By Caitlin Kenney

Matthew Rose over at the Wall Street Journal has a great financial edition of the "Devil's Dictionary." Here are a few of my favorites:

BANK, BAD, n. 1. Everyone else. 2. Especially Goldman Sachs.
GREEN SHOOTS, n. 1. The first signs of spring, often clobbered by summer's heat and autumn's rain. 2. A sign the economy is falling apart more slowly than previously thought. Related: DAISIES, PUSHING UP. See also THINKING, WISHFUL.
STRESS TEST, n. 1. A measure of arterial blood flow to the head. 2. Alchemic process by which struggling, undercapitalized banks are transformed into paragons of modern finance. (See BANKS, GOOD.) Also known as the "Timothy F. Geithner Seal of Approval," which some bankers insist is good until it isn't anymore. (See BANKS, BAD.)

Anyone care to take a stab at definitions for capital injection, leverage or mark-to-market?

categories: Fun With Economics

2:27 - September 15, 2009

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