Come to Terms
So, last week it was about
Microeconomics - What’s for Dinner. Now it’s back to
Macroeconomics. Why? You have to be able to read the winds
of finance out there if you want to know what to expect for
your family.
So, here’s a
simple quiz about financial terms. Take it, and see how you
do:
1. The
Secretary of the Treasury is:
a) Hank Paulson
b) Timothy Geithner
c) Hillary Clinton
d) Janet Napolitano
2.
What does the Secretary of the Treasury do?
a) In charge of tax policy, public debt, and general
financial policy
b) In charge of the above, plus ATF, Customs and Secret
Service
c) In charge of the IMF (Int’l Monetary Fund)
d) In charge of the IRS
3.
What is the Federal Reserve System?
a) It makes reservations for all restaurants in the US
b) Select members of Congress serve on this board to keep
track of capitalism conducted in the US
c) A largely private entity that runs the central banking
system and manages the money supply
d) A gov’t agency that keeps track of the gold in Fort
Knox, and other precious metals and gems
4. Who
is the Chairman of the Fed?
a) Alan Greenspan
b) Hank Paulson
c) David Souter
d) Benjamin Bernanke
5.
What is a deficit?
a) The amount by which costs overrun budget
b) The total debt one owes
c) The opposite of “elicit”
d) When costs go down
6.
What is deflation?
a) A retraction of the money supply.
b) When costs go up
c) When a market fails
d) It’s another word for inflation
7.
What is Keynesian economics?
a) It holds that economics has various key points to unlock
markets
b) The economic system of the sovereign nation of Kenya
c) Foreign aid to Kenya
d) Based on the ideas of a British economist who believed
that gov’t spending was more positively impactful than
private.
8.
What is a trade deficit?
a) When another country doesn’t ship goods paid for.
b) When one country pays more to another country than that
country pays to it, in the course of trade.
c) Same thing as a trade embargo.
d) When a country has nothing to export or import.
9.
What is a futures market?
a) Investment in technology that hasn’t yet been realized.
b) A tongue-in-cheek term for a crystal ball, used by
economists
c) Contracts agreed upon now for goods to be
produced/delivered at a later date
d) Debt that will be paid later
10.
What is a “dead cat bounce” in economic
vernacular?
a) Trade of inferior products.
b) When analysts try to make a stock look better than it
is.
c) “Cat” stands for Cash At Trade, refers to payment at
point of sale, rate at which that happens
d) A bear market that briefly rallies before falling again
How’d you do? I’m low on time this week, so check back Wednesday for the answers and explanations!
Thanks for all the thoughtful answers I’ve gotten so far in my Frugal Questionaire. If you’d like to add your insights to help me make my next book so much more interesting and readable, please fill it out!