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The tender and receipt of the underlying commodity or the payment or receipt of cash in the settlement of an open futures contract.

The combined desire, ability and willingness on the part of consumers to buy goods or services. Demand is determined by income and by price, which are, in part, determined by supply.

Options and other instrument whose value depends on an underlying security. For instance, the value of a call option on Cisco Systems (derivative) fluctuates with the price of Cisco System’s stock.

The highest price that a security has traded at during the day.

The lowest price that a security has traded at during the day.

An order that is valid only for the day it is entered. If the order is still outstanding when the market closes, it will be purged overnight.

A measure of accounts receivables compared to sales. Higher DSOs means a company’s receivables as a percentage of sales have increased, not a good sign.

A long-term debt instrument issued by corporations or governments that is backed only by the integrity of the borrower, not by collateral. A debenture is unsecured and subordinate to secured debt. A debenture is unsecured in that there are no liens or pledges on specific assets.

The price paid per $100 of a debt instrument’s face value traded. A debt instrument trading at par would have a price of $100. A price below face value (for example, $99.1) indicates that the debt instrument has traded at a discount. A price above face value (for example, $101.1) indicates that the debt instrument has traded at a premium.

Total long term debt divided by total shareholder equity.