Definition, How It Works, Example

What Is Loan Servicing? Loan servicing refers to the administrative aspects of a loan from the time the proceeds are dispersed to the borrower until the loan is paid off. Loan servicing includes sending monthly payment statements, collecting monthly payments, maintaining records of payments and balances, collecting and paying taxes and insurance (and managing escrow funds), remitting funds to the note …

Read More »

Domino’s Stock Breaks Out After Strong Q4 Earnings

Domino’s Pizza, Inc. (DPZ) shares rose more than 25% during Thursday’s session after the company reported better-than-expected fourth quarter financial results. Revenue rose 6.5% to $1.15 billion, beating consensus estimates by $20 million, and non-GAAP earnings per share came in at $3.13, beating consensus estimates by 16 cents per share. Comparable sales rose 3.9% during the quarter, which was sharply …

Read More »

Definition, How Lenders Use It, and Calculation

What Is the Rule of 78? The Rule of 78 is a method used by some lenders to calculate interest charges on a loan. The Rule of 78 requires the borrower to pay a greater portion of interest in the earlier part of a loan cycle, which decreases the potential savings for the borrower in paying off their loan. Key …

Read More »

Morgan Stanley’s E*TRADE Deal Could Signal Long-Term Top

Morgan Stanley (MS) will buy E*TRADE Financial Corporation (ETFC) for around $13 billion in stock, adding over 5.2 million accounts to the company’s customer base of 3 million. The firm will now handle assets of over $3 trillion while gaining exposure to a less affluent retail demographic. Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman crowed about the deal, telling CNBC it was “ridiculous” that …

Read More »

Dow Theory Could Signal Broad-Based Decline

The Dow Jones Transportation Average has failed to break out with major benchmarks, setting off a bearish divergence originally described by Dow Theory more than 100 years ago. This “non-confirmation” could be significant because it’s forecasting tougher times for blue chips and big tech in the second quarter. It’s even possible that the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500, and Nasdaq …

Read More »

Are Social Security Payments Included in the U.S. GDP?

No, Social Security payments are not included in the U.S. definition of the gross domestic product (GDP). Social Security payments are transfer payments, which are not included. They are, however, counted as personal consumption expenditures (PCE) once they are used to purchase something. Because of this, counting Social Security payments issued from the government to the recipient would be counting …

Read More »

Principles-Based Accounting vs. Rules-Based Accounting

Nearly all companies are required to prepare their financial statements as set out by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)whose standards are generally principles-based. FASB uses these principles in establishing its accounting practices and methods. Law requires U.S. companies to adhere to accounting standards when reporting their financial statements, but the specifics can vary depending on where a company is …

Read More »

Maximum Drawdown (MDD) Defined, With Formula for Calculation

What Is a Maximum Drawdown (MDD)? A maximum drawdown (MDD) is the maximum observed loss from a peak to a trough of a portfolio, before a new peak is attained. Maximum drawdown is an indicator of downside risk over a specified time period. It can be used both as a stand-alone measure or as an input into other metrics such …

Read More »

What Are the 5 Principal Risk Measures and How Do They Work?

What Are Risk Measures? Risk measures are statistical measures that are historical predictors of investment risk and volatilityand they are also major components in modern portfolio theory (MPT). MPT is a standard financial and academic methodology for assessing the performance of a stock or a stock fund as compared to its benchmark index. There are five principal risk measures, and …

Read More »