The S&P 500 is a market-capitalisation-weighted index of 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the US, widely regarded as the best single gauge of large-cap US equities.

Sales density refers to the revenue a retail business generates per unit area, such as per square foot or square meter of used retail space. It is a common metric in retail analysis.

A scrip issue, also known as a bonus issue or a capitalisation issue, involves a company issuing additional shares to shareholders without any cost based on the number of shares they already own.

Securities are financial instruments that represent some type of financial value. They include stocks, bonds, and options.

The SEC, or Securities and Exchange Commission, is a US government agency responsible for enforcing federal securities laws, proposing securities rules, and regulating the securities industry.

The securities market is a component of the wider financial market where participants can issue new securities and purchase or sell existing ones—typically in a regulated and formal exchange.

Security analysis involves examining financial data and economic factors to evaluate the value of various securities. This process helps investors and financial professionals make informed investment decisions.

Phantom shares are a type of deferred compensation plan that gives the employees the right to receive cash payments after a specific period of time or upon meeting certain goals, based on the value of the company’s stock.

A share buyback, or stock repurchase, occurs when a company buys back its own shares from the marketplace, reducing the number of outstanding shares.

Short selling is a trading strategy based on speculation that a stock or other financial instrument's price will decline. It involves borrowing a security and selling it on the open market, planning to buy it back later at a lower price.

Slippage refers to the difference between the expected price of a trade and the price at which the trade is actually executed, often occurring during periods of higher volatility.

Socially responsible investing involves choosing investments based on both financial return and social/environmental good to bring about social change.

Solvent is a way of describing a company or individual when they have enough assets to cover all of their liabilities, indicating financial health and stability.

Speculative demand refers to the demand for an asset based not on its fundamental value but on the expectation that its price will rise in the future, allowing the speculator to sell at a profit.

A spot contract is a contract of buying or selling a commodity, security, or currency for immediate settlement on the spot date, which is normally two business days after the trade date.

Squeeze out is a process where majority shareholders can compel minority shareholders to sell their shares at a fair price, often following a takeover, to consolidate control over the company.

In cryptocurrency, staking involves holding funds in a cryptocurrency wallet to support the operations of a blockchain network. Participants are typically rewarded with additional cryptocurrency.

Stock market prediction involves the analysis of data to forecast future movements in stock prices. Techniques range from statistical analysis to machine learning and sentiment analysis.

A stock split happens when a company increases the number of its shares and lowers the price of each share at the same time. The company’s total market value and its fundamentals stay the same – only the share count and price change.

Stock valuation is the process of determining the intrinsic value of a stock based on future earnings, market position, and financial health to decide if the stock is priced appropriately.

Stub period refers to a shorter or irregular period at the beginning or end of a financial schedule or a bond’s accumulation period, often resulting from the alignment of financial calendars.

Subscription price is the price at which existing shareholders can purchase additional shares in a company during a rights issue. This price is typically set below the current market price to incentivise participation.

Swap spread is the difference between the fixed interest rate of a swap and the yield of a comparable maturity government bond, used as a benchmark for the swap’s relative value.

A swap transaction involves exchanging financial instruments or cash flows between two parties on specified dates in the future, according to conditions agreed upon at the start of the contract.

Systematic trading involves using computer algorithms to trade based on technical and statistical criteria, often with little or no human intervention beyond the programming and monitoring stages.