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Vocabulary Bank: Economics and Finance

80 words and 62 real workplace phrases for this specialization, organized by topic. Tap the speaker icon to hear the pronunciation. Use this as a reference alongside your lessons — it's not graded.

Banking BasicsInvestingCorporate FinanceRisk & ComplianceProfessional Self-PresentationAt the BankInvesting TalkCorporate Finance TalkRisk & RegulationEconomic TrendsTalking About Your Career

Banking Basics

Everyday banking vocabulary.

account
a record held at a bank for managing money
cuenta
deposit
money added to an account
depósito
withdrawal
money taken out of an account
retiro
balance
the amount of money in an account
saldo
interest rate
the percentage charged or paid on money
tasa de interés
loan
money borrowed that must be paid back
préstamo
mortgage
a loan used to buy property
hipoteca
credit score
a number showing how reliable a borrower is
puntaje de crédito
overdraft
spending more money than is in an account
sobregiro
transaction
an instance of transferring money
transacción
wire transfer
an electronic transfer of money between banks
transferencia bancaria
checking account
an account used for everyday transactions
cuenta corriente
savings account
an account used to hold money and earn interest
cuenta de ahorros
ATM
a machine used to withdraw or deposit cash
cajero automático
routing number
a code identifying a specific bank
número de ruta bancaria
statement
a document showing account activity
estado de cuenta
fee
a charge for a service
comisión, cargo
collateral
an asset used to secure a loan
garantía
default
failing to repay a loan
impago, incumplimiento
APR
the yearly cost of borrowing, including fees
tasa anual (APR)

Investing

Markets, portfolios, and assets.

stock
a share of ownership in a company
acción (bursátil)
bond
a loan made to a company or government
bono
portfolio
a collection of investments held by a person
cartera de inversiones
dividend
a payment made to shareholders from profits
dividendo
mutual fund
a fund that pools money to invest in many assets
fondo mutuo
index fund
a fund that tracks a specific market index
fondo indexado
volatility
how much prices rise and fall
volatilidad
diversify
to spread investments across different assets
diversificar
bull market
a period when prices are rising
mercado alcista
bear market
a period when prices are falling
mercado bajista
asset
something owned that has value
activo
liability
a debt or financial obligation
pasivo
capital gain
the profit from selling an investment
ganancia de capital
broker
a person or firm that trades on your behalf
corredor de bolsa
hedge
an investment used to reduce risk
cobertura (de riesgo)
yield
the income earned from an investment
rendimiento
equity
ownership value in an asset after debts
capital, patrimonio
liquidity
how easily an asset can be turned into cash
liquidez
risk tolerance
how much risk an investor is willing to accept
tolerancia al riesgo
retirement fund
money saved specifically for retirement
fondo de retiro

Corporate Finance

How companies manage money.

revenue
the total income from sales
ingresos
expense
money spent by a business
gasto
profit margin
the percentage of revenue kept as profit
margen de ganancia
balance sheet
a report of assets, liabilities, and equity
balance general
income statement
a report showing revenue and expenses over time
estado de resultados
cash flow
the movement of money in and out of a business
flujo de caja
EBITDA
earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization
EBITDA (beneficio operativo)
valuation
an estimate of how much a company is worth
valoración
shareholder equity
the value owned by shareholders after debts
patrimonio de los accionistas
working capital
the money available for daily operations
capital de trabajo
depreciation
the loss of an asset's value over time
depreciación
solvency
a company's ability to meet long-term debts
solvencia
leverage
using borrowed money to increase potential returns
apalancamiento
audit
an official examination of financial records
auditoría
fiscal policy
government decisions about spending and taxes
política fiscal
monetary policy
central bank decisions about interest rates and money supply
política monetaria
inflation
a general rise in prices over time
inflación
GDP
the total value of goods and services a country produces
PIB (producto interno bruto)
recession
a period of economic decline
recesión
merger
the combination of two companies into one
fusión

Risk & Compliance

Managing financial risk and regulation.

regulator
an authority that oversees financial rules
regulador
compliance
following financial laws and regulations
cumplimiento normativo
due diligence
careful investigation before a financial decision
diligencia debida
counterparty
the other party in a financial transaction
contraparte
derivative
a financial contract based on an underlying asset
derivado (financiero)
hedge fund
a fund that uses advanced strategies to earn returns
fondo de cobertura
stress test
a simulation to see how a firm handles a crisis
prueba de resistencia
credit risk
the risk that a borrower will not repay a loan
riesgo crediticio
market risk
the risk of losses from market changes
riesgo de mercado
systemic risk
the risk of an entire financial system failing
riesgo sistémico

Professional Self-Presentation

Vocabulary for interviews, self-presentation, and professional advocacy.

expertise
specialized knowledge and skill in a particular area
experiencia especializada, pericia
track record
a history of past achievements and performance
historial de logros
responsibilities
the duties and tasks someone is expected to handle
responsabilidades
qualifications
the skills, degrees, or experience that make someone suitable for a role
calificaciones, requisitos
strengths
the skills or qualities someone is particularly good at
fortalezas
professional growth
the ongoing development of one's skills and career
crecimiento profesional
career goals
the specific things someone wants to achieve professionally
metas profesionales
achievement
something successfully accomplished
logro
contribution
something someone adds or gives to a project or team
contribución, aporte
credentials
official qualifications or proof of expertise
credenciales

At the Bank

Everyday banking conversation.

