Y   -    A Nasdaq stock symbol specifying that a particular stock is an American Depositary Receipt (ADR).

YAWN - Young And Wealthy but Normal   -   A class of self-made millionaires that live relatively modest lives. Instead of spending wealth on gaining luxurious items and living expensive lifestyles, these individuals prefer to make contributions to charitable causes and spend time with their families.

YOY - Year Over Year   -   A method of evaluating two or more measured events that compares the results of measurement at one time period with those from another time period (or series of time periods), on an annualized basis. Year-over-year comparisons are a popular way to evaluate the performance of investments. Any measurable events that recur annually can be compared on a year-over-year basis - from annual performance, to quarterly performance, to daily performance.

YTC - Yield To Call   -   The yield of a bond or note if you were to buy and hold the security until the call date. This yield is valid only if the security is called prior to maturity. The calculation of yield to call is based on the coupon rate, the length of time to the call date and the market price.

YTD - Year To Date   -   The period beginning January 1st of the current year up until today's date.

YTM - Yield To Maturity   -   The rate of return anticipated on a bond if it is held until the maturity date. YTM is considered a long-term bond yield expressed as an annual rate. The calculation of YTM takes into account the current market price, par value, coupon interest rate and time to maturity. It is also assumed that all coupons are reinvested at the same rate. Sometimes this is simply referred to as "yield" for short.

YTW - Yield To Worst   -   The lowest potential yield that can be received on a bond without the issuer actually defaulting. The yield to worst is calculated by making worst-case scenario assumptions on the issue by calculating the returns that would be received if provisions, including prepayment, call or sinking fund, are used by the issuer. This metric is used to evaluate the worst-case scenario for yield to help investors manage risks and ensure that specific income requirements will still be met even in the worst scenarios.

YUPCAPS   -   A slang term for a young urban professional who cannot afford property. Yupcaps are individuals in their late twenties or early thirties with a post secondary educations and a well-paying jobs who are unable to purchase a property due to factors such as high real estate prices, limited personal savings and limited credit history, all of which can make it difficult to get approved for a mortgage.

Y-Share   -   A class of mutual fund shares that often has a high minimum investment, such as $500,000 per lot, and the added benefit of waived or limited load charges and fees. Due to the high minimum investment required, Y-shares are often only accessible by large institutional investors.

Yankee Bond   -   A bond denominated in U.S. dollars and is publicly issued in the U.S. by foreign banks and corporations. According to the Securities Act of 1933, these bonds must first be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) before they can be sold. Yankee bonds are often issued in tranches and each offering can be as large as $1 billion.

Yankee CD   -   A certificate of deposit (CD) issued in the U.S. market, typically in New York, by a branch of a foreign bank.

Yankee Market   -    A slang term for the stock market in the United States. Yankee market is usually used buy non-U.S. residents and refers to the slang term for an American - a Yankee.

Yard   -   Slang for one billion units in currency.

Year   -   In taxation, year refers to the calendar year that runs from January 1st to December 31st. However, corporations can generally set the time period for which they report financial results to be different than the calendar year.

Year-End Bonus   -   A reward paid to an employee at the end of the year. Many year end bonuses are tied to performance metrics and the amount can vary depending whether certain milestones are met. Year-end bonuses are usually made up of lump-sum payments used to reward the individual for hard work and dedication.
Sometimes called a "Christmas bonus".

Yellow Knight   -   A company that was once making a takeover attempt but ends up discussing a merger with the target company.

Yellow Sheets   -   A U.S. bulletin that gives updated bid and ask prices as well as other information on OTC bonds.

YEN ETF   -   Exchange-traded funds that invest primarily in yen-backed assets such as short-term debt instruments and bonds, or hold the currency in simple interest-bearing accounts that pay the current money market yields in Japan. Some Yen ETFs will match (with a dividend yield) the current income earned on the yen assets, or may use that income to pay the expenses of managing the ETF.

Yield   -   The average annual rate of profit on shares returned to shareholders or the average rate of return on bonds.

Yield Basis   -   A method of quoting the price of a fixed-income security as a yield percentage, rather than in dollars. This allows bonds with varying characteristics to be easily compared.

Yield Burning   -   The illegal practice of underwriters marking up the prices on bonds for the purpose of reducing the yield on the bond. This practice, referred to as "burning the yield," is done after the bond is placed in escrow for an investor who is awaiting repayment.

Yield Curve   -   A line that plots the interest rates, at a set point in time, of bonds having equal credit quality, but differing maturity dates. The most frequently reported yield curve compares the three-month, two-year, five-year and 30-year U.S. Treasury debt. This yield curve is used as a benchmark for other debt in the market, such as mortgage rates or bank lending rates. The curve is also used to predict changes in economic output and growth.

Yield Curve Risk   -   The risk of experiencing an adverse shift in market interest rates associated with investing in a fixed income instrument. The risk is associated with either a flattening or steepening of the yield curve, which is a result of changing yields among comparable bonds with different maturities. 
When market yields change, this will impact the price of a fixed-income instrument. When market interest rates, or yields, increase, the price of a bond will decrease and vice versa.

Yield Elbow   -   The point on the yield curve indicating the year in which the economy's highest interest rates occur.

Yield Equivalence   -   The interest rate on a taxable security that would render a return equivalent to that of a tax-exempt security, and vice versa, calculated as follows:

Yield Maintenance   -   A prepayment premium that allows investors to attain the same yield as if the borrower made all scheduled mortgage payments until maturity.

Yield Pickup   -   A gain in yield achieved by selling one bond and buying another with a higher yield.

Yield Spread   -   The difference between yields on differing debt instruments, calculated by deducting the yield of one instrument from another. The higher the yield spread, the greater the difference between the yields offered by each instrument. The spread can be measured between debt instruments of differing maturities, credit ratings and risk.

Yield Spread Premium   -   A form of compensation that a mortgage broker, acting as the intermediary, receives from the original lender for selling an interest rate to a borrower that is above the lender's par rate for which the borrower qualifies. The yield spread premium must be disclosed on the HUD-1 Form when the loan is closed.

Yield Tilt Index Fund   -   A type of mutual fund that allocates capital as a standard index, by replicating the holdings of a specified stock index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500), except that the fund weights its holdings towards stocks that offer higher dividend yields. Stocks with higher dividend yields are given a greater portfolio weighting, making them represent more of the fund's portfolio than they otherwise would in the standard index.

Yield-Based Option   -   A type of debt-instrument-based option that derives its value from the difference between the exercise price and the value of the yield of the underlying debt instrument. Yield-based options are settled in cash. A yield-based call buyer expects interest rates to go up, while a yield-based put buyer expects interest rates to go down.

Yo-Yo   -   Slang for a very volatile market.

YUPPIE   -   A slang term denoting the market segment of young urban professionals. A yuppie is often characterized by youth, affluence and business success.