Videos

Your marginal tax rate is simply the tax rate you pay on each extra pound of income you earn. Here's how that works.

Traditionally, economists and central bankers worry about inflation or recession. But there is one thing worse than both: stagflation. Here's what it …

Drawdowns are an unfortunate part of an investor’s life. But what exactly is a drawdown?

The term “metaverse” sounds like something out of a science fiction novel (and it is). But what does it actually mean?

These days, most currencies are "fiat" currencies backed by the economies of the countries that issue them. But in days gone by currencies were on the…

Tapering is the reduction in quantitative easing provided by a central bank. But how does it work?

A share buyback means just what it says – a company buys back its own shares. But why? And how does that benefit shareholders?

The FTSE 100 is probably the best-known stockmarket index in the UK. But what exactly is an index?

If you read the business pages for any length of time, you’re likely to come across a rather clunky acronym: Ebitda. What does it mean?

Rather than buy shares in a company, traders who want to profit from short-term moves in the market often prefer to use financial tools such as option…

A low interest-rate environment enables companies to reduce their interest payments, but it can also create "zombie companies". But what is a zombie c…

Private equity investors have a mixed reputation – they’re either hands-on “turnaround” experts or rapacious asset strippers. But what exactly is priv…

Government spending is funded in two ways – taxation and borrowing. When a government borrows money, it issues an IOU called a sovereign bond.

In a special video podcast, the FT's Gillian Tett tells Merryn Somerset Webb why what people aren't talking about is just as important as what they ar…

Passive investing is when you buy a fund that aims to track the performance of a particular index. Here's how it works.

A commodity supercycle may sound complicated, but it is a simply a prolonged period of rising prices for raw materials. Here is what it is and how it …

Gearing might sound complicated, but it is a simple concept that is very important in investing. Here’s what it is and how it works.

“Pound-cost averaging” might sound complicated, but it simply means investing into the market at regular intervals. Here's how it works.

Mention hyperinflation and many of us will think of wheelbarrows full of cash in Weimar Germany. Or, more recently, Zimbabwe or Venezuela. But what ex…

Governments around the world are considering creating their own digital currencies. But what are they and how do they compare to cryptocurrencies such…

Probably the best-known type of financial fraud is the Ponzi scheme. Here’s how it works.

Some investors don’t rely on a market or company’s fundamentals when assessing whether to buy or sell. They use “technical analysis” or “charting” ins…

In the first four months of 2021, the value of cryptocurrency dogecoin shot up by around 9,000%. But what is dogecoin and why has it gone up so much?

Two of the most important indicators for the economy are “producer price inflation” and “consumer price inflation”. But what are they and what do they…