I’ve always admired the English sense of humor, and this post on terrorism alerts is a good example.
In that spirit, here’s something that just arrived in my inbox, originally from this website.
For your reading enjoyment, a financial glossary for modern times, including in many cases an example of how the term should be used.
BANK, n. Bottomless cavity in the ground that sucks in money and the unwary.
I had quite a bit of money but then I put it in the bank.
BOND, n. A profitless contrivance used for catching the gullible or feeble-minded.
That pension fund is 100% in bonds now.
BROKER, adj. A comparative descriptive state for a client of a Wall Street bank.
He didn’t exactly have a lot of money before he started dealing with Goldman Sachs. Now he’s even broker.
BUBBLE, n. Fundamental prerequisite for a functioning Anglo-Saxon economy.
We need a new bubble to replace the ones we had in dotcom and property.
CENTRAL BANK, n. Lobbyist for commercial banks well versed in alchemy.
CURRENCY, n. Largely intangible substance with an inherent property that tends to instantaneous evaporation, the destruction of life and the permanent impairment of wealth.
I had money once but then I exchanged it for currency in a moment of madness.
DEFAULT, n. Semi-mythical celestial occurrence that passes by Earth every 76 years.
I was worried for a second about that Greek default, but I realise there’s nothing to see now and all is well.
FEDERAL RESERVE, n. A wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs.
The Federal Reserve voted to give a few more billion dollars to Wall Street.
GREECE, n. An undesirable or unfortunate happening that occurs unintentionally but results in harm, injury, damage and colossal loss of wealth. And profits for Goldman Sachs.
Did you see Greece ? Sheesh.
HORLICK, n. Progressive and insufficiently appreciated investment visionary.
HOUSE, n. In most countries, simply a place to live. In Britain, a theoretically infinite source of perpetual tax revenue for deluded Lib Dems.'
('This is tautological. – Ed.)
INVESTOR, n. Plucky protagonist admired for brave deeds and quixotic struggling who is about to get shafted by Wall Street interests.
I was an investor in euro zone sovereign bonds but then everything went Greek.
JAPAN, n. Where hopes of profit go to die.
KEYNES, n. Slang: Vulgar. Disparaging and offensive.
That joker Posen is a complete Keynes.
POLITICIAN, n. Someone better informed than you about how to spend your money.
RATINGS AGENCY, n. A professional entertainer who amuses by relating absurd and fantastical tales.
That ratings agency’s credit assessment was so funny, I had to change my trousers.
RESTRUCTURING, n. Statutory rape.
Those bondholders are undergoing a voluntary restructuring – you might even call it a ‘credit event’.
ROGUE TRADER, n. Unprofitable proprietary trader. (Hat-tip to Killian Connolly.)
SOCIETY, n. The process whereby wealth is diverted from taxpayers to banks.
TAXPAYER, n. Simple-minded dolt too foolish to be working for the government.
US GOVERNMENT, n. Another wholly owned subsidiary of Goldman Sachs.
We seem to be running out of Goldman Sachs alumni here in the Treasury. No, wait, we’ve still got hundreds of ‘em.
VINCE CABLE, n. (No longer in technical use; considered offensive) a person of the lowest order in a former and discarded classification of mental retardation.
Don’t be a Vince Cable – get down off that wardrobe and come and eat your tea!
Here’s one last joke that I assume was concocted by someone in England.
Also from the U.K., here are two youtube videos, one on the “end of the world in 3 minutes” (might be Australian, but close enough) and the other on the “subprime crisis.”
P.S. I have no idea who or what a “Horlick” is, but I can give you this clue and this clue about Vince Cable.
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