YANKEE BOND. A bond issued by non-U.S. entities trading in the U.S. stock market.
“Indeed, as part of Friday's deal, Indonesia promised to seek similar rescheduling terms from private creditors, such as the London Club of nongovernmental lenders. But the Paris Club agreement notably excluded government-guaranteed payments worked out as part of an earlier restructuring of the foreign debts of Indonesian banks, as well as Indonesia's $400 million Yankee bond.” (Wall Street Journal, April 15, 2002, p. A12)
YELLOW GOODS. Products bought only rarely which offer high profit margins to retailers.
YELLOW SHEETS. U.S. National Quotation Bureau lists of over-the-counter corporate bonds.
YELLOW UNION. A company-controlled union with no real interest in representing the workers.
YEAR-END CLOSE. Business completed by the end of the year.
YES MAN. An employee whose main function is to endorse a supervisor’s decisions. In many management environments, these people are easily identified by the deference they show to superiors and the condescending manner shown to subordinates. See also ASS-KISSER.
“The alleged WorldCom fraud, moreover, contains several notable 1990s boomtown traits. One is the young chief financial officer closely tied to the superstar CEO. The CFO is supposed to be a corporate truth-teller, not a yes man. Yet WorldCom's CFO, 40-year-old Scott Sullivan, rose in the company as chairman Bernard Ebbers's right-hand man.” (Wall Street Journal, June 27, 2002, p. A20)
Y.E.S. UNIT. Your Extra Salesperson, fact sheet on a retail shelf that pulls down like a shade.
VOLDIS. Abbreviation for volume discounts.
YOU BET. An affirmation meaning surely or certainly. It is considered casual and less-than professional speech.
“‘We haven't been able to raise the $200 million,’ said Jim Kim, an adviser to WHO Director General Jong Wook Lee, and a participant in the public-private fund-raising plan. He said if public-health systems in developing countries aren't improved, ‘is the world in trouble? You bet.’ China is believed to be the breeding ground for SARS, new flu viruses and other deadly bugs.” (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 10, 2003, p. A8)
YO-YO. To destabilize deliberately a business relationship by increasing or decreasing orders or frequently changing other arrangements; as in the toy, the business is kept on a string, going up and down.
YO-YO STOCK. A stock that fluctuates wildly with no apparent stable pattern.
“Textile industry sales usually follow a yo-yo path with a down year following a good one, but the industry broke tradition with its second consecutive good year in 1993.” (Textile World, June 1994, p. 23)
YUPPIE. A “young urban professional person.” A popular, uncomplimentary characterization of young American business people in the 1980s. It implied that these people were especially mercenary.
“China's cheese market is still tiny, with estimated annual retail sales this year of about $31 million, says market researcher Access Asia Ltd. in Shanghai. And most of the cheese sold to Chinese is in the form of slices, not fancier varieties with visible mold and rinds. (Frontier does ship finer cheeses like Brie to China, but Mr. Kumar says they're ‘niche products’ for the rare yuppie or expatriate buyer.)” (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 11, 2003, p. B1)