The financial world has developed a special investment-oriented language to help describe the stock market, investments, securities for the stock market, stock market analysis, and its conditions. At times you may be confronted with a term which is totally alien or has a completely different meaning from what you thought. Misunderstanding these terms can sometimes lead to the wrong conclusion, and that can cost you money!

What you don't know can hurt you.

Also known as a rocket scientist, a quant is someone who is really good at math, computer science and the like and brings those skills to bear in the securities industry. The rise of computers and exotic derivatives on Stock Exchanges is both a cause and an effect of quants. Such tools (along with the big bucks to be made) bring quants to the industry, who in turn create more such tools themselves.

The number of shares purchased or tracked for a given security.

The sum of cash and receivables from the most recent quarter divided by the total current liabilities from the most recent quarter. This assessment of a company's ability to meet short-term obligations is also known as the acid test. In general, the quick ratio should be 1 or better. A high quick ratio is usually a sign of a solid, conservatively run company in no danger of imminent demise even if for some awful reason sales immediately ceased. A firm's quick ratio might be of special interest to investors anticipating some kind of downturn in the firm's business or the economy at large.

The sum of cash and receivables from the most recent quarter divided by the total current liabilities from the most recent quarter. This assessment of a company's ability to meet short-term obligations is also known as the acid test. In general, the quick ratio should be 1 or better. A high quick ratio is usually a sign of a solid, conservatively run company in no danger of imminent demise even if for some awful reason sales immediately ceased. A firm's quick ratio might be of special interest to investors anticipating some kind of downturn in the firm's business or the economy at large.