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Glossary of Investment Terms

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Welcome to the Investment Glossary. We hope you find these terms useful. Should you have a term you would like addressed, please let us know. We would be happy to add it to our list.

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S&P/TSX 60 Index  The S&P/TSX 60 Index tracks the performance of 60 of Canada's largest companies.

Salomon Brothers World Bond Index  Measures the performance of over 800 bonds representing 14 global bond markets. The bonds are weighted by market capitalization and include maturities of over 1 year.

Scotia Capital Markets (SCM) Long Term Bond Index   An index of bonds with a term to maturity of over ten years.

Scotia Capital Markets (SCM) Mid Term Bond Index   An index of bonds with a term to maturity of five to ten years.

Scotia Capital Markets (SCM) Mortgage Market Index   A total return index in which all mortgages are assumed to have a 25-year amortization period. Month-end yields are obtained from a representative sample of major Canadian Schedule A chartered banks. This index assumes a five-year term prior to December 1980 and a three-year term thereafter to account for individual preferences for shorter term mortgages during the 1980s.

Scotia Capital Markets (SCM) Short Term Bond Index   An index of bonds with a term to maturity of one to five years.

Scotia Capital Markets (SCM) Universe Bond Index (SMU)   An index of approximately 750 bonds with a term to maturity of one to thirty years, designed to reflect the Canadian bond market.

Secondary Offering   The redistribution of a block of stock sometime after it has been sold by the issuing company.

Short Term Investment Horizon   An investment period of one year or less. An investor in this time frame should be most concerned about capital preservation as the monies will be required shortly.

Simple Rates of Return   The percentage change in the net asset value of a fund over a certain period of time, usually in terms of 1 month to 1 year periods.

Standard and Poors 500 (S&P 500)   A benchmark of U.S. common stock performance, it includes 500 of the largest stocks (by market value) listed in the U.S.