While movies like “The Big Short” and “Wolf Of Wall Street” helped popularize financial terms like the Bull and Bear market, many in the general public throw them around without really knowing what they mean.
One survey of people on the street found that seven out of 10 respondents could not identify a hedge fund while eight out of ten drew a blank when asked what a bond was.
Don’t Miss: Here Are the Financial Questions Most People Deal With at Google (and the Answers)
Since its premiere in 2018, Warner Bros (WBD) – Get a free reportThe hit HBO show “Succession” has become the latest hit to plunge viewers into the world of multi-billion dollar deals and investment bankers. The Roy kids’ fight to take over the Roystar-Wayco entertainment group from their aging father has sent many viewers to Google (Google) – Get a free reportTo define terms like ETF and IPO.
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The “succession” show is fueling interest in financing
According to the list put together by the trading platform comparison siteInvestinGoalexchange-traded fund (ETF) was the single most popular finance term people searched on Google with the word “cascade” — on average, netizens searched it 103,000 times per month.
The term is used to describe a stock, commodity, and bond mutual fund that is generally a safer investment than any single stock.
Other popular search associations with “succession” include an initial public offering (IPO), or the first time a private company’s shares hit the public market. This term trailed the ETF with an average of 95,000 monthly searches.
“Companies often issue an initial public offering to raise capital to fund growth initiatives, raise their public profile, or to pay down debt,” the study authors wrote.
Fundamental finance terms like “broker” and “bull market” vs. “bear market” also made the list while even an obvious term like “tank” is still searched 2,400 times a month.
A “dead cat bounce,” or a short-term rebound in stock prices caused by short sellers expecting an increase, has been used inNew York Times analysis From a Season 3 episode to describe Logan Roy’s fear of a dead cat under his seat and expectations about the looming shareholder meeting.
“While this doesn’t necessarily happen in the Waystar Royco succession and its equity, there were moments within the show where it was feared, particularly during a cruise fiasco that saw conversations taking place about any member of the ‘inner circle’,” InvestinGoal writes. It will take a fall and potentially risk jail time.”
The term is Googled, on average, 3,200 times a month. By contrast, more than two million viewers Tuned to watch The first episode of the fourth season.
Other lesser-known terms that sent viewers to Google include “to the moon,” which is used to describe an ever-growing asset, and “arbitrage”—buying in one market and then quickly going over to selling in another.
“Whales,” or powerful investors who influence the market, was also a more internal term that sent viewers online with an average of 1,800 searches per month.
“In “Succession,” Lukas Matson could be seen as a “whale,” a position he clearly knows and manipulates, sending controversial tweets at key moments during business actions that could significantly impact the market, the report’s authors wrote.