open an account
"I'd like to open an account, please."
abrir una cuenta
apply for a loan
"She applied for a loan to start her business."
solicitar un préstamo
pay off a debt
"He finally paid off his debt this year."
pagar una deuda
check your balance
"You can check your balance using the app."
revisar tu saldo
set up a direct deposit
"Let's set up a direct deposit for your paycheck."
configurar un depósito directo
freeze an account
"The bank froze the account after suspicious activity."
congelar una cuenta
waive a fee
"They waived the fee since it was a first offense."
eximir/perdonar una comisión
qualify for a mortgage
"You need good credit to qualify for a mortgage."
calificar para una hipoteca
transfer funds
"I need to transfer funds to another account."
transferir fondos
dispute a charge
"I want to dispute a charge on my statement."
disputar un cargo

Investing Talk

Everyday expressions in investing.

ride out the volatility
"Long-term investors usually ride out the volatility."
aguantar la volatilidad
cash in on a trend
"They cashed in on the rally before it ended."
aprovechar una tendencia
play it safe
"Given the risk, we decided to play it safe."
jugar a lo seguro
beat the market
"Very few funds consistently beat the market."
superar al mercado
take a hit
"Tech stocks took a hit after the announcement."
sufrir un golpe (pérdida)
hold steady
"The Federal Reserve decided to hold steady on rates."
mantenerse estable
price in
"The market has already priced in the rate hike."
incorporar en el precio
go long / go short
"The trader decided to go long on the stock."
apostar al alza / a la baja
buy the dip
"Some investors buy the dip after a drop."
comprar en la caída
diversify your holdings
"It's smart to diversify your holdings across sectors."
diversificar tus inversiones

Corporate Finance Talk

Talking about company performance.

run the numbers
"Can you run the numbers again before the board meeting?"
revisar los números
in the black / in the red
"The company has been in the black for two years."
con ganancias / con pérdidas
cut costs
"We need to cut costs without losing quality."
reducir costos
boost revenue
"The new product line helped boost revenue."
aumentar los ingresos
tighten the budget
"We had to tighten the budget this quarter."
ajustar el presupuesto
bottom line
"The bottom line is we need more sales."
resultado final
financial health
"The audit confirmed the company's financial health."
salud financiera
burn rate
"The startup's burn rate was too high to sustain."
tasa de consumo de capital
break even
"The project should break even by next year."
llegar al punto de equilibrio
scale the business
"They're looking to scale the business internationally."
escalar el negocio

Risk & Regulation

Compliance and risk management expressions.

flag a risk
"The analyst flagged a risk in the new contract."
señalar un riesgo
mitigate a risk
"We added insurance to mitigate the risk."
mitigar un riesgo
comply with regulations
"All firms must comply with new regulations."
cumplir con las regulaciones
undergo an audit
"The company will undergo an audit next month."
someterse a una auditoría
assess exposure
"We assessed our exposure to currency risk."
evaluar la exposición (al riesgo)
tighten controls
"The bank tightened its internal controls."
reforzar los controles
report a discrepancy
"The accountant reported a discrepancy in the ledger."
reportar una discrepancia
pass a stress test
"The bank passed its annual stress test."
aprobar una prueba de resistencia
meet capital requirements
"All banks must meet capital requirements."
cumplir con los requisitos de capital
flag suspicious activity
"The system flagged suspicious activity overnight."
señalar actividad sospechosa

Economic Trends

Discussing the broader economy.

the economy is booming
"The economy is booming this year."
la economía está en auge
a downturn in the market
"There's been a downturn in the market lately."
una caída en el mercado
inflation is rising
"Inflation is rising faster than expected."
la inflación está subiendo
the market rebounded
"The market rebounded after a rough quarter."
el mercado se recuperó
interest rates went up
"Interest rates went up again this month."
las tasas de interés subieron
consumer spending slowed
"Consumer spending slowed during the holidays."
el gasto del consumidor se desaceleró
unemployment fell
"Unemployment fell to its lowest point in years."
el desempleo bajó
the currency weakened
"The currency weakened against the dollar."
la moneda se debilitó
demand outpaced supply
"Demand outpaced supply for months."
la demanda superó a la oferta
the market stabilized
"The market stabilized after the announcement."
el mercado se estabilizó

Talking About Your Career

Common expressions to describe your role, strengths, and goals.

I'm responsible for
"I'm responsible for financial analysis and reporting across the economics and finance department."
soy responsable de
My main strength is
"My main strength is problem-solving under pressure."
mi mayor fortaleza es
I specialize in
"I specialize in economics and finance."
me especializo en
What I bring to the table is
"What I bring to the table is years of hands-on experience."
lo que aporto es
I've had a lot of success with
"I've had a lot of success with cross-team projects."
he tenido mucho éxito con
One of my proudest achievements was
"One of my proudest achievements was leading that project to completion."
uno de mis logros más importantes fue
I'm passionate about
"I'm passionate about economics and finance."
me apasiona
I'd like to grow into
"I'd like to grow into a leadership role."
me gustaría crecer hacia
I stay up to date by
"I stay up to date by reading industry publications."
me mantengo actualizado/a
In my experience,
"In my experience, clear communication solves most problems."
en mi experiencia,
I work well under pressure
"I work well under pressure and tight deadlines."
trabajo bien bajo presión
I'm a quick learner
"I'm a quick learner and adapt easily to new systems."
aprendo rápido