stock mkt terms

K

A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that the stock has no voting rights

Kagi Chart

A type of chart developed by the Japanese in the 1870s that uses a series of vertical lines to illustrate general levels of supply and demand for certain assets. Thick lines are drawn when the price of the underlying asset breaks above the previous high price and is interpreted as an increase in demand for the asset. Thin lines are used to represent increased supply when the price falls below the previous low.

Kaizen

A philosophy that recognizes improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process. Kaizen is a Japanese term that literally means "change for the better". The concept of Kaizen encompasses a wide scope of ideas it involves making the work environment more efficient and effective by creating a team atmosphere, improving everyday procedures, ensuring employee satisfaction and making a job more fulfilling, less tiring and safer.

Kangaroos

Slang term for Australian stocks, it refers mostly to the stocks on the All Ordinaries index, which is composed of 280 of the most active Australian companies.

Kappa

Used in regression analysis, Kappa represents the ratio of the dollar price change in the price of an option to a 1% change in the expected price volatility.

Katie Couric Clause

A slang term for a proposed new Securities and Exchange Commission rule, formally known as the Executive Compensation and Related Party Disclosure, that would require publicly traded companies to disclose not only the salaries of their top five executives, but also those of top earning non-executives, including actors, directors and TV news anchors.

The term refers to former "Today Show" host Katie Couric, who became CBS's highest paid newscaster in April 2006, with a reported salary of US$15 million over five years. As of April 2006, this proposed rule has not been approved by the SEC.

Keepwell Agreement

A contract between a parent company and its subsidiary to maintain solvency and financial backing throughout the term set in the agreement.

Keiretsu

A Japanese term describing a loose conglomeration of firms sharing one or more common denominators. The companies don't necessarily need to own equity in each other.

Keltner Channel

A volatility based 'envelope' indicator that measures the movement of stocks in relation to an upper and lower moving-average band.

Keogh Plan

A defined-benefit plan or defined-contributio n plan established by a self-employed individual for him/herself and his/her employees.

KES

In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Kenyan Shilling.

Key Performance Indicators - KPI

A set of quantifiable measures that a company or industry uses to gauge or compare performance in terms of meeting their strategic and operational goals. KPIs vary between companies and industries, depending on their priorities or performance criteria. Also referred to as "key success indicators (KSI)"

Key Person Insurance

A type of life insurance policy that a company purchases on the life of the company's key executive.