penny-stock

Definition

Stocks trading below $5 per share, typically on over-the-counter markets with minimal regulation or scrutiny. It's where pump-and-dump schemes go to flourish and retail investors go to lose their money quickly.

Example Usage

He lost $10,000 day-trading penny-stocks based on tips from anonymous strangers on the internet, shocking absolutely no one.

Origin

Originally referred to stocks trading below $1, though SEC definitions vary

Fun Fact

Despite the name, penny-stocks aren't necessarily cheap—a $4 stock with a billion shares outstanding is worth more than a $100 stock with a million shares.

Source: Securities trading and retail investing terminology

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asset

Anything of value that accountants get to play with on a balance sheet, from office furniture to that sketchy intern who somehow speaks fluent Mandarin. In finance, it's what you own that's theoretically worth something—until the market decides otherwise. Can also refer to a spy, because espionage and spreadsheets both involve secrets.

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