Banking On Words

In this short but ambitious book, Arjun Appadurai argues that the failure of the financial system in 2007-08 in the United States was primarily a failure of language. This argument does not deny that greed, ignorance, weak regulation, and irresponsible risk-taking were important factors in the collapse. But the new role of language in the marketplace, for Appadurai, is the condition of possibility for all these more easily identifiable flaws. Attempts to rectify the social pathologies of contemporary finance must address that failure of language. "Banking on Words "focuses on derivatives as the distinctive innovation of our financial era. Derivatives are written promises concerning the uncertain future prices of financial assets and the substance of these contracts is expressed in terms of money. The recent failure of derivatives markets was systematic and should be understood as failed promises. While it is well-known that derivatives pile risk on risk with little basis in real production and trade, Appadurai reveals this process in a fresh light from which some policy conclusions may be drawn. While critical of derivative finance s present social infrastructure and supporting ideology, Appadurai acknowledges its capacity for creating vast new forms of wealth and asks the crucial question: if we want access to that wealth, what kind of social arrangements would we need to make sure that it benefits all of society rather than reinforcing a system that benefits the few who are already well off? His bold answer involves not the repair of the force of promises but rather the repair and reconstruction of the idea of the individual to enable new sorts of solidarity between dividuals, agents whose very partiality may allow for new aggregations of aspiration, interest and affiliation. This amounts to nothing less than a new ideology of sociality."

Markets are artifacts of language—so Douglas R. Holmes argues in this deeply researched look at central banks and the people who run them. Working at the intersection of anthropology, linguistics, and economics, he shows how central bankers have been engaging in communicative experiments that predate the financial crisis and continue to be refined amid its unfolding turmoil—experiments that do not merely describe the economy, but actually create its distinctive features. Holmes examines the New York District Branch of the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, Deutsche Bundesbank, and the Bank of England, among others, and shows how officials there have created a new monetary regime that relies on collaboration with the public to achieve the ends of monetary policy. Central bankers, Holmes argues, have shifted the conceptual anchor of monetary affairs away from standards such as gold or fixed exchange rates and toward an evolving relationship with the public, one rooted in sentiments and expectations. Going behind closed doors to reveal the intellectual world of central banks,Economy of Words offers provocative new insights into the way our economic circumstances are conceptualized and ultimately managed.

The Language of Banking includes nearly 850 everyday words, phrases, and laws used in the world of finance. Each entry provides an easy-to-understand definition and, when appropriate, a brief background on the phrase or statute. Charts are given to explain such items as annual percentage rate and ability to pay.

Entries cover the vocabulary used in banking, money markets, foreign exchanges, public and government finance, and private investment and borrowing, and much more. Feature entries have been included in this edition for the fuller explanation of topical and complex areas. -- From publisher's description.

Simple, concise, and up-to-date, the International Dictionary of Banking and Finance lists thousands of key words, terms, acronyms, and proper names that bankers, financial managers, students, and business teachers use every day. Arranged in alphabetical order, the terms are precisely defined--so that readers may comprehend the meanings in terms of daily business activities or study. Designed with the student as well as the executive in mind, the Dictionary includes terms and concepts from around the world, and it cross-references related terms to provide insight and clarification. Subjects covered include: investments; finance; commercial and mortgage banking; exporting; business structure; and a host of other broad business categories.

Argues that the stock market crash of 1929 and subsequent Depression occurred as a result of poor decisions on the part of four central bankers who jointly attempted to reconstruct international finance by reinstating the gold standard.

An “artfully presented [and] engaging” look at the insidious effects of financialization on our lives and politics by the author of Treasure Islands (The Boston Globe). How didthe banking sector grow from a supporter of business to the biggest business in the world? Financial journalist Nicholas Shaxson takes us on a terrifying journey through the world economy, exposing tax havens, monopolists, megabanks, private equity firms, Eurobond traders, lobbyists, and a menagerie of scoundrels quietly financializing our entire society, hurting both business and individuals. Shaxson shows how we got here, telling the story of how finance re-engineered the global economic order in the last half-century, with the aim not of creating wealth but extracting it from the underlying economy. Under the twin gospels of “national competitiveness” and “shareholder value,” megabanks and financialized corporations have provoked a race to the bottom between states to provide the most subsidized environment for big business, encouraged a brain drain into finance, fostered instability and inequality, and turned a blind eye to the spoils of organized crime. From Ireland to Iowa, he shows the insidious effects of financialization on our politics and on communities who were promised paradise but got poverty wages instead. We need a strong financial system—but when it grows too big it becomes a monster. The Finance Curse is the explosive story of how finance got a stranglehold on society, and reveals how we might release ourselves from its grasp. Revised with new chapters “[Discusses] corrupt financiers in London and New York City, geographically obscure tax havens, the bizarre realm of wealth managers in South Dakota, a ravaged newspaper in New Jersey, and a shattered farm economy in Iowa . . . A vivid demonstration of how corruption and greed have become the main organizing principles in the finance industry.” —Kirkus Reviews

Everyone needs to understand the terms used in banking to be able to evaluate banking services, offerings, and transactions in critical ways. The need to do so is underscored by the fact that some of the words and phrases may have gain or loss implication in particular banking situations, transactions, or relationships. Besides, with a sound understanding of banking words and phrases, people will be in a position to objectively assess claims in financial services which banks package, offer, or deliver to them. Such understanding could also be one of the ways to achieve mutually beneficial relationships to which the banks and their customers aspire. On the other hand, practising bankers must understand words and phrases that are used in relation to or while processing financial services, transactions, requests, or in managing banking relationships. The dictionary is comprehensive enough to serve as an effective handbook for them and fulfil their professional banking reference needs. However, it's also relevant to everyone who has anything to do with banking, banks, or banking relationship. Yet, it will be of immense value to students, especially those in institutions of higher learning. The greatest appeal of this dictionary is in simple definition and presentation of entries. Its users will also find that entries in the dictionary cover a broad range of clearly defined words and phrases that constitute the banking vocabulary – from the academic to the practical, and from the formal to the colloquial. There are also practical example sentences which further illustrate meanings of the entries. Most of the entries are largely peculiar to banking in Africa. Many of the words and phrases especially reflect the conventional and emerging language of banking in West Africa. These attributes make the dictionary more adaptable to the African environment and banking purposes. Thus, “Dictionary and language of banking” offers specific benefits, summarized below. It, amongst other benefits, •equips the banking public with words and phrases that are used in relation to, or while, processing financial services, transactions, requests, or in managing banking relationships •offers understanding required to evaluate banking services, offerings, and transactions in a critical way, especially as some of the words and phrases may have gain or loss implication in particular banking situations, transactions, or relationships •puts readers in a position to objectively assess claims in financial services which banks package, offer, or deliver to them. Such understanding could also be one of the ways to achieve mutually beneficial banking relationships to which banks and their customers aspire •comprehensively covers banking words and phrases, which makes the dictionary relevant to everyone who has anything to do with banking, banks, or banking relationship •appeals particularly to students and practising bankers as an effective reference handbook •has advantage in simple definition and presentation of entries, with clearly defined words and phrases that constitute the banking vocabulary – from the academic to the practical, and from the formal to the colloquial •contains practical example sentences which illustrate meanings of the entries

Readers can gain a lot of interest without mortgaging their time with this book of words that are really worth the money.