Glossary Of Trading

Day-Trading

The practice of opening and closing positions on the same day, primarily used by speculators.

Dealing Desk

Originally the desk at which forex traders in banks sat, today – often referred to as the trading room – the place where trades are facilitated and assets are priced.

Deficit

A trade balance that is negative as a result of cost (imports, on the national level) being greater than income (exports on the national level).

Deposit

To place money in an account – usually with the aim of preserving or increasing its value.

Depreciation

A decrease in an asset’s absolute value. This can be as a result of the asset’s deterioration (inherent value) or a lessened demand for that asset or others like it (perceived value).

Depth of Market

The volume of trades being executed at a specific moment on a specific asset.

Derivative

A contract to trade an underlying asset (or a basket thereof) in the future. Examples of derivatives are CFDs, options, futures and forwards. AN ETF is not a derivative but an independently priced and traded asset – usually at an exchange. A Swap, on the other hand, is a derivative, although its price is not derived from an underlying asset but from the value of cash-flows or interest rates.

Dividend

A payment by a share issuer to a shareholder derived from the former’s profits.

Dow Jones

A business and financial news & analysis company that publishes the Dow Jones 30 index, which tracks the average value of the 30 major companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.

Downtrend

A chart pattern showing diminishing value and confirmed by sequentially falling highs and lows.