Banking & Business, COM-DEP
From central banks and credit systems to startups and sprawling corporations, banking and business shape how capital is raised, risk is managed, and economies grow.
Banking & Business Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is an American media and technology company with operations in broadband, wireless services,......
Commerce clause
Commerce clause, provision of the U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 8) that authorizes Congress âto regulate......
commerce, chamber of
chamber of commerce, any of various voluntary organizations of business firms, public officials, professional people,......
commercial bank
A commercial bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits, makes loans, and provides financial services......
Commercial Revolution
Commercial Revolution, Great increase in commerce in Europe that began in the late Middle Ages. It received stimulus......
Commerzbank AG
Commerzbank AG, major commercial bank in Germany with branches and associates in domestic and foreign finance and......
commission
A commission is a service fee charged by a broker or financial professional for the facilitation of a financial......
commodity exchange
commodity exchange, organized market for the purchase and sale of enforceable contracts to deliver a commodity......
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), established in 1974, is an independent U.S. federal agency based......
commodity trade
commodity trade, the international trade in primary goods. Such goods are raw or partly refined materials whose......
Commonwealth
Commonwealth, a free association of sovereign states comprising the United Kingdom and a number of its former dependencies......
Commonwealth v. Hunt
Commonwealth v. Hunt, (1842), American legal case in which the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that the common-law......
Compaq
Compaq was an American computer manufacturer that started as the first maker of IBM-compatible portable computers......
comparable worth
comparable worth, in economics, the principle that men and women should be compensated equally for work requiring......
comparative advantage
Comparative advantage is an economic theory created by British economist David Ricardo in the 19th century. It......
comprador
comprador, member of the Chinese merchant class who aided Western traders in China in the late 18th, 19th, and......
Comprehensive Thrift and Bank Fraud Prosecution and Taxpayer Recovery Act
Comprehensive Thrift and Bank Fraud Prosecution and Taxpayer Recovery Act, provision of the U.S. Crime Control......
comptroller
comptroller, official whose primary responsibility is to furnish an organization with accounting records and reports.......
Comsat
Comsat, private corporation authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1962 to develop commercial communications satellite......
Comunero Rebellion
Comunero Rebellion, popular uprising in 1780â81 in the Viceroyalty of New Granada. In response to new tobacco and......
Condé Nast
When Condé Montrose Nast bought a publication called Vogue in 1909, he was a man with a vision. He recognized that......
Conglomerate
Conglomerate, in business, a corporation formed by the acquisition by one firm of several others, each of which......
Congress of Industrial Organizations
Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO), federation of affiliated North American industrial unions that originated......
Conoco
Conoco, former American petroleum company founded in 1875 as the Continental Oil and Transportation Company in......
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips is a U.S. oil and gas company created in 2002 through the merger of Phillips Petroleum and Conoco.......
consol
consol, British government security without a maturity date. The name is a contraction for Consolidated Annuities,......
Consolidated Rail Corporation
Consolidated Rail Corporation (âConrailâ) is a terminal and switching company jointly owned by Norfolk Southern......
consumption tax
consumption tax, a tax paid directly or indirectly by the consumer, such as excise, sales, or use taxes, tariffs,......
content farm
Content farms are companies that create a large quantity of Internet content written specifically for the purpose......
content marketing
Content marketing is an approach to gaining and retaining customers by providing valuable and relevant information......
Continental Airlines, Inc.
Continental Airlines, Inc., former U.S.-based airline that served North American and overseas destinations via......
Continental Group, Inc.
Continental Group, Inc., American manufacturer and distributor of metal, paper, and plastic packaging products.......
contract labour
contract labour, the labour of workers whose freedom is restricted by the terms of a contractual relation and by......
ContrataciĂłn, Casa de
Casa de ContrataciĂłn, central trading house and procurement agency for Spainâs New World empire from the 16th to......
Coop Himmelblau
Coop Himmelblau, avant-garde architecture firm that rose to prominence in the 1980s and â90s. The two central members......
CoreWeave, Inc.
CoreWeave, Inc., is an American cloud computing company that operates data centers equipped with NVIDIA (NVDA)......
corporate code of conduct
corporate code of conduct (CCC), codified set of ethical standards to which a corporation aims to adhere. Commonly......
corporate finance
corporate finance, the acquisition and allocation of a corporationâs funds, or resources, with the objective of......
corporate governance
corporate governance, rules and practices by which companies are governed or run. Corporate governance is important......
corporation (C corp)
A corporation is a legal form of business organization, chartered by a state, that exists as a separate entity......
Corus Group
Corus Group, international steel and metals manufacturer founded in October 1999 through the merger of British......
cost-benefit analysis
cost-benefit analysis, in governmental planning and budgeting, the attempt to measure the social benefits of a......
Costco
Costco Wholesale Corporation, one of the largest retailers in the world, operates membership warehouses in which......
countervailing duty
countervailing duty, tariff or tax levied to neutralize the unwanted or unintended effects of other duties. When......
coupon
In the bond market, the coupon, also known as the coupon payment, is the interest payment that a bond issuer promises......
coureur de bois
coureur de bois, French Canadian fur trader of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Most of the coureurs de......
craft union
craft union, trade union combining workers who are engaged in a particular craft or skill but who may work for......
Craigslist
Craigslist, private corporation operating over the Internet to provide classified advertisements, community information......
