First National Bank of Bumfuck, Egypt (fictional remote bank)
"Bumfuck, Egypt" has been used in American slang since at least 1972 to mean a very remote place. Who knew that the place had a bank? "The First National Bank of Bumfuck" means…
Fiscal Cliff
A "fiscal cliff" is a point where a government can't pay its bills. The term "fiscal cliff" was used in 1975 to describe New York City's financial crisis. "The…
Fitchslap or Fitch Slap (Fitch + bitch slap)
Fitch Ratings is one of the "big three" credit rating agencies. An entity that is downgraded by Fitch is said to have been "Fitchslapped" or "Fitch slapped" (Fitch +…
Flash Crash
A "flash crash" is a sudden stock market decline. This can be triggered by computer selling, turning a small stock market drop into a crash in just a matter of minutes. The May 6, 2010…
Flat Broke
To be "flat broke" is to have absolutely no money. The word "flat" is added, perhaps, to emphasize that there is no bulge in any pants pocket to show even a single coin.…
Flight to Quality
A "flight to quality" is when investors sell higher-risk investments and purchase lower-risk investments (with lower potential returns). In the past, a "flight to quality" has…
Foam the Runway
An airport foams a runway when a crash landing is expected, minimizing the impact of the crash. The financial markets have long used the airplane language of a "soft landing" or a…
Forever Demanding Increased Capital (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDIC nickname)
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was created in 1933 to guarantee the safety of deposits in member banks. The FDIC requires these banks to have sufficient capital reserves to…
Forever Recession
The term "forever recession" was coined by Seth Godin on his blog on September 21, 2010, "The forever recession," and on September 29, 2011, "The forever recession (and the…
Fort Knox of Silver (West Point Mint nickname)
The West Point Bullion Depository began in 1937 near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. It became the West Point Mint in 1988. The depository served as a storage facility for silver…
Fortress Balance Sheet
A "fortress balance sheet" of a bank or a company is one that shows sufficient capital to withstand a downturn in business conditions (or "attacks on the fortress"). The term…
Fragile Five or Troubled Ten (national currencies on the brink)
Morgan Stanley's Global Currency Research Team produced a report in August 2013, and James Lord, an Emerging Markets Strategist, wrote "EM Currencies: The Fragile Five." The…
FrankenFed (Frankenstein monster + Federal Reserve)
"FrankenFed” (Frankenstein monster + Federal Reserve) refers to a frightening Federal Reserve ("Fed") -- the monetary system of the United States. Frankenstein, or The Modern…
Fraud Street (Wall Street nickname)
"Wall Street is looking more and more like Fraud Street," was printed on the June 17, 2002 New York (NY) Post, describing WorldCom and other major business scandals. The nickname…
Fraudacity (fraud + audacity)
"Fraudacity" (fraud + audacity) is sometimes used to parody Barack Obama's 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope. On October 17, 2008, Karl Denninger wrote on "The Fraudacity of…
Fraudclosure (fraud + foreclosure)
"Fraudclosure" (fraud + foreclosure) became a popular term in October 2010, when it was discovered that many banks starting the foreclosure process were doing so using fraudulent or…
Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation)
Freddie Mac signifies the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC). The FHLMC was formed in 1970 and "Freddie Mac" has been cited in print since at least January 1971. In 1997,…
Free Shit Army (FSA)
The "Free Shit Army" (FSA) is a name used by James Quinn on the blog The Market Oracle, on October 11, 2010, to describe the great masses who want something for free. This can include…
Frexit (France/French + exit)
"Brexit” (Great Britain/British + exit) is a word created to define a possible British exit from the eurozone. "Brexit" has been cited in print since at least May 2012. A similar…
Fun-durr-mentals
"Fun-durr-mentals" (from the word "fundamentals") was coined by the financial blog Zero Hedge on December 10, 2013. "Durr" means "duh" and…