Click over any alphabet to get a partial list of terms or click over 'Full List' to get complete list of terms on one page.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z  Full List
Qualitative analysis
When a securities analyst evaluates intangible factors, such as the integrity and experience of a company's management, the positioning of its products and services, or the appeal of its marketing campaign, that seem likely to influence future performance, the approach is described as qualitative analysis. While this type of evaluation is more subjective than quantitative analysis — which looks at statistical data — advocates of this approach believe that success or failure in the corporate world is often driven as much by qualitative factors as by financial data.

Quantitative analysis
When a securities analyst focuses on a companies’ financial data in order to project potential future performance, the process is called quantitative analysis. This methodology involves looking at profit-and-loss statements, sales and earnings histories, and the statistical state of the economy rather than at more subjective factors such as management experience, employee attitudes, and brand recognition. While some people feel that quantitative analysis by itself gives an incomplete picture of a company's prospects, advocates tend to believe that numbers tell the whole story.

Quarter
The financial world splits up its calendar into four quarters, each three months long. If January to March is the first quarter, April to June is the second quarter, and so on, though a company's first quarter does not have to begin in January. In India, the financial year normally starts from first April and ends on last day of March. The listing agreement of the stock exchanges requires all companies to submit a quarterly report on a prescribed format and, publish them as well, in two newspapers, describing their financial results for the quarter. These reports and the predictions that market analysts make about them often have an impact on a company's stock price.