Credit
Credit, transaction between two parties in which one (the creditor or lender) supplies money, goods, services,......
credit union
credit union, credit cooperative formed by an organized group of people with some common bond who, in effect, save......
credit, Letter of
Letter of credit, order from a bank to a bank or other party abroad authorizing payment of money (up to a specified......
critical path analysis
critical path analysis (CPA), technique for controlling and coordinating the various activities necessary in completing......
crowdfunding
crowdfunding, a kind of crowdsourcing and alternative financing by which people, via the Internet, can contribute......
crowdsourcing
crowdsourcing, a framework that brings together a large and decentralized group of people for gathering data, solving......
crown
crown, monetary unit of several European countries, including Sweden, Denmark, and Norwayâthe first countries to......
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll, LLC is an American production, distribution, licensing, and streaming company dedicated to anime,......
cryptocurrency
cryptocurrency, currency in digital form that is not overseen by a central authority. The first cryptocurrency......
Crédit Lyonnais, Le
Crédit Lyonnais, Le (LCL), major French commercial bank noted for providing financial services throughout the world......
Crédit Mobilier Scandal
Crédit Mobilier Scandal, in U.S. history, illegal manipulation of contracts by a construction and finance company......
CSX Corporation
CSX Corporation is a major U.S. freight transportation company based in Jacksonville, Florida. Its main operating......
Culture System
Culture System, revenue system in the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) that forced farmers to pay revenue to the treasury......
currency
currency, in industrialized nations, portion of the national money supply, consisting of bank notes and government-issued......
curriculum vitae
curriculum vitae (CV), document that describes an individualâs qualifications and career history and typically......
Currier & Ives
...
customs union
customs union, a trade agreement by which a group of countries charges a common set of tariffs to the rest of the......
Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday, shopping holiday promoted by retailers as a day of savings and bargains for online customers. Cyber......
Dai-Ichi KangyĆ Bank
Dai-Ichi KangyĆ Bank, one of three Japanese banks that merged in 2000 to create the Mizuho Financial Group. Once......
Danbury Hattersâ Case
Danbury Hattersâ Case, U.S. Supreme Court case in which unions were held to be subject to the antitrust laws. In......
Danegeld
Danegeld, a tax levied in Anglo-Saxon England to buy off Danish invaders in the reign of Ethelred II (978â1016);......
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics, American comic book publisher founded in 1986 by comics retailer Mike Richardson. In an industry......
Dassault Industries
Dassault Industries, French company with major aerospace-related subsidiaries specializing in the production of......
dastak
dastak, in 18th-century Bengal, a permit exempting European traders, mostly of the British East India Company,......
dazibao
dazibao, in the Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC), prominently displayed handwritten posters containing complaints......
DC Comics
DC Comics is an American comic book publisher whose charactersâincluding Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash,......
De Beers S.A.
De Beers S.A., South African company that is the worldâs largest producer and distributor of diamonds. Through......
dead-cat bounce
In financial markets, a dead-cat bounce describes a brief market recovery (ârallyâ) following a sharp declineâone......
Death Row Records and Interscope Records
Among the individuals responsible for the flourishing of hip-hop in Los Angeles in the 1990s was a white man, Jimmy......
debenture stock
debenture stock, loan contract issued by a company or public body specifying an obligation to return borrowed funds......
debit card
debit card, small card, similar to a credit card, offering means of paying for a purchase through transfer of funds......
debt
debt, something owed. Anyone having borrowed money or goods from another owes a debt and is under obligation to......
debt ceiling
debt ceiling, statutory or constitutionally mandated upper limit on the total outstanding public debt of a country,......
debt crisis
debt crisis, a situation in which a country is unable to pay back its government debt. A country can enter into......
Debt-to-GDP ratio
In August 2026, news that the U.S. national debt had surpassed $40 trillion made headlines around the world. It......
Decca Records: Shaking, Rattling, and Rolling
Formed as an American division by its British parent company in 1934, Decca was the only major company to stand......
Declaratory Act
Declaratory Act, (1766), declaration by the British Parliament that accompanied the repeal of the Stamp Act. It......
DeepSeek
DeepSeek is a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company that rose to international prominence in January 2025......
Deere & Company
...
Def Jam Records: Hip-Hop Harbingers
Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons managed several pioneer hip-hop acts, including Run-D.M.C., through their Rush Management......
default
For a bond, mortgage, auto loan, or other lending agreement, the borrower (âissuer,â in the case of a bond or other......
Del Monte Corporation
For generations of American consumers, Del Monte has been a familiar name on supermarket shelves, appearing on......
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company, American railroad built to carry coal from the anthracite fields......
Dell
Dell, global company that designs, develops, and manufactures personal computers (PCs) and a variety of computer-related......
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL) is an American airline incorporated on December 31, 1930, as Delta Air Corporation;......
Democratic Socialists of America
The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization of left-wing activists in the United States.......
Demonetization through the years: A history of making money worthless
Most paper money today is fiat currency, meaning it has value because users have faith in the government backing......
department store
department store, retail establishment that sells a wide variety of goods. These usually include ready-to-wear......
Dependency theory
Dependency theory is an approach to understanding economic underdevelopment that emphasizes the constraints imposed......
depletion allowance
depletion allowance, in corporate income tax, the deductions from gross income allowed investors in exhaustible......
deposit account
deposit account, Either of two basic bank deposit accounts. The demand deposit is payable on demand (see check).......