAGE OF COMPLETION METHOD

A method used for recognizing the revenue gained on any contract that has been completed over more than a single period of accounting. This method is appropriate when the total cost of

PERFECTION

Validating any legal document or interest by properly executing it and then filing it with the correct public authority.

PERIODIC SYSTEM OF INVENTORY

When a company has some stocks which are up for sale, the company will show them on its balance sheet. These stocks will be shown on the financial statement once a sale

PERMANENT FINANCING

A mortgage loan or a bond that has been issued with a maturity period that extends between 15 to 30 years.

PERSISTENCE

The amount of time that a substance can persist in any environment after being introduced in to a new surrounding.

PERVERSE INCENTIVE

Anything that incites, or determines somebody to take action in order to receive that incentive, usually resulting in damaging circumstances afterwards.

PHANTOM PROFIT

When a cash transaction has been written in the books, while no cash was ever deposited for it.

PHOSPHATES

Compounds that are usually inorganic, and contain a lot of phosphorus. Common applications of phosphate include detergents and fertilizers. Phosphates can harm the water, as it leads to excessive growth of algae.

PHYSIOLOGICAL

Something that is related to the human body, or any living organism for that matter.

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